FG Merger III Corp.
MANAGEMENT & BOARD
Executive Officers
Larry G. Swets, Jr, 48
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Swets has over 25 years of experience within financial services encompassing both non-executive and executive roles. Mr. Swets founded Itasca Financial LLC, an advisory and investment firm, in 2005 and has served as its managing member since inception. Mr. Swets also founded and is the President of Itasca Golf Managers, Inc., a management services and advisory firm focused on the real estate and hospitality industries, in August 2018. Mr. Swets has served as the Chief Executive Officer of FG Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGF) (formerly 1347 Property Insurance Holdings, Inc.), which operates as a diversified reinsurance, investment management and real estate holding company, since November 2020, after having served as Interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020. Mr. Swets is a member of the board of directors of FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF) since November 2013, GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry since June 2016, Harbor Custom Development, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCDI) since February 2020, FG Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE American: FGH) since October 2021, and Ascension Illinois Foundation since March 2018, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Swets also serves as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp (TSX:FGAA.U) since October 2021, a special acquisition company seeking to complete an acquisition, since October 2021. Previously, Mr. Swets served as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, from July 2020 to July 2021. From April 2021 to December 2021, Mr. Swets also served as Senior Advisor to Aldel Financial Inc., a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Mr. Swets served as Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.) from June 2016 to June 2021. Mr. Swets served as the Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from July 2010 to September 2018, including as its President from July 2010 to March 2017. Mr. Swets served as a director of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd. from October 2017 to December 2021. He also previously served as a member of the board of directors of Limbach Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LMB) from July 2016 to August 2021; Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from September 2013 to December 2018; Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFH) from December 2010 to January 2018; FMG Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FMGQ) from May 2007 to September 2008; United Insurance Holdings Corp. from 2008 to March 2012; and Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. from November 2007 to May 2012. Prior to founding Itasca Financial LLC, Mr. Swets served as an insurance company executive and advisor, including the role of director of investments and fixed income portfolio manager for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Companies. Mr. Swets began his career in insurance as an intern in the Kemper Scholar program in 1994. Mr. Swets earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from DePaul University in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 1997. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Hassan R. Baqar, 46
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Baqar has over 20 years of experience within financial services and other industries focused on corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, investments and real estate transactions. Mr. Baqar has served as the founder and managing member of Sequoia Financial LLC, a financial services and advisory firm, since January 2019. Mr. Baqar has also served as Chief Financial Officer since August 2021 and Executive Vice President since December 2021 of FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF) (formerly known as 1347 Property Insurance Holdings, Inc.), which operates as a reinsurance and asset management holding company, as Chief Financial Officer of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd., a former Bermuda based reinsurance company from October 2017 to December 2021, as a director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry from August 2019 to December 2021 and as Chief Financial Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. from June 2016 to December 2020, as a director of FG Reinsurance Ltd., a Cayman Islands reinsurance company since June 2020, as director, treasurer and secretary of Sponsor Protection Coverage and Risk, Inc., a South Carolina captive insurance company since October 2022, and as a director and Chief Financial Officer of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Since October 2021, Mr. Baqar has also served as the Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a Canadian special purpose acquisition company that has completed its initial public offering and is focused on searching for a target company in the financial services sector. Mr. Baqar served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU) from December 2021 to August 2023, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreconnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, and as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF) from January 2021 to December 2021, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Previously, he served as Vice President of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) (“Kingsway”) from January 2014 to January 2019 and as a Vice President of Kingsway’s subsidiary Kingsway America Inc. from January 2010 to January 2019. Mr. Baqar also served as Chief Financial Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp. from April 2014 to July 2016, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar served as a member of the board of directors of FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF) from October 2012 to May 2015. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UIHC), a publicly held property and casualty insurance holding company, from August 2011 to April 2012.
D. Kyle Cerminara, 46
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Cerminara is a member of the board of directors of a number of companies focused in the reinsurance, investment management, technology and communication sectors, including FG Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE American: FGH) (formerly Ballantyne Strong, Inc.), a holding company with diverse business activities focused on serving the entertainment and retail markets, since February 2015; FG Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGF) (formerly known as 1347 Property Insurance Holdings, Inc.), which operates as a reinsurance and asset management company, since December 2016; BK Technologies Corporation (NYSE American: BKTI), a provider of two-way radio communications equipment, since July 2015; Strong Global Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE American: SGE), a leader in the entertainment industry providing mission critical products and services to cinema exhibitors and entertainment venues, since March 2022; FG Communities, Inc., a real estate management company focused on preserving and improving affordable housing, since July 2022; and Firefly Systems Inc., a venture-backed digital advertising company, since August 2020. Mr. Cerminara is the chairperson of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX:FGAA.U), a Canadian special purpose acquisition company that has completed its initial public offering and is focused on searching for a target company in the financial services sector. Mr. Cerminara has served as the Chairman of FG Group Holdings Inc. since May 2015 and previously served as its Chief Executive Officer from November 2015 through April 2020. Mr. Cerminara has served as the Chairman of Strong Global Entertainment, Inc. since March 2022. Mr. Cerminara was appointed Chairman of FG Financial Group, Inc. in May 2018 and served as its Principal Executive Officer from March 2020 to June 2020. Mr. Cerminara has served as the Chairman of BK Technologies Corporation since July 2022 and previously from March 2017 until April 2020. Mr. Cerminara has served as the Chairman and President of FG Communities, Inc. since its formation in July 2022. From February 2022 to August 2023, Mr. Cerminara served as a Senior Advisor to FG Merger Corp. (NASDAQ: FGMC), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with iCoreConnect, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services. From April 2021 to December 2021, Mr. Cerminara served as a director of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF), a special purpose acquisition company co-sponsored by Fundamental Global, which merged with Hagerty, a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Cerminara served as Director and President of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. He served on the board of directors of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry, from June 2016 to October 2021 and was appointed Chairman from June 2018 to June 2021; Limbach Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LMB), a company which provides building infrastructure services, from March 2019 to March 2020; Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), a publicly-traded, applied informatics company, from August 2016 to November 2017; Magnetek, Inc., a publicly-traded manufacturer, in 2015; and blueharbor bank, a community bank, from October 2013 to January 2020. He served as a Trustee and President of StrongVest ETF Trust, which was an open-end management investment company, from July 2016 to March 2021. Previously, Mr. Cerminara served as the Co-Chief Investment Officer of CWA Asset Management Group, LLC, a position he held from January 2013 to December 2020.
Board of Directors
Andrew B. McIntyre, 61
Director Nominee
Andrew B. McIntyre has served as a director of FGAC (TSXV: FGAA) since October 2021 and is chair of its audit committee. From June 2016 to December 2021 Mr. McIntyre served as Director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.). During his tenure as a director of GreenFirst Forest Products, Inc., Mr. McIntyre also served as a member of its audit committee. In July 2022, Mr. McIntyre joined Deloitte LLP as a Senior Advisor. Mr. McIntyre served as Senior Vice President, Finance of Sofina Foods Inc. from September 2019 to June 2022, and from October 2016 to August 2019, Mr. McIntyre served Samuel, Son & Co. Limited in the role of Vice President, Corporate Development. Previously Mr. McIntyre was Managing Director of Segwin Consulting Ltd., a consultancy specializing in M&A advisory and strategy development for B2B clients in North America and Asia. Prior to his role with Segwin Consulting Ltd., Mr. McIntyre was Vice President, Corporate Development at Vicwest Inc. Mr. McIntyre has previously served on the Boards of Directors of Burloak Technologies Inc., Pre-Insulated Metal Technologies Inc., BBi Enterprises Inc., MDS Capital Company and the Orthopaedic & Arthritic Institute. Mr. McIntyre’s formal designations include ICD.D., Chartered Financial Analyst, Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business and P. Eng.
Scott D. Wollney, 55
Director Nominee
Mr. Wollney has served as a director of FG Financial Group Inc. (“FGF”). Since December 2010, Mr. Wollney has served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (“Atlas”) (OTC: AFHIF), a specialty commercial automobile insurance business that operates primarily as a managing general agency. From July 2009 until December 2010, Mr. Wollney was President and Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway America Inc. (KAI), a property and casualty holding company and subsidiary of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. From May 2008 to March 2009, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln General Insurance Company (a subsidiary of KAI), a property and casualty insurance company. Mr. Wollney co-founded Avalon Risk Management, Inc., an insurance broker, in 1998, and served as its President, from 2002 to 2008. Mr. Wollney has more than 30 years of experience in property and casualty insurance. During his tenure in the industry, Mr. Wollney has held executive positions at both insurance companies, as well as brokerage operations. Mr. Wollney is a MBA graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a concentration in finance and management strategy and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois.
Richard E. Govignon, 46
Director Nominee
Dr. Govignon, 46, has been a Partner of Dnerus Financial, a family asset management company, since June 2021. Dr. Govignon is an experienced corporate director/trustee in the U.S. and Canada with broad exposure to numerous industries. Dr. Govignon serves as a director of the board of FG Financial Group Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF), a reinsurance and asset management holding company focused on collateralized and loss-capped reinsurance and merchant banking since December 2021. Dr. Govignon has been a director of Strong Global Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SGE), a corporation focused on supplying screens and providing technical support services to the cinema exhibition industry, theme parks, and other entertainment-related markets since January 2022. Dr. Govignon also serves as a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp (TSX: FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition corporation (“SPAC”) incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, which in May 2023 announced a business combination agreement with ThinkMarkets an online forex and CFD provider since April 2022. Dr. Govignon is also a member of the board of directors of B-Scada, Inc. (OTC: SCDA), a company developing software and hardware products since June 2021. Dr. Govignon served as a member of the board of directors of GreenFirst Forest Products, Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on forest product investments, from January 2019 to December 2021. Dr. Govignon also served as a Trustee of the StrongVest ETF Trust (US: CWAI) that, invested in a diversified portfolio of corporate bonds with varying maturities and equity securities from 2017 to 2019. Dr. Govignon has worked in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry in various management and pharmacy positions for over 20 years, most recently with ShopRite Pharmacy since 2022 and previously with CVS Health Corporation (2022-2019 and from 2013-2017), with Acme Markets Inc. (2017-2019) and Rite Aid Corporation (2001-2013).