Merged into Boxed, ticker now BOXD
SVOK

Completed

Boxed

Seven Oaks Acquisition Corp.

Raised
$200M
CIK
1828672
SPAC Ticker
SVOK
Merger
Boxed
Merged Ticker
BOXD
Focus
Consumer, Business Services, Technology, Manufacturing, Healthcare
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Gary S. Matthews, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer , has over 30 years of experience as both an institutional investor and a senior executive of multiple businesses across a broad range of industries. From March 2019 to August 2020 Mr. Matthews served as Chief Executive Officer and a Director of IES Holdings (NASDAQ: IESC), over which time both EBITDA and the company’s stock price increased significantly. Prior to joining IES, Mr. Matthews served as Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners from 2007 to 2019 where he co-led direct investments and helped to oversee the management and strategies for those businesses. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, he led several private equity-backed manufacturing companies in senior management positions. From 2006 to 2007, he served as President of Simmons Bedding Company overseeing operations in the US and Canada. Mr. Matthews also previously served as Chief Executive Officer of sponsor-owned Sleep Innovations, Inc. and of Derby Cycle Corporation. Previously, Mr. Matthews served as President of Worldwide Consumer Medicines and Specialty Pharmaceuticals at Bristol-Meyers Squibb. He also served as President of the Guinness Import Company and Managing Director of Guinness in Great Britain. Prior to joining Guinness, Mr. Matthews served as a Director at PepsiCo and as a Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Matthews currently serves on the board of directors of Manna Pro Products, LLC and Clean Origins. He has previously served as Chairman of the board of directors of Pathway Partners Veterinary Holding LLC, Hojeij Branded Foods, Creative Circle, LLC and Tops Markets, LLC, and as a member of the board of directors of Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), Lenox Group Inc. (previously Department 56, NYSE: DFS), Learning Care Group, Inc., Van Wagner, Inc., Lagunitas Brewing Company, and Canyon Ranch. Mr. Matthews received a B.A., Cum Laude, from Princeton University and a Masters in Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Matthews has been involved in several philanthropic social organizations. He is on the Board of Let’s Get Ready and served as its Chairman for four years. Let’s Get Ready works with underprivileged high school seniors to tutor them for the SATs, provides college application assistance, and mentors at the college level to encourage these students to stay and graduate college. Previously, Mr. Matthews served for 10 years on the Board of the Greenwich Library and was on the Board and served as Board Chair for Junior Achievement of SW Connecticut.

Andrew C. Pearson, our Chief Financial Officer, has 25 years’ experience in global private equity. In 2019, Mr. Pearson formed Soundview Advisors, where he consults with leading private equity firms in the areas of portfolio management, organizational design and LP management. Previously, Mr. Pearson served as Managing Director, Chairman of the Portfolio Committee and Global Head of Portfolio Management with General Atlantic, one of the world’s largest global growth equity firms with over $40 billion under management and 14 offices on four continents. His responsibilities at General Atlantic increased over a 22-year career which began as an Associate in 1996 before becoming a Managing Director in 2007 and Chairman of the Portfolio Committee in 2012. Mr. Pearson’s deal experience covered investments in the software and technology-enabled services markets. As Chairman of the Portfolio Committee, Mr. Pearson was charged with establishing and executing the firm’s global liquidity and value-creation targets as well as developing risk management parameters. Prior to joining General Atlantic, Mr. Pearson was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, Inc. Mr. Pearson serves as Treasurer and Board Member of the Blossom Hill Foundation, a non-profit which provides fellowships to social entrepreneurs who develop ideas to help children affected by conflict. He received an M.A. and B.A. in Regional Science from The School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

David S. Harris, our Chief Operating Officer , has over 30 years of experience in corporate finance as an investment banker, investor and board member and has been in involved in a wide variety of acquisitions and divestitures. Mr. Harris has served as President of Grant Capital, Inc. since 2002, where he has led its investment efforts, sourcing, acquiring and managing minority and majority ownership positions in private companies in the consumer, industrial and business services industries. He began his career at Price Waterhouse as a CPA and started his Wall Street career at Furman Selz LLC in 1986. ING Barings acquired Furman Selz in 1997 and ABN Amro, a Dutch financial institution, acquired certain divisions of the firm in 2001. At ING and ABN Amro, Mr. Harris served as a Managing Director and Sector Head of the Retail, Consumer and Leisure investment banking group. Mr. Harris currently serves as Lead Director and Chairman of the Audit and Compensation Committees of REX American Resources Corporation (NYSE: REX) and as Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee at Carrols Restaurant Group (NASDAQ: TAST), where he also serves on the Audit Committee. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Spectrum Brands Holdings (NYSE: SPB) and Steiner Leisure Limited where he served on the Audit Committee and was Chairman of both the Compensation Committee and the Special Committee of independent board members formed to consummate the sale of Steiner Leisure Limited to L Catterton. Mr. Harris received a B.S. in Accounting and Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from Rider University and a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University.

Mr. Harris has been involved with Bridges to Community, which develops poverty alleviation strategies within local communities in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic and leads service-learning trips building homes and schools in those communities, since 2002 and served as Treasurer until 2008. Mr. Harris has also served on the board of the Bronxville School Foundation, is member of the Board of Assessment Review for the Village of Bronxville, and has been a longstanding Elder at the Reformed Church of Bronxville and has led its stewardship program for many years.

Randolph K. Tucker, our Chief ESG Officer , has a broad range of experience as a community and labor leader and financial services professional across a variety of industries. Since 2017, he has served as Vice President of Employee Benefits at USI Insurance Services, developing clients while advising CEOs and senior HR leaders on capital-efficient benefit planning and business development strategies. Mr. Tucker served as First Vice President of the NAACP New York Branch under civil rights Icon Dr. Annie B. Martin from 2004 to 2012 and served as President from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Tucker subsequently served as Director of Development at Save America’s Parks, where he helped raise capital to address budgetary challenges and arranged skilled union volunteers to assist with a backlog of repairs and maintenance projects facing America’s parks. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Tucker worked as a Consultant at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and has also previously served as a Vice President at Wells Fargo and as an Advisor for the Kelson Group. Mr. Tucker began his career with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 888 as a business representative in 1995. His responsibilities increased over the following 15 years, rising to the role of Secretary Treasurer in 2004 and serving as Chairman of Health and Pension Funds from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Tucker currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Tri-State Law Enforcement Foundation, a non-profit organization which works closely with top law enforcement officials in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to support local law enforcement, encourage cooperation between law enforcement agencies and their communities, and provide scholarships and assistance to the spouses and children of fallen officers.

Our Board

Our management team’s skills are complemented by our directors, who bring significant operating experience and relationships throughout multiple industries and sectors. Gary Matthews will serve as chairman of our board and, in addition to Mark Hauser, our current director, Eileen Serra and Regynald Washington are our Directors.

Mark Hauser, our Director , has over 30 years’ experience in private equity, private credit, venture capital and investment banking. Mr. Hauser is Founder of Tamarix Capital Corp, an investment firm providing flexible financing solutions to middle-market companies since 1993, and Tamarix Equity Partners, its subsidiary private equity fund. From 2013 to 2019, he served as a Senior Managing Director and a member of the Investment Committee at OFS Capital Management, LLC, where he founded the firm’s SBIC fund and was responsible for middle-market lending. Mr. Hauser previously served as a Senior Managing Director at Sandell Asset Management, an international multi-strategy alternative asset manager where he founded the firm’s private equity practice, and as a Managing Director at FdG Associates, a New York-based middle-market private equity fund focused on investing in family owned businesses. Mr. Hauser began his career in 1979 as a corporate attorney practicing in Sydney with Simons & Bafsky, before subsequently practicing in London with Simmons & Simmons and in New York with Rogers & Wells. From 1985 to 1991, Mr. Hauser served as a Principal at Ocean Capital Corporation, a private international investment banking firm. Mr. Hauser holds a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Law from Sydney University. Mr. Hauser is well qualified to serve on our board due to his significant experience in transactional matters in addition to his diverse educational and professional background.

Eileen Serra will serve on our board of directors following the completion of this offering. During the course of her career, which has spanned over 20 years, Ms. Serra has served in various leadership roles in the financial services industry. Ms. Serra served in a number of senior executive roles at JPMorgan Chase, including as CEO of Chase Card Services from 2012 to 2016. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Ms. Serra served as a Managing Director and Head of Private Client Banking Solutions at Merrill Lynch from 2002 to 2006. She also previously served as Senior Vice President at American Express where she led the Small Business Credit Card and Lending businesses. Before American Express, she served as a partner at McKinsey & Company for 12 years where she focused on strategy and organizational issues in the consumer goods and services sector. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Capital One (NYSE: COF), where she is a member of the Audit and Risk Committees, and as an independent director of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT), where she is a member of the Compensation Committee. Ms. Serra also currently serves as Trustee of Family Promise, a non-profit focused on addressing family homelessness, and previously served as a member of the Board of the Women’s Refugee Commission. She received a B.S. from the University of California at Davis and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Ms. Serra is well qualified to serve on our board due to her proven track record of success and her experience serving as a director and committee member for public companies.

Regynald Washington will serve as a member on our board of directors following the completion of this offering. Mr. Washington has over 25 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industries, where he has received multiple awards for his excellent work, including the 2019 International Foodservice Manufacturers Association’s Gold Plate Award and the 2019 Georgia Restaurant Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Washington currently serves as President of the Paradies Lagardère Dining Division and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Hojeij Branded Foods, Inc. from 2010 until its 2018 acquisition by Paradies Lagardère. From 1997 to 2009, he served in a variety of roles at The Walt Disney Company, including as Vice President of Worldwide Food and Beverage Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Vice President and General Manager of Disney Regional Entertainment, and Director of Resort Food and Beverage Operations where Mr. Washington oversaw all food and beverage operations for 18 Walt Disney Resorts. Since 2019, Mr. Washington has served as a Trustee of the Culinary Institute of America and has previously served as Chairman of the National Restaurant Association. He is also currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Georgia State University, the Board of Directors of the Chicago Sinfonietta, and serves as the Dean’s Advisory Board Member of the Chaplin School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University. He received a B.S. in International Hotel and Restaurant Management, Cum Laude, from Florida International University. Mr. Washington’s qualifications to serve on our board of directors include his leadership experience and proven track record with Paradies Lagardère Dining Division and Walt Disney.