Biography

Mr. Rubel has served as the Chairman of our board of directors since February 2023. Prior to assuming the role of Chairman, Mr. Rubel served as the Company’s non-executive Chairman of the Board since its Business Combination with Empower in July 2021. Prior to the Business Combination, Mr. Rubel served as Empower’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman since August 2020. Mr. Rubel serves as the Chairman of MidOcean’s Executive Board since joining the firm in 2018, where he leads the Executive Board’s efforts to provide industry insights to MidOcean’s investment teams and portfolio companies.

Mr. Rubel is a renowned retail and brand Chief Executive Officer, having led many successful global brands and businesses. Most recently, Mr. Rubel served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and Board Member of Varsity Brands, a leader in sport, spirit, and achievement products, which he strategically focused and integrated. Previously, Mr. Rubel served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Collective Brands, Inc., which included Payless ShoeSource, Sperry Topsider, Saucony, Stride Rite, and Keds. Prior to Collective Brands, Mr. Rubel was Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Cole Haan LLC, from 1999 to 2005. Prior to Cole Haan, he served in senior management roles at J. Crew Group, Revlon, and Murjani International Ltd.

Mr. Rubel has been a director of numerous multinational retail and consumer branded companies. He currently serves as Executive Chairman of MidOcean’s portfolio company KidKraft, and also on the Boards of The Joint Chiropractic and MidOcean’s portfolio company Image Skincare. He previously was an Independent Director at Hudson’s Bay Company (‘‘HBC’’), where he served on the Special Committee for HBC’s going private transaction. Mr. Rubel also served as an Independent Director of HSNi, the holding company of HSN and Cornerstone Brands. In addition, Mr. Rubel served as an Independent Director at TreeHouse Foods, Inc., SUPERVALU, ELF Cosmetics, and Furniture Brands, and as an advisor to early-stage technology and retail companies, including Celect, Inc., Retail Next, First Insight, and AfterPay. Mr. Rubel has also worked closely as a Senior Advisor with TPG Capital, TPG Growth, and Roark Capital. He was a presidential appointee to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy Negotiation from 2010 to 2018. Mr. Rubel holds a Bachelor of Science from Ohio University and an MBA from the University of Miami.