SDHI

Withdrawn

Siddhi Acquisition Corp.

Sponsors: Siddhi Sponsor
Raised
$200M
CIK
1831762
SPAC Ticker
SDHI.U
Focus
Food, Beverage, Sustainability, Wellness
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Brian Finn has served as our Chairman of our Board since our formation. Mr. Finn has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry as well as a variety of corporate and philanthropic board roles. Since August 2020, he has also been the Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Treasurer and a member of the board of directors of Rotor Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: ROT), a blank check company like our company that completed its initial public offering in January 2021 and is currently searching for a target business with which to consummate an initial business combination. From 2008 until he retired in 2013, Mr. Finn served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Asset Management Finance Corp (AMF) and as a Senior Advisor to Credit Suisse. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Finn was Chairman and Head of Alternative Investments (AI) at Credit Suisse. During his tenure at Credit Suisse, the firm launched a series of alternative investment management firms, including GSO (now Blackstone-GSO), Global Infrastructure Partners (partnership with General Electric), China Renaissance Capital (China Private Equity), Gulf Capital (Middle East-North Africa PE), Mubadala Infrastructure Partners (Middle East Infrastructure in partnership with Mubadala and GE), Ospraie Special Opportunities (Commodities PE), Hudson Clean Energy (Alternative Energy PE) and Matlin Patterson (distressed). From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Finn held senior managements positions within Credit Suisse, including President of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), President of Investment Banking, Co-President of Institutional Securities, CEO of Credit Suisse USA and a member of the Office of the Chairman of CSFB. He was also a member of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Group. Mr. Finn began his career in 1982 as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group (M&A) at The First Boston Corporation, ultimately becoming Co-Head of M&A in 1993. He has advised on dozens of transactions worth well over $100 billion. In 1997, he joined the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice as a partner and then later rejoined Credit Suisse in 2002. Mr. Finn is a member of the boards of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and Owl Rock Capital. He is currently Chairman of Star Mountain Capital, Chairman of Covr Financial Technologies, an Investment Partner at Nyca Partners (fintech VC) as well as a board member of a number of early stage companies. He has previously been a Strategic Advisor to KKR, member of the boards of Baxter International, Telemundo, MGM Pictures, and a number of other public and private companies. Mr. Finn is past Chairman of the Undergraduate Executive Board of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Vice Chairman of the Board of the City Kids Foundation and a member of the Boards of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation and the Starmar Foundation. Mr. Finn received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. We believe Mr. Finn is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience, relationships and contacts. Mr. Finn is the father of Steven Finn, our Co-Chief Executive Officer.

Melissa Facchina has served as our co-Chief Executive Officer since our formation. Ms. Facchina has over 25 years of experience across the food and beverage manufacturing and services industries. Since March 2020, she has served as Managing Partner at Siddhi Capital, a company which she co-founded with Mr. Steven Finn that manages an early-stage venture capital fund in the food and beverage industry. Since June 2015, Ms. Facchina has been operating as an outsourced operations partner, supporting various consumer packaged goods companies. In March 2016, she formalized and launched Siddhi Ops, Inc. (formally Siddhi Shot Corp.), which has turned into the premier outsourced operating firm serving the high-growth and emerging food and beverage companies. While at Siddhi Ops, Inc., Ms. Facchina has worked alongside more than 300 food and beverage clients. In 2020, Siddhi Ops Inc received an Inc 500 placement as the 197th fastest growing private company in the country, and the 5th fastest growing in food and beverage. In 2014, Ms. Facchina worked with ForceBrands, a New York-based boutique recruitment firm serving the emerging food and beverage segment, building infrastructure for operations and manufacturing roles. From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Facchina worked as a freelance consultant to several companies, servicing both the tech and health and wellness communities. Prior to 2012, she spent three years formally working at Johanna Foods, Inc., a food and beverage manufacturing company that her father purchased in 1995, serving in several capacities, with several additional years shadowing leadership cross-departmentally. Ms. Facchina also co-founded in June 2019, and sits on the board of, Moku Foods, a plant-based jerky company. She also serves on the boards of directors of No Evil Foods, Inc, Barvecue Inc and Fifty Foods Inc (immi). Additionally, she has served as a Partner of Noops Inc, a plant-based pudding company, since October 2019. In July 2019, Ms. Facchina co-founded, and sits on the board of, a non-profit organization called the Women on Boards Project which was formed to ensure that board seats in the consumer packaged goods industry are filled by diverse women. Ms. Facchina received a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuropsychology from Rider University.

Steven Finn has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer since our formation. Mr. Finn has over 10 years of experience across the food and beverage, technology, and financial services industries. Since March 2020, he has served as Managing Partner at Siddhi Capital hich he co-founded with Ms. Facchina. Since August 2018, Mr. Finn has also served as Administrator of Marstar Investments LLC, an investment vehicle, where he has been investing as a generalist across a broader set of industries and stages. From May 2016 to August 2018, Mr. Finn was Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer for LocalStove LLC, a food technology startup in the corporate catering space that was acquired by HUNGRY Marketplace. Mr. Finn has continued to serve as an Advisor to HUNGRY since the acquisition. From August 2014 to May 2016, Mr. Finn was a full-time student pursuing his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. From 2011 to May 2014, Mr. Finn served as a Financial Software Engineer at Bloomberg L.P., focused on developing their in-house Customer Relationship Management software. From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Finn pursued a full-time masters degree. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Finn was a cofounder and VP of Operations and Technology at Rentmine.com, a technology startup. Mr. Finn currently serves on the boards of directors of Sapor Food Group (dba Simply Good Jars), True Made Foods, Ordersnapp, Marqii, Arjuna Solutions, and Incus5. He currently also serves as a board observer of BlueNalu, Matrix Meats and Ayoba. Additionally, he serves on the advisory board of Temple University’s Mid Atlantic Diamond Ventures program, the investor advisory committee for Alumni Ventures Group, the investment committee for Chestnut Street Ventures, and is a Co-founder and Advisory Board Member at Silver Lining Finance. Mr. Finn received both a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Masters of Science in Computer and Information Technology from the University of Pennsylvania’s school of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Mr. Finn is the son of Brian Finn, our Chairman of the Board.

Amy Salerno has served as our Chief Financial Officer since November 2020. She has also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Rotor Acquisition Corp. since September 2020. From 2016 to 2020, Ms. Salerno served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Covr Financial Technologies, a leading insurance technology firm, where she is currently a member of its Board of Directors. Since retiring from her executive positions with Covr, she has been a private advisor and consultant. Prior to Covr, she was the Chief Operating Officer of Pioneer Wealth Partners, a multi-family office and wealth advisory boutique catering to high-net worth families, from 2009 to 2016. Previous operational management roles include Greentech Capital Advisors where she was a Principal in the operations and business development area from 2008 to 2009 and BroadStreet Capital Partners where she was Head of Operations from 2005 to 2009. Ms. Salerno began her career in 1997 at Lehman Brothers in the structured products origination and mortgage backed securities groups. Ms. Salerno received a B.A. in Economics with Distinction from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Sam S. Potter has served as our Vice President of Corporate Development since November 2020. He has also served as the Vice President of Corporate Development of Rotor Acquisition Corp. since September 2020. Mr. Potter has been serving as Managing Member of BMB Capital, a financial consulting firm he founded, since November 2019. From November 2016 to March 2021, Mr. Potter served as the Vice President of Corporate Development for WVC Holdings, an early-stage investment firm, starting at its predecessor Wolf Venture Capital. From April 2015 to September 2016, Mr. Potter served as Vice President of Finance at Ebbu, an early-stage hemp and cannabis research company, and from June 2014 to April 2015, he was a consultant to GoHydrate, a direct-to-consumer beverage company. Previously, Mr. Potter served as an investment professional in Ares Management’s Direct Lending business from 2010 to 2014. Mr. Potter started his career in 2007 at Deutsche Bank in the Global Industrials Group. Mr. Potter received a B.S. from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Lauri Kien Kotcher has served as a member of our board of directors and Vice Chairperson since January 2021. Ms. Kien Kotcher has over 30 years of experience in the consumer products, marketing and consulting industries. Ms. Kien Kotcher joined hello products, a personal care company, in January 2015 and served as the CEO of hello products, including guiding hello products through its 2020 acquisition by Colgate. From October 2013 to January 2015, she was a Senior Advisor at LCatterton on the Operating Partner Team where she served as a board member for three portfolio companies, Strivectin, CoverFX and Ferrara Candy. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Kien Kotcher was the Chief Marketing Officer and SVP, Global Brand Development for Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. From 2004 to 2007, Ms. Kien Kotcher led the Global Brands for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare as Vice President, Global Brand Management and was a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Ms. Kien Kotcher was previously a Partner at McKinsey & Company where she co-led the North American Consumer Goods practice during her 15 year career there. Ms. Kien Kotcher currently serves as a director of PackIt, LLC. Ms. Kien Kotcher has advised numerous entrepreneurial companies through her work at non-profit organizations Springboard Enterprises and the New York Fashion Tech Lab, has served on many private and public growth company boards and is a Senior Advisor at Prelude Growth Partners, an early-stage consumer growth investment firm. She is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Churchill School and Center. Ms. Kien Kotcher holds a Bachelors of Arts Cum Laude from Princeton University and Juris Doctor and Masters of Business Administration degrees from Stanford University. We believe she is well-qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her relationships, contacts and experience.

Gail S. Zauder has served as a member of our board of directors since March 2021. Ms. Zauder has over 35 years of experience as a financial and strategic advisor in the consumer products, beauty, luxury goods and retail and apparel sectors. She is also an experienced director and operating executive. Since January 2002, Ms. Zauder has served as Managing Partner of Elixir Advisors LLC, a financial and strategic advisory firm she founded to focus on entrepreneur-led companies in the luxury goods, beauty, retail, apparel and consumer products sectors. Ms. Zauder was the Chief Financial Officer of Urban Zen, Ms. Donna Karan’s luxury lifestyle brand and foundation, from May 2012 to December 2013 and the Chief Executive Officer of Soap & Glory Ltd, a global beauty products company, from July 2011 to February 2012 and from November 2012 until April 2014. Ms. Zauder began her investment banking career in 1985 as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at The First Boston Corporation, and served in various senior leadership roles at Credit Suisse First Boston, its successor firm, until 2001, including as the Head of M&A for Retail and Apparel Investment Banking and the Worldwide Head of Luxury Goods Investment Banking until 2001. Ms. Zauder has served as a director on numerous private company boards, including Kenneth Cole Productions, since December 2017, where she is compensation committee chair, and Allurion Technologies, a consumer-facing medical device company disrupting the treatment of obesity, since October 2017 and where she has serves as audit committee chair. Previously, she was a member of the boards of Altuzarra LLC, a women’s luxury ready-to-wear and accessories company, from September 2013 to February 2021; Cradle Holdings (Cayman) Ltd, a holding company for Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur, two global beauty brands, from January 2011 to August 2012; and Edun Apparel Ltd, an ethical apparel brand, from May 2009 to September 2018. She joined the board of Soap & Glory in November 2008 and became Chairman in July 2009, serving in this capacity until November 2014 when the company was acquired by Alliance Boots. Ms. Zauder was also a director of Brand Slam Ltd, a private holding company which was the owner of Soap & Glory Ltd and FitFlop Limited, a comfort footwear company, from November 2008 to November 2015 and GoSmile, a beauty company, from March 2007 to February 2008. She is also currently a director of the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation, 122E82 Owners Corp. and the Smith College Business Advisory Network. Ms. Zauder holds a Bachelors of Arts from Smith College and a Masters in Public and Private Management from Yale University’s School of Management. We believe she is well-qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her relationships, contacts and experience.

Susan Guerin has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2021. Ms. Guerin is an experienced Chief Executive Officer and board director for both family and corporately owned businesses. Since April 2014, Ms. Guerin has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of World Finer Foods, a middle market specialty food and beverage company, that competes in the premium and “better for you” space. From April 2013 to November 2020, Ms. Guerin served as the Managing Partner of Stratham Hills Partners, a consulting firm she co-founded. Susan’s prior roles include: Chief Financial Officer for Sun Chemical Corporation from 2007 to 2009; President of the Americas at Paxar (PXR), a manufacturer of labeling solutions, from 2005 to 2006, where she was part of the team that successfully positioned the company for a sale to Avery Dennison; Senior VP of Finance for the Vehicle Services Division of Cendant (NYSE: CD) from 2003 to 2005; and Chief Financial Officer for Lerner New York, New York & Company, a former division of The Limited Corporation from 2000 to 2003. Susan began her career at Unilever, where she held management roles both in the U.S. and overseas from 1984 to 2000. Ms. Guerin has also been a Board Member of Smith Foods since July 2017 and Euro American Brands since May 2013. Ms. Guerin holds a Bachelors of Science from Cornell University and a Masters of Business Administration from New York University. We believe she is well-qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her relationships, contacts and experience.

James Monsees has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2021. Mr. Monsees has over 15 years of experience as an executive leader and in product design. Since March 2020, Mr. Monsees has been an independent investor and advisor to companies with regards to business and product strategy. From July 2017 to March 2020, Mr. Monsees served as the Chief Product Officer of JUUL Labs, an electronic cigarette company which he co-founded. He also served in prior leadership roles for JUUL Labs and its predecessor companies. From September 2015 to July 2017, Mr. Monsees served as Chief Product Officer of Pax Labs, Inc., an electronic vaporizer company which he co-founded. Prior to this, Mr. Monsees served in leadership roles at Ploom Inc, the predecessor to Pax Labs, Inc including as Chief Executive Officer and board director from April 2011 to September 2015 and as Chief Operating Officer and board director from March 2007 to April 2011. Previous roles include James Monsees Product Design from 2004 to 2008, a consulting firm which provided independent product design consulting to various consumer and technology companies. From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Monsees was a Founding Fellow of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University and from 2002 to 2003 was a Product Designer for Metaphase Design Group. Mr. Monsees holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Studio Art from Kenyon College and a Masters of Fine Arts in Product Design from Stanford University. We believe he is well-qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his relationships, contacts and experience.

Paul Nardone has been a member of our board since January 2021. Mr. Nardone has held executive leadership roles with several emerging food and beverage brands and has over 25 years of success in creating and executing high-growth strategies, achieving superior operating results, and delivering significant value-creation for stakeholders through strategic M&A realizations to industry leaders. From August 2015 to February 2021, he served as Chief Executive Officer of BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners, that was acquired by by PepsiCo in February 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Nardone was an Operating Partner at Sherbrooke Capital from September 2013 through July 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Nardone served as Chief Executive Officer of Immaculate Baking Company from January 2008 to June 2013, where he led the company prior to its acquisition by General Mills. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Nardone was President and CEO of Stirrings, a leading brand of premium cocktail mixers. His career in the “better for you” space began in 1993 at Annie’s Homegrown, where he served in numerous senior roles, including as CEO from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Nardone currently serves on the Board of Directors of Notch Brewing, Rustic Crust/American Flatbread and The Governors Academy. Mr. Nardone holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School. We believe he is well-qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his relationships, contacts and experience.

Senior Advisor

Susan Kilsby has served as a Senior Advisor since January 2021. Ms. Kilsby is an experienced corporate advisor and operator who currently serves and has previously served on the board of directors of some of the world’s largest consumer and healthcare corporations. She was named Chairman of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. in January 2021, where she has served on the Board since July 2015. She has been a Non-Executive Director of Diageo Plc since April 2018 and became the Senior Independent Director in October 2019. Ms. Kilsby has also been a Non-Executive Director of Unilever since August 2019 and a Non-Executive Director of BHP plc and BHP Limited since April 2019. From 2014 to 2019, Ms. Kilsby was the Chairman of Shire PLC, a global publicly traded pharmaceutical company, until its sale to Takeda in January 2019. Ms. Kilsby began her career at The First Boston Corporation and later worked at Bankers Trust and BZW, before the latter was acquired by Credit Suisse. She was chairman of the EMEA Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Credit Suisse until 2009 and she was previously a Non-Executive Director of L’Occitane, Keurig Green Mountain, Coca-Cola HBC, Goldman Sachs International, and BBA Aviation. Mrs. Kilsby holds a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from The City University London, a Masters of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelors of Arts from Wellesley College.