Definitive Agreement
Complete Solaria (Complete Solar & Solaria)
Freedom Acquisition I Corp.
- Registration2021-02-10 Filed S1
- IPO2021-02-27 IPO, search begins
- Definitive Agreement2022-10-03 Agreement for merger
- CompletedNot yet completed
- Raised
- $250M
- CIK
- 1838987
- SPAC Ticker
- FACT.U
- Merger
- Complete Solaria (Complete Solar & Solaria)
- Focus
- Financial Services, FinTech
SPAC Team
Leadership
Tidjane Thiam, Executive Chairman
Tidjane Thiam has served as our Executive Chairman since inception. Since 2020, Mr. Thiam has been a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Kering S.A., the French luxury group. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Thiam was Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Group AG. From 2014 to 2019, Mr. Thiam was a Director of 21st Century Fox and served on its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Thiam previously served at Prudential plc, a global insurance company based on London, as the Group Chief Executive from 2009 to 2015, a Director from 2008 to 2015 and Group Chief Financial Officer from 2008 to 2009. Mr. Thiam holds an MBA from INSEAD and graduated from École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris in 1986 and from École Polytechnique in Paris in 1984. We believe Mr. Thiam's extensive leadership experience, broad network and deep understanding of the financial services sector make him a valuable addition to our board of directors.
Adam Gishen, Chief Executive Officer and Board Observer Nominee
Adam Gishen has served as our Chief Executive Officer since February 2021 and is expected to serve as one of our initial board observers. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Gishen served in several senior roles at Credit Suisse Group AG, including Global Head of Investor Relations, Corporate Communications and Marketing and Branding. Prior to 2015, Mr. Gishen was a partner at Ondra Partners, a financial advisory firm and previous to this worked as a Managing Director at Nomura and at Lehman Brothers in the area of Equity Capital Markets. Mr. Gishen graduated from the University of Leeds.
Jamie Weinstein, Director
Jamie Weinstein is expected to serve on our board of directors. Mr. Weinstein is a managing director, portfolio manager and head of corporate special situations at PIMCO, focusing on PIMCO’s opportunistic and alternative strategies within corporate credit. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2019, Mr. Weinstein worked for KKR as a portfolio manager for the firm’s special situations funds and portfolios, which he managed from their inception in 2009. Mr. Weinstein was also a member of KKR’s special situations, real estate, and India NBFC investment committees and the KKR credit portfolio management committee. Previously, Mr. Weinstein was a portfolio manager with responsibility across KKR’s credit strategies. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Weinstein was with Tishman Speyer Properties as director of acquisitions for Northern California and at Boston Consulting Group as a consultant. Mr. Weinstein serves on the boards of directors of CRIS I, CRIS II, Capstar Special Purpose Acquisition Corp and Sandbridge Acquisition Corporation. Mr. Weinstein has 18 years of investment experience and received an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University. We believe Mr. Weinstein is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive leadership and business experience, including his expertise in investment management and acquisitions.
Special Advisors and Board Observers
Abhishek Bhatia, Board Observer Nominee
Abhishek Bhatia is expected to serve as one of our initial board observers. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Bhatia served as Chief Executive Officer of FWD Singapore Pte Ltd, a full-stack online insurance business based in Singapore, and from 2018 to 2020, Mr. Bhatia also served as Group Chief Officer, New Business Models of FWD Group. Prior to 2015, Mr. Bhatia served in several senior roles at Prudential plc, including Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Poland. Mr. Bhatia received a post-graduate in management from the Indian Institute of Management in 1998 and graduated with a degree in economics from Delhi University.
Daniel Ballen, Board Observer Nominee
Daniel Ballen is expected to serve as one of PIMCO’s initial board observers. Since June 2014, Mr. Ballen has served as a Portfolio Manager and Executive Vice President at PIMCO, where he helps lead the corporate private equity investment strategy for the firm’s alternative investment complex. He has led numerous private equity investments in both the U.S. and Europe and currently serves as a board member on a wide range of both private and public companies in the financial services and technology sectors. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Ballen was a member of the private equity investment teams at Pine Brook Partners from 2011 to April 2014 and at Bain Capital, LP from 2007 to 2010, where he executed and managed private equity investments in the U.S. across a variety of sectors. Mr. Ballen started his career in the investment banking division of Bear, Stearns & Co., where he was a member of the U.S. financial institutions advisory team. Mr. Ballen currently serves on the boards of directors of Velocity Financial (NYSE: VEL), Cardholder Management Services, Inc., Finance Ireland Ltd, Great Rock Capital Partners, LLC and Amur Equipment Finance, Inc. Mr. Ballen received a bachelor’s degree from Emory University. Mr. Ballen has no employment, consulting fee or other similar compensation arrangements with us.
Dan Degtyar, Board Observer Nominee
Dan Degtyar is expected to serve as one of PIMCO’s initial board observers. Mr. Degtyar is an Executive Vice President, portfolio manager and senior analyst for PIMCO’s Global Credit Opportunity Strategy, where he focuses on credit relative value opportunities and special situations. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Degtyar was a senior analyst at Beach Point Capital, a private equity associate at Ares Management and an investment banking associate at Credit Suisse. Mr. Degtyar is a CFA charterholder with 14 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree in business economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Degtyar serves as a board observer for CRIS I, CRIS II, Sandbridge and Capstone. Mr. Degtyar has no employment, consulting fee or other similar compensation arrangements with us.