BLEU

Unit Split

BLEUU
First $10.06
Recent $10.67
6%

bleuacacia ltd

Raised
$200M
CIK
1843370
SPAC Ticker
BLEUU
Focus
Consumer, Retail
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Jide Zeitlin has been our Co-Chief Executive Officer since March 2021 and will also become the Co-Chairman of the board of directors upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. Zeitlin served as the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry, Inc., the S&P 500 and Fortune 500 luxury global retailer that is the parent company for the Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman brands. Mr. Zeitlin initiated and led a substantial strategic transformation of Tapestry, Inc. and, in addition to his role as CEO of Tapestry, Inc., also served as CEO of the Coach brand. Mr. Zeitlin was previously a partner at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., having risen to partner in their Mergers & Acquisitions Department, and was Global Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs’ investment banking business. He served as a founding director and then as Chairman of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (“NSIA”) for two terms expiring in May 2021. NSIA is Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund. For over two decades, Mr. Zeitlin has been an active member of numerous billion-dollar endowment and foundation investment committees. He has either been chairman or a member of investment committees at Amherst College, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Milton Academy, and Teach for America. He also served on the board of Affiliated Managers Group, a $600 billion publicly traded asset management company. Mr. Zeitlin received an A.B. from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School and is the Chairman Emeritus of Amherst College. We believe that Mr. Zeitlin is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his experience as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in the consumer retail sector, as a senior executive in a leading investment bank, and as an investor, as well as his extensive service in board capacities at numerous organizations.

Lew Frankfort has been our Co-Chief Executive Officer since March 2021 and will also become the Co-Chairman of the board of directors upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. Frankfort, is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc., the S&P 500 and Fortune 500 luxury global retailer that was later renamed Tapestry, Inc. During Mr. Frankfort’s time at the company (1979 to 2014, including CEO from 1985 to 2014), Coach, Inc.’s revenues grew from negligible levels in 1979 to in excess of $5 billion. The Coach brand is a well-known brand that is part of the American landscape. Mr. Frankfort is recognized as one of the most consequential global brand builders over the past 50 years. Mr. Frankfort is a co-founder of Benvolio Group, an investment firm that focuses on direct investing in early stage disruptive consumer-facing brands. Mr. Frankfort currently sits on the board of directors of Veronica Beard, We Company (which operates WeWork) and Mindbodygreen, among others. Mr. Frankfort received a BA from Hunter College and an MBA from Columbia Business School and sits on the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School. We believe that Mr. Frankfort is well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors based on his experience as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in the consumer retail sector, along with his broad leadership, operational, investment and governance background.

Charles McGuigan has been our President and Chief Operating Officer since March 2021 and will also become a director upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. McGuigan recently retired as Chief Operating Officer of L Brands, Inc., the S&P 500 and Fortune 500 fashion retailer, with revenues in excess of $10 billion. Mr. McGuigan has played a significant role in building brands such as Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, and Pink. Recognized as a strong leader and consensus builder, he has had considerable success focusing on the integration of the retail business unit strategy with operations and the critical role information technology plays as an enabler of business processes. During his 16 years at L Brands Mr. McGuigan has held the positions of CEO of Mast Global, President of Beauty Avenues, and CIO of L Brands. Prior to L Brands, Mr. McGuigan was Cap Gemini’s Consumer Products and Retail leader for the Americas, responsible for overall business strategy and operational execution. Mr. McGuigan received an MBA from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. In addition, he also holds a Diploma in Management Studies in Business Management. We believe that Mr. McGuigan is well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors based on his experience as the COO of a Fortune 500 company in the consumer retail sector, along with his broad leadership and operational background.

Thomas Northover has been our Executive Director since February 2021. Mr. Northover is the Chief Investment Officer of The Keffi Group Ltd., a New York based family office (“The Keffi Group”). Prior to joining The Keffi Group, Mr. Northover worked in the Financial Institutions Group of Lazard’s Financial Advisory business. Mr. Northover was a founding member of the investment team at Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund, the NSIA. Mr. Northover was responsible for the investment of a significant portion of NSIA’s initial capital and the management of segregated funds for the Nigerian government. Prior to joining NSIA, Mr. Northover was seconded by the U.K. government to the Nigerian Presidency as an economist. Mr. Northover received a BSc in Philosophy, We believe that Mr. Northover is well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors based on his experience in finance, investment management and as an investor. Politics and Economics and an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick, UK, an Overseas Development Institute Fellowship, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ibukun Awosika will become a director upon the consummation of this offering. Mrs. Awosika has an over 30 year career as an entrepreneur and board professional across a number of sectors in emerging markets including consumer and finance. From 2016 to 2021 Mrs. Awosika was the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s oldest banks and one of Africa’s largest banks. Mrs. Awosika was the first woman to hold this role. Mrs. Awosika is the founder and CEO of the Chair Center Group which is a market leader in the office furniture sector in Nigeria. In addition, Mrs. Awosika is the Chairman of d-Light Inc, Digital Jewels Limited and House of Tara International, a pioneering African beauty business, and is a non-executive director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Mondelez International. Mrs. Awosika was a founding director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund. Mrs. Awosika was selected to serve on our board of directors due to her many years of experience in leadership and fiduciary roles at consumer companies and financial institutions, as well as her track record as a successful entrepreneur in emerging markets.

Natara Holloway will become a director upon the consummation of this offering. Ms. Holloway has served in various positions at the National Football League (NFL) since 2004, initially serving as a Manager in the Internal Audit department, and currently serving as the Vice President of Business Operations and Strategy for Football Operations, a position that Ms. Holloway has held since April 2019. In this role, Ms. Holloway oversees football technology and innovation, administration and football pipeline development. Previously, Ms. Holloway served as the NFL's Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Retail Development and as Vice President of Corporate Development - New Business. Prior to joining the NFL, Ms. Holloway served in the Controller's Group at Exxon Mobil from June 1998 to February 2004. Ms. Holloway serves as audit committee chairman of the Board of Directors of Sports Entertainment Acquisition Corp, which announced on April 25, 2021 a business combination with Super Group, an online betting and gaming company. Ms. Holloway earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Houston. Ms. Holloway was selected to serve on our Board due to her years of experience working with the NFL, including in brand, marketing, and retail roles, and her experience serving on the board of a special purpose acquisition company as well as her years of accounting experience.