Easterly Acquisition Corporation *
ESTIMATED CURRENT FUNDS in TRUST: $148.5 Million
ESTIMATED PER SHARE REDEMPTION PRICE: $10.45
PRO FORMA EQUITY VALUE: $2.2 Billion
Easterly Acquisition Corp proposed to combine with Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd., a global multi-line insurance and reinsurance group. The all-stock transaction is expected to produce a pro forma equity value of $2.2 billion for the combined company.
Sirius Group provides multi-line insurance and reinsurance in over 140 countries with gross written premiums of $1.4 billion in 2017.
EASTERLY MANAGEMENT & BOARD
Executive Officers
Avshalom Y. Kalichstein, 40
CEO & Director
Since May 2014, Mr. Kalichstein has been a managing director at Easterly Capital, LLC, responsible primarily for originating and underwriting potential candidates for acquisition or investment, with a particular focus on financial services and related credit investments. Previously, in 2011, Mr. Kalichstein founded, and is the managing member of Solel Investment Group LLC, a privately-held company that jointly led the acquisition of over $900 million in specialty finance assets. Prior to forming Solel, Mr. Kalichstein was a managing director of J.C. Flowers & Co. from 2004 until 2011. While at J.C. Flowers & Co., Mr. Kalichstein was responsible for originating, monitoring, and disposing of financial services investments globally, with a focus on consumer and commercial finance, banking, and property/casualty insurance. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Kalichstein led the corporate development group of Shinsei Bank in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Kalichstein also led the capital structure team whose work culminated in Shinsei Bank’s initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Prior to his tenure at Shinsei Bank, Mr. Kalichstein previously worked as vice president, Finance and Corporate Development for SoftNet Systems, Inc. and as an associate with Capital Z Partners, a financial services-oriented private equity firm based in New York. Mr. Kalichstein began his career in the Financial Institutions Group at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Kalichstein earned his BA in Mathematics and Economics, magna cum laude, from Brown University.
Daniel Shea, 53
Chief Financial Officer & Secretary
Mr. Shea brings 30 years of experience in leading and advising financial organizations to the Company. Since January 2017, Mr. Shea has operated Woodcliff Advisors, a CPA advisory firm providing counsel to boards, CFOs and senior management on shareholder value preservation. Until December 2016, Mr. Shea was a Senior Vice President at Affiliated Managers Group, Inc., where he spent nearly 20 years beginning with the firm’s 1997 initial public offering. His core experience is in acquisitions, SEC reporting, internal control and the capital markets. Early in his career, Mr. Shea advised financial services firms at PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly Coopers & Lybrand) where his clients included asset managers, banks, private equity firms, mutual funds and leasing companies. Mr. Shea is a certified public accountant and earned his B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Boston College.
Board of Directors
Darrell W. Crate, 48
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mr. Crate is a managing director at Easterly Capital, LLC, which he co-founded in September 2009 to make private equity investments with a focus on the acquisition and development of cash-flow based investment products for institutional clientele. Mr. Crate also serves as a chairman of the board of directors of Easterly Government Properties Inc., a NYSE listed company that is the successor entity to Easterly Partners, LLC, a firm he co-founded as a private real estate portfolio company of Easterly Capital, LLC. From 1998 to May 2011, Mr. Crate served as the chief financial officer of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc., a publicly traded asset management holding company. Mr. Crate was previously a managing director of the Financial Institutions Group of the Chase Manhattan Corporation based in London and New York, focusing exclusively on investment management firms. Mr. Crate’s board memberships presently include serving as a member of the executive committee of the board of trustees of Bates College, as the vice chairman of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a global organization supporting general aviation, as the treasurer of the International Yacht Restoration School and as a member of the board of directors of Ivenix, Inc., a medical device company. Mr. Crate is also on the advisory board of the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, an organization that advocates for children encumbered in the juvenile justice system. Mr. Crate earned his MBA from Columbia Business School and his BA from Bates College.
James N. Hauslein, 56
Director
Mr. Hauslein is currently Managing Director of Hauslein & Company, Inc., a private investment firm. He has been with Hauslein & Company, Inc. since 1990. Mr. Hauslein was involved in the acquisition of a controlling interest in Sunglass Hut International in June 1987 and subsequently led the buyout in 1991 and the initial public offering in 1993. Mr. Hauslein served as Executive Chairman of Sunglass Hut International from 1991 until 2001, and for part of his tenure was Chief Executive Officer of Sunglass Hut (May 1997 – January 1998 and January 2001 – April 2001). Under Mr. Hauslein’s leadership, Sunglass Hut grew in revenue from approximately $37 million in 1987 to approximately $680 million in fiscal 2000 prior to the sale to Luxottica Group SpA. At the time of the sale to the Luxottica Group, Sunglass Hut operated approximately 2,000 company-owned stores in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. While at Sunglass Hut, Mr. Hauslein presided over numerous add-on acquisitions in the United States and Australia as well as organic growth in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe and a joint venture in Singapore. Mr. Hauslein previously served on the Board of Directors of Freedom Acquisition Holdings Inc., GLG Partners, Inc., Liberty Acquisition Holdings Corp., and Elephant Capital plc. Mr. Hauslein served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Acquisition Holdings Corp. from August 2007 until March 2010. Currently, Mr. Hauslein serves on the boards of Innovate Partners and NB Parent Company Inc. Mr. Hauslein is also a member of the Board of Directors of AOPA (Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association), a member of the Board of Directors of the Jamestown Foundation (Washington, DC), a Director of the American Swiss Foundation, and formerly a Trustee of the Pine School (Hobe Sound, FL). Mr. Hauslein received his MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, and his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. Freedom Acquisition Holdings Inc. (which completed a business combination with GLG Partners, Inc. in 2007 and GLG Partners, Inc. was subsequently sold to the Mann Group in 2010), Liberty Acquisition Holdings Corp. (which completed a business combination with Promotora de Informaciones S.A. in 2010), and Atlas Acquisition Holdings Corp. (which liquidated in 2010 and did not complete a business combination) were all special purpose acquisition companies where Mr. Hauslein previously held management or director positions as disclosed above. None of these companies changed its intentions from what each disclosed in its respective initial public offering prospectus. Mr. Hauslein is not currently a director or a member of management for any of these companies.
David W. Knowlton. 57
Director
Mr. Knowlton is a Managing Partner at Three Ocean Partners LLC, a firm he founded in 2011, where he advises his clients on mergers and acquisitions as well as recapitalizations and restructurings. Prior to Three Ocean Partners LLC, Mr. Knowlton was a Managing Partner at Watch Hill Partners LLC, an investment banking firm which he launched in 2003 and sold to FBR Capital Markets in 2009. Mr. Knowlton continued to work at FBR Capital Markets as Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Head of the Corporate Advisory practice until 2010. Watch Hill Partners advised on over $30 billion in assignments and made several merchant banking investments. From December 1996 until March 1999, Mr. Knowlton established and ran Gleacher & Company’s financial sponsor efforts, as Managing Director of North American Investment Banking and Head of Acquisition Finance for NatWest Markets, the U.S. M&A and merchant banking arm of NatWest. He began his career with an internship with the Joint Economic Committee in Washington DC, and then joined Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company in 1980. He held a number of positions in multinational client management and oil and gas industry lending before joining MHT’s Acquisition Finance Group in 1985. After the mergers with both Chemical Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank, Mr. Knowlton continued his position as Managing Director in Acquisition Finance.
Thomas W. Purcell, 44
Director
Mr. Purcell is currently establishing his family office, Lake Trail Capital, which will invest in public securities as well as private businesses. Mr. Purcell was a Portfolio Manager at Viking Global Investors from 2003 until 2014, where he was responsible for managing a team of analysts and a diversified portfolio with a primary focus in financial services as well as business devices, energy and other industries. While at Viking Mr. Purcell served as the firm’s Co-Chief Investment Officer from 2012 until June 2014, as a member of the Management Committee from 2005 until March 2015 and as a member of the Executive Committee from July 2007 until March 2015. From October 1999 until becoming a Portfolio Manager in 2003, Mr. Purcell was responsible for researching investment ideas in financial service companies. From May 1998 until September 1999, Mr. Purcell worked for Tiger Management on a full time and consulting basis where he was responsible for researching investment ideas among chemical, paper, general industrial companies and Japanese banks. From 1995 until 1997, Mr. Purcell worked for ING Equity Partners as an associate responsible for identifying, researching and executing private equity investments. From 1993 until 1995, Mr. Purcell worked in Mergers and Acquisitions at Salomon Brothers Inc. Mr. Purcell is a graduate of Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and of Georgetown University.