Willow Lane Acquisition Corp.
MANAGEMENT & BOARD
Executive Officers
B. Luke Weil, 45
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mr. Luke Weil is the sole managing member of our sponsor, Willow Lane Sponsor LLC. Previously, he served as the Non-Executive Chairman and a managing member of the sponsor of Andina Acquisition Corporation III (“Andina III”) from its inception on January 2019 through its business combination with Stryve Foods. (Nasdaq: SNAX) in July 2021. From November 2015 to March 2018, Mr. Weil was the non-Executive Chairman and a managing member of the sponsor of Andina Acquisition Corporation II (“Andina II”), which completed a business combination with Lazyday’s R.V. Center, Inc (Nasdaq: GORV). He served as Chief Executive Officer of Andina Acquisition Corporation (“Andina I”) from January 2013 until its merger with Tecnoglass Inc. (NYSE:TGLS) in December 2013. Since July 2021, Mr. Weil has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Stryve Foods. During that period, he also engaged in various philanthropic activities. He has previously served as a board member of Lazydays Holdings, Inc. from March 2018 to April 2021 and of Tecnoglass from September 2011 until March 2012. Mr. Weil also sat on the Board of All Market, Inc. (d/b/a Runa) from May 2012 to December 2018. Earlier in his career, from 2008 to 2013, Mr. Weil headed International Business Development for Scientific Games Corporation in Latin America where, among other responsibilities, he oversaw business acquisitions in the region. From 2004 to 2006, Luke was an associate and then Junior Partner at Business, Strategies, & Insight, a government relations and business consulting firm. Luke started his career as an investment banker at Bear Stearns. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Weil attended Columbia Business School. From September 1998 to May 2002, Mr. Weil attended Brown University. Mr. Weil received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
George Peng, 54
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Peng has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our formation in July 2024. Additionally, Mr. Peng served as Chief Financial Officer of Leisure Acquisition Corp., a SPACthat acquired Ensysce Biosciences, Inc., from December 2017 until June 2021. Previously, he served as Vice President of Finance at Inspired Entertainment, Inc., from December 2016 to February 2022. From February 2022 until July 2024, Mr. Peng pursued various consulting activities. Prior, he was Chief Financial Officer of Hydra Industries, a SPAC that acquired Inspired Entertainment, Inc., from August 2015 until December 2016. Before that, Mr. Peng was a consultant to Scientific Games Corporation from May 2013 to April 2014, where he assisted in its integration of the acquisition of WMS Industries. Mr. Peng was focused on the financial and operational impacts of integrating the accounting and finance functions of both companies, including human resource allocation, budgeting, and cost reductions. Prior to consulting to Scientific Games, Mr. Peng was a consultant primarily focused on financial planning and analysis for various industries, including retail and financial services. Previously, he was an Associate in the Investment Banking division of Credit Suisse, focusing on private equity, high yield, and leveraged lending products. Mr. Peng holds an A.B. in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as well as an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from the Anderson School at UCLA. Mr. Peng is a CFA Charterholder.
Marjorie (Maya) Hernandez, 54
Treasurer and Director of Business Development
Ms. Hernandez built a personal portfolio of early-stage company private investments. She also served as Board Member and Treasurer of Caring for Colombia Foundation and founded Doulas en Español, a community organization in New York City. From January 2019 to January 2021, she served as Treasurer of Andina III. Ms. Hernandez was Secretary and Treasurer of Andina II from November 2015 to October 2017. She was an initial investor and advisor to Andina I. Prior to this, Ms. Hernandez served as senior currency strategist for Latin America at HSBC Securities (USA) from 2008 to 2015. From 2005 to 2008, she was the lead macro-economic and political analyst for HSBC, covering the Andean region. Previously, Ms. Hernandez was a public policy associate at the Council of the Americas, a forum dedicated to contemporary political, social and economic issues in Latin America.
Board of Directors
Robert Stevens, 71
Independent Director Nominee
Mr. Stevens has served as an independent strategy and corporate development consultant in a variety of industries from 2014 to the present, and from 2002 to 2011. In that capacity he has worked extensively in the gaming and leisure industry as well as in office furniture, apparel and music publishing. Mr. Stevens served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Scientific Games Corporation from 2011 to 2014 where he worked on M&A and corporate strategy in gaming and lottery. Mr. Stevens served as Executive Vice President of Bluefly, Inc., a publicly traded fashion retailer, from 1999 to 2002. Mr. Stevens served as Vice President and Partner in the New York Strategy Practice of Mercer Management Consulting (the strategy consulting arm of Marsh & McLennan) from 1992 to 1999 where he led engagements in consumer products, industrial products, business services and utilities. Prior to that he served as Senior Associate at Lorne Weil, Inc., a boutique corporate development and strategy consulting firm where he worked extensively in architectural & building products, passive electronic components, computing, printing technologies, cable television and food equipment. Mr. Stevens holds an MBA from Columbia University where he was a Lawrence Wein fellow; an M.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Rhode Island. Mr. Stevens served on the Board of Directors of Bluefly, Inc. and Axsys Technologies (Audit and Governance), an optoelectronics supplier which was sold to General Dynamics.
Rayne Steinberg, 46
Independent Director Nominee
Since November 2019, Mr. Steinberg has been Chief Executive Officer at Arca Capital Management LLC. Mr. Steinberg leads the company’s strategic direction and is responsible for securities structuring and risk management. Since May 2018, he has been the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Praesidium Partners, Inc. (parent of Arca Capital Management LLC) and of Arca Investment Management, Inc., the investment adviser. Mr. Steinberg has an extensive history of financial and entrepreneurial success with nearly two decades of experience. Prior to founding Arca, Mr. Steinberg co-founded an asset management company, WisdomTree, where he was responsible for raising capital, creating intellectual property, and building and overseeing a sales team responsible for raising $50 billion in ETF assets under management. Mr. Steinberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mauricio Orellana, 59
Independent Director Nominee
Since 2013, Mr. Orellana has served as a financial consultant to companies in Latin America in the media, infrastructure and services sectors. Currently he is part of Blue Orange Capital LLC, a financial adviser for debt transactions in emerging markets. Since November 2018, Mr. Orellana has served as a member of the Board of Stryve Foods. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Andina Acquisition Corp. III (“Andina III”) from September 2016 until the consummation of the business combination with Stryve Foods. From August 2015 to March 2018, Mr. Orellana served as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of Andina Acquisition Corp. II (“Andina II”). From 2005 to 2013, Mr. Orellana was a Managing Director at Stephens Inc., a private investment banking firm. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Orellana was a Vice President and Managing Director at Cori Capital Partners, L.P., a financial services firm. Prior to this, he served as Investment Officer for Emerging Markets Partnership and Inter-American Investment Corporation, each private investment firms. Mr. Orellana received a degree in electrical engineering from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and an M.B.A. from the Instituto de Education Superior de Administracion.