Executive Officers

Ophir Sternberg, 51
Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Sternberg has over 28 years of experience acquiring, developing, repositioning and investing in all segments of the real estate industry, including office, industrial, retail, hospitality, ultra-luxury residential condominiums and land acquisitions. Mr. Sternberg is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Miami-based Lionheart Capital LLC, or Lionheart Capital, founded in 2010. Mr. Sternberg began his career assembling, acquiring and developing properties in emerging neighborhoods in New York City, which established his reputation for identifying assets with unrealized potential and combining innovative partnerships with efficient financing structures to realize above average returns. Mr. Sternberg came to the United States in 1993 after completing three years of military service within an elite combat unit for the Israeli Defense Forces. Under Mr. Sternberg’s leadership, Lionheart Capital executed numerous prominent real estate transactions and repositions, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach, which resulted in a total sell-out value in excess of $550 million, as well as purchase of the development’s site, the former Miami Heart Institute. Additionally, Mr. Sternberg led the $120 million sale of The Seagull Hotel, making it the highest grossing hotel sale of 2020 in Miami Beach. Mr. Sternberg and Lionheart Capital are currently in development on a number of other projects, including retail properties in Miami’s fashion and culture epicenter, The Design District. In addition to The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, Lionheart Capital also developed The Ritz-Carlton Residences Singer Island, Palm Beach, cementing a reputation for developing high-end luxury branded properties. In 2017, Mr. Sternberg founded Out of the Box Ventures, LLC, a Lionheart Capital subsidiary, to acquire and reposition distressed retail properties throughout the United States. With over 30 properties in 17 states, Out of the Box Ventures currently controls over 6 million square feet of big box stores, shopping centers and enclosed regional mall properties with plans to improve and expand upon these acquisitions. Mr. Sternberg and Lionheart Capital are dedicated to working with best-in-class operators and partners such as Marriot International. Lionheart Capital has been able to execute numerous, marquee transactions due largely in part to Mr. Sternberg’s extensive industry relationships particularly with key institutional investors. In March 2020, Mr. Sternberg became Chairman of Nasdaq-listed OPES, a SPAC, which on June 30, 2020, announced a definitive agreement to merge with BurgerFi International LLC. The OPES-BurgerFi merger closed on December 16, 2020 to form BurgerFi International Inc., or BurgerFi, a fast-causal “better burger” concept that consists of approximately 125 restaurants nationally and internationally. Mr. Sternberg is the Chairman of the post-combination Nasdaq-listed company, BurgerFi (NASDAQ: BFI). The OPES team, led by Mr. Sternberg, evaluated over 50 potential targets and negotiated business combination terms with multiple candidates in a span of a few months and acquired BurgerFi at what it believed was an attractive multiple relative to its peers. In addition, since its inception in December 2019, Mr. Sternberg has been the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq-listed Lionheart II, a SPAC. Lionheart II completed its initial public offering in August 2020, in which it sold an aggregate of 23,000,000 units (including the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), each unit consisting of one share of Lionheart II Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant for one share of Lionheart II Class A common stock, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $230,000,000. Lionheart II’s units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants currently trade on Nasdaq under the symbols “LCAPU,” “LCAP” and “LCAPW,” respectively. Lionheart II has not yet announced or completed its initial business combination. Mr. Sternberg is also the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the recently incorporated Lionheart IV, another SPAC that may seek to acquire a broad range of businesses.

Paul Rapisarda, 67
Chief Financial Officer and Director Nominee

Mr. Rapisarda has also served as Chief Financial Officer at Lionheart Capital, Lionheart II and Out of the Box Ventures since 2019. In addition, he has served as Chief Financial Officer and director of Lionheart IV, positions he has held since March 2021. Mr. Rapisarda is an experienced public company C-suite executive and investment banking professional with more than 25 years working in and for a variety of public and private companies. Prior to joining Lionheart Capital in June 2019, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Etrion Corp. (TSX:ETX), a dual-listed (Canada/Sweden) solar energy development company from October 2015 to December 2017. Etrion Corp. is part of The Lundin Group, a portfolio of 13 public companies in the energy and mining sectors with a combined market capitalization in excess of $16 billion, started or sponsored by the Lundin family. Mr. Rapisarda was responsible for managing all finance functions, including financial reporting, treasury & cash management, corporate finance, regulatory/SEC compliance matters and investor relations. In addition, Mr. Rapisarda established Garrison Capital Advisors LLC, a financial advisory and consulting services company in 2014. From 2008 to 2014, he worked for another dual-listed company (Canada/United States), Atlantic Power Corporation (NYSE:AT), most recently serving as Executive Vice President-Commercial Development. The company was a portfolio company controlled by Arclight Capital Partners, a private equity firm with $10.4 billion of assets under management and a focus on the energy sector. He was a key member of the executive team that successfully engineered the $1.8 billion merger with Capital Power Income L.P. and had primary responsibility for the investment of over $1.2 billion in capital from 2008-2012. Prior to Atlantic Power, Mr. Rapisarda worked for over 20 years in investment banking and private equity for several firms, including Compass Advisers LLP, Schroders, Merrill Lynch and BT Securities. He has also acted as a board member at several emerging growth companies, primarily in the energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. Mr. Rapisarda has a B.A. from Amherst College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Faquiry Diaz Cala, 46
Chief Operating Officer

Faquiry Diaz Cala also serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Lionheart Capital and its affiliated entities. In this role, he leads the Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy divisions. An investor and operator, over the past 25 years, Mr. Diaz Cala has held positions as an executive, board member, and observer at various public and private corporations in the US and internationally. Mr. Diaz Cala also serves as Chief of Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy at BurgerFi International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFI), where Ophir Sternberg serves as Executive Chairman. He has also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations and educational institutions. Mr. Diaz Cala also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Lionheart II and Lionheart IV. He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and resides in Miami, Florida.

Board of Directors

James Anderson, 72
Director Nominee

James Anderson has over 40 years of entrepreneurial business experience with a major focus in real estate and business development including internationally. He has either been a sole founder or founding partner in several commercial ventures. From April 2020 to December 2020, Mr. Anderson served on the board of directors of OPES Acquisition Corp., which later merged with BurgerFi International LLC. He has been an owner/broker of JA Real Estate Partners, LLC (New York, NY) since 2001. He co-founded Iowa State Commercial Investment Company, LLC in 2017; he acted as Senior Advisor to F&T Group from 2008-2014 in connection with the Nanjing World Trade Center mixed-use development project; and he was a regional manager/vice president of DeWolfe Companies, Inc. from 1989-1996. Mr. Anderson resided in China for nearly 10 years (2008-2017) where he was involved in numerous business/real estate development projects. Mr. Anderson also serves on the board of directors of Lionheart II, and is also expected to serve as a director of Lionheart IV, a SPAC, upon the completion of its public offering. He holds a BBA degree from the University of Iowa.

Thomas Byrne, 59
Director Nominee

Thomas Byrne has over 30 years of experience managing and investing in both public and private growth companies and is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Kaptyn Holding Corp., an electric vehicle rideshare company since November 2018. He is also a general partner of New River Capital Partners, LP, a private equity fund which he co-founded in 1997. From 2015 to 2016 he served as the President of Pivotal Fitness. From 2004 to 2014 he was an executive of Swisher Hygiene, most recently as its CEO. In 2005 Mr. Byrne co-founded Service Acquisition Corp. International, a SPAC that later merged into Jamba Juice, where he served on the company’s board and Audit Committee until 2010. From 1988 to 1996, Mr. Byrne was an executive at Blockbuster Entertainment Group, a division of Viacom, where he last served as its Vice-Chairman and President of the Viacom Retail Group. From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Byrne served as a CPA with KPMG. He has also served on the boards of Jamba Juice, LDN CBD, Reel.com, Avaltus, ITC Learning, The Transformational Travel Council and Friends of Birch State Park. Mr. Byrne also serves on the board of directors of Lionheart II, and is also expected to serve as a director of Lionheart IV, a SPAC, upon the completion of its public offering. Mr. Byrne graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Accounting in 1980 and an MS in Accounting in 1984.

Thomas Hawkins, 60
Director Nominee

Thomas Hawkins previously served as a Management Consultant for MEDNAX, Inc. from February 2014 to December 2017, after serving as General Counsel and Board Secretary from April 2003 to August 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Hawkins worked for New River Capital Partners as a Partner from January 2000 to March 2003; AutoNation, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development from May 1996 to December 1999; Viacom, Inc. as Executive Vice President from September 1994 to May 1996; and Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary from October 1989 to September 1994. Mr. Hawkins currently serves on the board of directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan and Jumptuit Inc., a data analytics technology company. Mr. Hawkins also serves on the board of directors of Lionheart II, and is also expected to serve as a director of Lionheart IV, a SPAC, upon the completion of its public offering. Mr. Hawkins received his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University in 1986 and his A.B. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1983.

Roger Meltzer, 69
Director Nominee

Roger Meltzer, Esq. is a distinguished global leader, having produced substantial innovations for global law firms, including one of the largest and most well-known law firms in the world while demonstrating agility, compassion, and consistency, who has successfully navigated firms and local offices through challenges such as major worldwide financial headwinds, transnational cyberattacks and global pandemics, who has clearly established moral and business imperatives and has pioneered industry precedents for institutionalized equality, diversity and inclusivity and nurtured a global iconic pro bono effort, and who is known for leading and nurturing entrepreneurial, high performing, and team centric cultures. Mr. Meltzer has practiced law at DLA Piper LLP since 2007 and has held various roles: Global Co-Chairman, from 2015 to 2020, and currently as Chairman Emeritus; Americas Co-Chairman, from 2013 to 2020; Member, Office of the Chair, from 2011 to 2020; Member, Global Board, from 2008 to 2020; Co-Chairman, U.S. Executive Committee, from 2013 to 2020; Member, U.S. Executive Committee, from 2007 to 2020; and Global Co-Chairman, Corporate Finance Practice, 2007 through 2015. Prior to joining DLA Piper LLP, Mr. Meltzer practiced law at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP from 1980 through 2007 where he was a member of the Executive Committee from 1987 through 2007, Co-Administrative Partner and Hiring Partner from 1987 through 1999, and Partner from 1984 through 2007. Mr. Meltzer currently serves on the Advisory Board of Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession (May 2015—Present); Board of Trustees, New York University Law School (September 2011—Present); and the Corporate Advisory Board, John Hopkins, Carey Business School (January 2009—December 2012). He has previously served on the board of directors of: The Legal Aid Society (November 2013 to January 2020), Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (December 2000 to February 2020) and The Coinmach Service Corporation (December 2009 to June 2013). Mr. Meltzer has also received several awards and honors and has been actively involved in philanthropic activity throughout his career. In March 2021, Mr. Meltzer joined the board of directors of Lionheart II, a SPAC. In February 2021, Mr. Meltzer joined the board of directors and the audit committee of Haymaker Acquisition Corp. III (NASDAQ: HYAC), a special purpose acquisition corporation, and Ubicquia LLC, a privately-held smart lighting solutions provider. Mr. Meltzer is also expected to serve as a director of Lionheart III, a SPAC, upon the completion of its public offering.