GRAF

Withdrawn

Graf Acquisition Corp. III

Raised
$300M
CIK
1845457
SPAC Ticker
GRAF.U
Focus
Mobility, Technology, Transportation, Energy, Software, Real Estate, Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Technology
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

James A. Graf has been our Chief Executive Officer and a director since January 2021. Mr. Graf is also serving as an independent director of Catcha Investment Group since February 2021. Mr. Graf served as the chief executive officer of Graf Industrial Corp., a blank check company, from June 2018 through its business combination with Velodyne Lidar, Inc. in September 2020. Mr. Graf served as a director of Graf Industrial Corp. from June 2018 to September 2019 and served as a director of Velodyne Lidar, Inc. from September 2020 to February 2021. Mr. Graf served as a director of Platinum Eagle Acquisition Corp. from January 2018 through its business combination with Target Logistics Management, LLC and RL Signor Holdings, LLC in March 2019. Mr. Graf served as the vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Double Eagle Acquisition Corp. from its inception in June 2015 through its business combination with Williams Scotsman, Inc. in November 2017. He served as vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer and secretary of Silver Eagle Acquisition Corp. from its inception in April 2013 through Silver Eagle’s business combination with Videocon d2h Limited (“VDTH”), and he served as vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer and secretary of Global Eagle Acquisition Corp. (“GEE”) from its inception in February 2011 to its business combination with Row 44, Inc. and Advanced Inflight Alliance AG in January 2013. He was vice chairman of Global Entertainment AG, the German entity holding GEE’s equity in AIA from 2013 to 2014 and special advisor to GEE in 2013. He served as a special advisor to VDTH from 2015 to 2016. From 2008 to 2011 Mr. Graf served as a managing director of TC Capital Ltd., an investment bank, in Singapore. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Graf was engaged as a consultant to provide financial advisory services to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. In 2001, Mr. Graf founded and became chief executive officer of Praedea Solutions, Inc., an enterprise software company with operations in the United States, Malaysia and Ukraine. The assets of Praedea Solutions, Inc. were sold in 2006 to a Mergent Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xinhua Finance Ltd., and renamed Mergent Data Technology, Inc., where Mr. Graf continued to serve as Chief Executive Officer from 2006 to 2007. Praedea Solutions Inc. was renamed PSI Capital Inc., and currently serves as an investment holding company for Mr. Graf’s private investments. Mr. Graf continues to be chief executive of PSI Capital Inc. Prior to founding Praedea, Mr. Graf was a managing director at Merrill Lynch, in Singapore from 1998 to 2000 and a consultant to Merrill Lynch in 2001. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Graf served as a director and then managing director and president of Deutsche Bank’s investment banking entity in Hong Kong, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell (Hong Kong) Ltd. From 1993 to 1996, he was a vice president at Smith Barney in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. From 1987 to 1993, Mr. Graf was an analyst and then associate at Morgan Stanley in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mr. Graf received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago in 1987.

We believe Mr. Graf is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and special purpose acquisition company experience.

Anthony A. Kuznik was most recently the vice president and general counsel of two strategic business units of Honeywell International Inc., a Fortune 100 company, where he served as the chief legal counsel responsible for the strategic direction and execution of global legal activities and the management of legal and contracts personnel worldwide. He was vice president and general counsel of Honeywell Building Solutions from 2009-2020 and vice president and general counsel of Honeywell Sensing and Control from 2005-2009. From 2001-2005, Mr. Kuznik was executive vice president, general counsel and director of Praedea Solutions, Inc., an enterprise software company with operations in the United States, Malaysia and Ukraine. From 1999-2001, Mr. Kuznik was a director at the investment banking firm Goldsmith Agio Helms (later Lazard Middle Market), where he was a senior member of M&A teams responsible for originating and executing domestic and international, middle-market transactions. From 1996-1999, Mr. Kuznik was an associate director at Deutsche Bank’s investment banking entity in Hong Kong, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell (Hong Kong) Ltd. From 1995-1996, Mr. Kuznik was the managing attorney at Law Audit Services in St. Paul, a national legal management and auditing firm. From 1990-1995, Mr. Kuznik was an attorney at the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis. Mr. Kuznik received a Juris Doctor degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1990 and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree from the University of Chicago in 1987. Mr. Kuznik also completed an Executive Management Program at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in 1996.