Merged into Bird, ticker now BRDS
SWBK

Completed

Bird

Switchback II Corp

Underwriter: Goldman Sachs
Raised
$250M
CIK
1829730
SPAC Ticker
SWBK
Merger
Bird
Merged Ticker
BRDS
Focus
Energy, Sustainability
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Scott McNeill is one of our co-founders and has been our Co-Chief Executive Officer since December 2020 and a member of our board of directors since October 2020. Mr. McNeill co-founded and has served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director of the board of directors of Switchback I since May 2019 and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. McNeill served as Chief Financial Officer of RSP from April 2013 through the completion of its acquisition by Concho in July 2018. Mr. McNeill also served as a member of the board of directors of RSP from December 2013 through July 2018. Mr. McNeill joined RSP prior to its IPO in January 2014 and helped build the organization during its early growth phase while positioning it for its IPO. During Mr. McNeill’s tenure at RSP, RSP’s production grew from approximately 2,500 boe per day to approximately 80,000 boe per day, and RSP executed over $13 billion in M&A transactions and approximately $7 billion of financings. Before joining RSP, Mr. McNeill served as a managing director in the energy investment banking group of Raymond James Financial, Inc., advising companies operating in the exploration and production, midstream, and energy service and equipment segments of the energy industry. Mr. McNeill holds a B.B.A from Baylor University and an M.B.A from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified public accountant in the State of Texas.

We believe Mr. McNeill’s extensive knowledge of the energy industry, as well as his substantial business, leadership and management experience, including serving as the chief financial officer and a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded company, brings important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Jim Mutrie is one of our co-founders and has been our Co-Chief Executive Officer since December 2020 and a member of our board of directors since October 2020. Mr. Mutrie co-founded and has served as Chief Commercial Officer, General Counsel, Secretary and Director of the board of directors of Switchback I since May 2019 and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. Mutrie served as RSP’s Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from June 2014 through the completion of the acquisition of RSP by Concho in July 2018. During his tenure, Mr. Mutrie led the negotiation and execution of approximately $13 billion of M&A transactions and over $6 billion of financings, and oversaw Legal, Information Technology, Health and Safety, Human Resources and Government Affairs at RSP. While at RSP, Mr. Mutrie was a board member of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, the largest and oldest group in Texas representing petroleum interests. Prior to RSP, Mr. Mutrie served as General Counsel and Compliance Officer at United Surgical Partners International (NASDAQ: USPI). From October 2003 to January 2007, Mr. Mutrie practiced corporate law at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., representing public and private companies in M&A transactions and capital market offerings, predominantly in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Mutrie holds a B.A. from Cornell University, a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, a Certificate in Financial Management from Cornell University and a Certificate in Financial Skills for The Energy Industry from SMU Cox School of Business, Executive Education.

We believe Mr. Mutrie’s extensive experience in managing public company M&A and financing transactions, as well as his extensive knowledge of the energy industry, brings important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Chris Carter has been a member of our board of directors since December 2020. Since May 2019, Mr. Carter has served as Director on the board of directors of Switchback I and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. Carter joined NGP in 2004 and currently serves as Managing Partner and as a director of certain private NGP portfolio companies. Prior to joining NGP, Mr. Carter was an analyst with Deutsche Bank’s Energy Investment Banking group in Houston, where he focused on financing and merger and acquisition transactions in the oil and gas and oilfield services industries. Mr. Carter served on the Board of Directors of PennTex Midstream GP, LLC from June 2015 until November 2016 and on the Board of Directors of Parsley Energy, Inc. from December 2013 until January 2016. Mr. Carter also served on the Board of Directors of Rice Energy, Inc. from October 2013 through November 2014. Mr. Carter received a B.B.A. and an M.P.A. in Accounting, summa cum laude, in 2002 from the University of Texas, where he was a member of the Business Honors Program. He received an M.B.A. in 2008 from Stanford University, where he graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.

We believe that Mr. Carter’s considerable experience with financing and merger and acquisition transactions in the energy industry, as well as his experience on the boards of several public and private energy companies, bring important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Scott Gieselman has been a member of our board of directors since December 2020. Since May 2019, Mr. Gieselman has served as Director on the board of directors of Switchback I and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. Gieselman has served as a Partner for NGP since April 2007. Mr. Gieselman serves as a director of certain private NGP portfolio companies. Prior to joining NGP, Mr. Gieselman worked in various positions in the investment banking energy group of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, where he became a partner in 2002. He has served on the board of directors of HighPoint Resources Corporation since March 2018. Mr. Gieselman served on the board of directors of WildHorse Resource Development Corporation from September 2016 until it was acquired by Chesapeake Energy Corporation in February 2019 and served on the board of directors of Chesepeake Energy Corporation from May 2019 to November 2019. Mr. Gieselman also served as a member of the board of directors of Rice Energy, Inc. from January 2014 until April 2017 and was a member of the board of directors of Memorial Resource Development Corp. from its formation until it was acquired by Range Resources Corporation in September 2016. In addition, Mr. Gieselman served as a member of the board of directors of Memorial Production Partners GP LLC from December 2011 until March 2016. Mr. Gieselman received a B.S. in 1985 and an M.B.A. in 1988 from Boston College.

We believe that Mr. Gieselman’s considerable financial and energy investment banking experience, as well as his experience on the boards of several public and private energy companies, bring important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Sam Stoutner has been a member of our board of directors since December 2020. Since May 2019, Mr. Stoutner has served as Director on the board of directors of Switchback I and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. Stoutner joined NGP in 2011 and currently serves as Partner and as a director of certain private NGP portfolio companies. Prior to joining NGP, Mr. Stoutner was an investment banking analyst with Madison Williams and Company’s Energy Investment Banking Group in Houston, where he focused on financing and merger and acquisition transactions in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Stoutner received a B.B.A. and M.P.A. in Accounting, summa cum laude, in 2010 from The University of Texas at Austin. He received an M.B.A. in 2016 from Stanford University.

We believe that Mr. Stoutner’s considerable experience with financing and merger and acquisition transactions in the energy industry, as well as his experience on the boards of several private energy companies, bring important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Philip J. Deutch has been a member of our board of directors since December 2020. Mr. Deutch currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of NGP ETP III, a portfolio company of NGP XII that invests in companies with products, services, or technologies in the areas of renewable energy, power, energy storage, environmental, energy efficiency, and transportation. Mr. Deutch founded NGP ETP in 2005 and has been investing in the energy technology sector since 1997. Mr. Deutch managed NGP Energy Technology Partners and NGP Energy Technology Partners II, two private equity funds affiliated with NGP, which invested in companies that provide products and services to the oil and gas, power, environmental, energy efficiency, and alternative energy sectors. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Deutch was Partner, COO, and President of Social Capital, a $1.8 billion Silicon Valley-based investment firm, where he helped launch SC Public Equity Partners and Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. (NYSE:IPOA). From 1997 to 2004, Mr. Deutch was Managing Director at Perseus, L.L.C., where he led or co-led the firm’s energy investing activities and was a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. At Perseus, Mr. Deutch helped launch Perseus CDO I Limited, Perseus Acquisition-Recapitalization Fund, and Perseus-Soros Biopharmaceutical Fund, L.P. From 1986 to 1988, Mr. Deutch was a financial analyst in the Mergers & Acquisition Department of Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. Mr. Deutch is a board member of Form Energy Inc., Voltus Inc., Community Energy Inc. and TPI Composites Inc. (NASDAQ:TPIC) and is a former board member of, among other companies, American Wind Capital, Beacon Power, Evergreen Solar, Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ:REGI), and SatCon Technologies. Mr. Deutch is a member of the External Advisory Board of the MIT Future of Storage Study, the Board of Governors of the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Board of Trustees of the Menlo School. He previously served on the Boards of the International Center for Women, the Washington Performing Arts Society and Capital for Children. Mr. Deutch holds a J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Economics from Amherst College, where he was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

We believe that Mr. Deutch’s considerable experience investing in renewable energy, power quality/reliability, distributed generation, energy management and control, and power electronics, as well as his experience on the board of directors of many public and private energy companies, bring important and valuable skills to our board of directors.

Ray Kubis will serve as a director following the completion of this offering. Since July 2020, Mr. Kubis has served on the board of directors of Switchback I and will continue to serve Switchback I in such capacity until the closing of its business combination with ChargePoint. Mr. Kubis has served as a director of Gridtential Energy, Inc., an inventor and developer of battery technology (“Gridtential”), since October 2015. Mr. Kubis has served as the Chairman of Gridential since November 2016. From June 2013 to October 2015 Mr. Kubis served as President, and from June 2013 to January 2020 Mr. Kubis served as a member of the Board of Directors of ECO-BAT Technologies Limited, which collects, recycles and produces products for the battery, mining and other industries. From March 2002 through January 2013, Mr. Kubis served as President—Europe, Middle East and Africa of EnerSys, a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial batteries. From October 1998 to March 2002, Mr. Kubis was Vice President, General Manager, for the Energy Storage Group of Invensys plc. He has also worked in senior leadership positions with Johnson Controls and Exide in the automotive battery industry. Mr. Kubis received his M.B.A. degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois.

We believe that Mr. Kubis’s extensive experience in various leadership roles throughout the transportation and industrial battery industries will bring important and valuable skills to our board of directors.