Strategic appointments will add public company leadership, finance, operations, marketing and technology experience
Selina, the fast-growing lifestyle and experiential hospitality platform targeting millennial and Gen Z travelers, is pleased to announce the strategic appointment of five new independent directors to its Board of Directors: Eric J. Foss, who will serve as the Chair of the Board, Catherine Dunleavy, Eileen Moore Johnson, Richard S. Stoddart and Adi Soffer Teeni. Their appointments will be effective upon the closing of the business combination between Selina and BOA Acquisition Corp., such that the public-company Board will comprise seven directors in total, including Rafael Museri and Daniel Rudasevski, the co-founders of Selina and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Growth Officer, respectively.
“We’ve spent a considerable amount of time working to identify highly accomplished corporate leaders with diverse and complementary backgrounds and skill sets, as well as public company experience, to add to Selina’s board of directors,” said Rafael Museri, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Selina. “Eric, Catherine, Eileen, Rich and Adi all have impressive backgrounds and proven track records contributing to the growth of category-leading organizations like Pepsico, Nike, Caesars, Hasbro and Meta Platforms. We have no doubt their unique perspectives and knowledge of the capital markets, together with their leadership, finance, operations, marketing and technology experience, will add tremendous value to the enterprise as we grow our platform, execute our strategy to drive profitability and transition to being a publicly traded company.”
Eric J. Foss has been Chairman and CEO of two Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Foss is a highly successful leader with a proven track record of driving growth, creating sustainable shareholder value, building diverse, inclusive, engaged and high-performance teams, and creating a purpose-driven legacy for global at scale companies. Mr. Foss served as Chairman of the Board of Aramark from February 2015 and served as Chief Executive Officer and President from May 2012 until his retirement in August 2019. Mr. Foss also served as Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Beverages Company from 2010 until December 2011. He served as Chairman and CEO of the Pepsi Bottling Group from 2008 until 2010, Chief Executive Officer and President from 2006 until 2008 and as Chief Operating Officer from 2005 until 2006. Mr. Foss has broad-based public board experiences regarding governance, risk management, technology, financial oversight and strategic planning. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cigna. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at Diversey and serves on the national Board of Directors at Back on My Feet.
Catherine Dunleavy is Chief Financial Officer of JRSK, Inc., doing business as Away, a global lifestyle brand offering an array of luggage and other travel essentials built for the evolving needs of the modern traveler, where she leads finance, strategy, data, consumer insights, accounting and treasury functions. Before joining Away in 2020, Dunleavy was CFO for Nike, Inc.’s (NYSE: NKE) Global Operations and Technology Group and Vice President of Strategic Investments. In this role, she was responsible for leading Nike’s digital transformation, driving supply chain strategies and managing Nike’s largest global investments. During her tenure at Nike, she also served as CFO of the Innovation Group. Prior to Nike, Ms. Dunleavy worked at Comcast as Executive Vice President of Content Distribution of NBC Universal Media, LLC; Executive Vice President and CFO of Cable Entertainment and Production Studios at NBCUniversal Media, LLC; and Executive Audit Manager at General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).
Eileen Moore Johnson currently serves as the General Manager of the Vegas Loop, the first all-electric, zero-emissions underground public transportation system. Throughout her career, Ms. Johnson has worked for and developed some of the best hospitality and gaming brands in the world, including a 21-year tenure with Caesars Entertainment, where she had oversight across four large casino resorts, including Flamingo, Harrah’s, LINQ and Cromwell. Her diverse experience spans corporate strategy, communications, operations, marketing, information technology and revenue management. Most recently, Ms. Johnson also served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Scientific Games Corporation from June of 2020 until July of 2022. Reporting to the CEO, she led a global workforce of 9,250 employees in 34 countries and a team of approximately 110 professionals across human resource functions, including human resources business partners and operations, executive development, succession planning, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, learning and training, and corporate social responsibility.
Richard S. Stoddart is Chair of Hasbro Inc.’s (Nasdaq: HAS) Board of Directors and most recently served as the company’s interim CEO from October 2021 to February 2022. Prior to that, Mr. Stoddart served as President and CEO of InnerWorkings, Inc. (Nasdaq: INWK), a global marketing execution firm, from 2018 until its acquisition in 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Stoddart served as President of Leo Burnett North America from 2005 until he was appointed CEO in 2013, and as CEO and Global President of Leo Burnett Worldwide, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Stoddart brings to Selina extensive experience leading and driving profitable growth at global organizations, as well as strong expertise in brand-building, integrated marketing, business transformation, strategic planning, M&A, marketing supply chain management and the building of global teams.
Adi Soffer Teeni has served as the Vice President and General Manager Israel, for Meta Platforms Inc., a company that builds applications and technologies that help people connect, find communities and grow businesses, since 2014. Mrs. Soffer Teeni served as the Managing Director for 888.com, the B2C division of 888 Holdings Plc, from 2008 to 2011. Prior to her time at 888 Holdings Plc, Mrs. Soffer Teeni served as Chief Executive Officer for the Kidum Group from 2002 to 2007, and for Wall Street Institute from 1998 to 2001. She also served as the Executive Chairwoman at Ginger Software, an American and Israeli start-up specializing in natural language processing and AI. Mrs. Soffer Teeni earned a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B., at Tel Aviv University in 1997 and a Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University in 2003.
Foss said, "On behalf of the new Directors, we are honored and excited to be joining the Board of this dynamic and innovative company at such an important time. Selina is creating a hospitality lifestyle platform like no other, and it has the potential to be the brand for a new generation of travelers. Our priorities will be to ensure that the company executes on a sustainable, commercially viable strategy for the benefit of all stakeholders and that it continues to build out its public-company infrastructure.”
About Selina
Selina is one of the world's largest lifestyle and experiential hospitality brands, built to address the needs and desires of millennial and Gen Z travelers, blending beautifully designed accommodation with coworking, recreation, wellness and local experiences. Custom-built for today's nomadic traveler, Selina provides guests with a global infrastructure to seamlessly travel and work abroad. Founded in 2014, each Selina property is designed in partnership with local artists, creators and tastemakers, breathing new life into existing buildings in interesting locations around the world — from urban cities to remote beaches and jungles. Selina's portfolio includes over 163 open or secured properties across 25 countries and six continents. On December 2, 2021, Selina entered into a definitive merger agreement with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS), the closing of which, subject to customary conditions, will result in Selina becoming a publicly listed company.
For further information on Selina, visit www.selina.com or check out @selina on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. To explore Selina real estate partnership opportunities, please contact partnerships@selina.com.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This document does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination between BOA and Selina (the “Business Combination”). In connection with the proposed Business Combination, Selina has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement on Form F-4 (the “Registration Statement”), which includes a preliminary proxy statement of BOA and a prospectus. Additionally, BOA has filed with the SEC a definitive proxy statement in respect of the Business Combination. The definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents will be mailed to stockholders of BOA as of August 18, 2022, for voting on the Business Combination. Stockholders of BOA and other interested persons are advised to read the definitive proxy statement and any amendments thereto because such documents contain important information about BOA, Selina and the proposed transactions. Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the Registration Statement and the definitive proxy statement without charge, by directing a request to: BOA Acquisition Corp., 2600 Virginia Ave NW, Suite T23 Management Office, Washington, D.C. 20037. These documents and BOA’s and Selina’s other filings and reports filed with the SEC can also be obtained, without charge, from the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
INVESTMENT IN ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY, NOR HAS ANY AUTHORITY PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE OFFERING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is for informational purpose only and not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.
Participants in Solicitation
BOA, Selina, and their respective directors and executive officers, other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the potential transaction described in this communication under the rules of the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of BOA is set forth in BOA’s and Selina’s filings with the SEC. Information regarding other persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the stockholders in connection with the potential transaction and a description of their direct and indirect interests is set forth in the Registration Statement (and included in the definitive proxy statement) and other relevant documents when they are filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Business Combination and expectations or plans of Selina’s management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by use of terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative forms of these terms or variations of them, or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of Selina) and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Selina and its management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, without limitation: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreements respecting the Business Combination; (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against BOA, Selina or others following the announcement of the Business Combination; (3) inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of BOA or to satisfy other conditions to closing; (4) changes to the proposed structure of the Business Combination that may be required or appropriate as a result of applicable laws or regulations; (5) the ability of Selina to meet applicable listing standards following the consummation of the Business Combination; (6) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of Selina as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; (7) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers, and retain its management and key employees; (8) costs related to the Business Combination; (9) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (10) the possibility that Selina may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; (11) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Selina’s business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the Business Combination; and (12) other risks and uncertainties to be contained in the Registration Statement and the definitive proxy statement included therein. In addition, there may be additional risks that Selina does not presently know, or that Selina currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except as may be required by law, Selina does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements.
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Contacts
ICR for Selina
Selina@icrinc.com
