NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Selina, the fast-growing lifestyle and experiential hospitality platform targeting millennial and Gen Z travelers, is pleased to announce the strategic appointment of five new independent directors to its Board of Directors: Eric J. Foss, who will serve as the Chair of the Board, Catherine Dunleavy, Eileen Moore Johnson, Richard S. Stoddart and Adi Soffer Teeni. Their appointments will be effective upon the closing of the business combination between Selina and BOA Acquisition Corp., such that the public-company Board will comprise seven directors in total, including Rafael Museri and Daniel Rudasevski, the co-founders of Selina and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Growth Officer, respectively.
“We’ve spent a considerable amount of time working to identify highly accomplished corporate leaders with diverse and complementary backgrounds and skill sets, as well as public company experience, to add to Selina’s board of directors,” said Rafael Museri, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Selina. “Eric, Catherine, Eileen, Rich and Adi all have impressive backgrounds and proven track records contributing to the growth of category-leading organizations like Pepsico, Nike, Caesars, Hasbro and Meta Platforms. We have no doubt their unique perspectives and knowledge of the capital markets, together with their leadership, finance, operations, marketing and technology experience, will add tremendous value to the enterprise as we grow our platform, execute our strategy to drive profitability and transition to being a publicly traded company.”
Eric J. Foss has been Chairman and CEO of two Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Foss is a highly successful leader with a proven track record of driving growth, creating sustainable shareholder value, building diverse, inclusive, engaged and high-performance teams, and creating a purpose-driven legacy for global at scale companies. Mr. Foss served as Chairman of the Board of Aramark from February 2015 and served as Chief Executive Officer and President from May 2012 until his retirement in August 2019. Mr. Foss also served as Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Beverages Company from 2010 until December 2011. He served as Chairman and CEO of the Pepsi Bottling Group from 2008 until 2010, Chief Executive Officer and President from 2006 until 2008 and as Chief Operating Officer from 2005 until 2006. Mr. Foss has broad-based public board experiences regarding governance, risk management, technology, financial oversight and strategic planning. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cigna. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at Diversey and serves on the national Board of Directors at Back on My Feet.
Catherine Dunleavy is Chief Financial Officer of JRSK, Inc., doing business as Away, a global lifestyle brand offering an array of luggage and other travel essentials built for the evolving needs of the modern traveler, where she leads finance, strategy, data, consumer insights, accounting and treasury functions. Before joining Away in 2020, Dunleavy was CFO for Nike, Inc.’s (NYSE: NKE) Global Operations and Technology Group and Vice President of Strategic Investments. In this role, she was responsible for leading Nike’s digital transformation, driving supply chain strategies and managing Nike’s largest global investments. During her tenure at Nike, she also served as CFO of the Innovation Group. Prior to Nike, Ms. Dunleavy worked at Comcast as Executive Vice President of Content Distribution of NBC Universal Media, LLC; Executive Vice President and CFO of Cable Entertainment and Production Studios at NBCUniversal Media, LLC; and Executive Audit Manager at General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).
Eileen Moore Johnson currently serves as the General Manager of the Vegas Loop, the first all-electric, zero-emissions underground public transportation system. Throughout her career, Ms. Johnson has worked for and developed some of the best hospitality and gaming brands in the world, including a 21-year tenure with Caesars Entertainment, where she had oversight across four large casino resorts, including Flamingo, Harrah’s, LINQ and Cromwell. Her diverse experience spans corporate strategy, communications, operations, marketing, information technology and revenue management. Most recently, Ms. Johnson also served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Scientific Games Corporation from June of 2020 until July of 2022. Reporting to the CEO, she led a global workforce of 9,250 employees in 34 countries and a team of approximately 110 professionals across human resource functions, including human resources business partners and operations, executive development, succession planning, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, learning and training, and corporate social responsibility.
Richard S. Stoddart is Chair of Hasbro Inc.’s (Nasdaq: HAS) Board of Directors and most recently served as the company’s interim CEO from October 2021 to February 2022. Prior to that, Mr. Stoddart served as President and CEO of InnerWorkings, Inc. (Nasdaq: INWK), a global marketing execution firm, from 2018 until its acquisition in 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Stoddart served as President of Leo Burnett North America from 2005 until he was appointed CEO in 2013, and as CEO and Global President of Leo Burnett Worldwide, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Stoddart brings to Selina extensive experience leading and driving profitable growth at global organizations, as well as strong expertise in brand-building, integrated marketing, business transformation, strategic planning, M&A, marketing supply chain management and the building of global teams.
Adi Soffer Teeni has served as the Vice President and General Manager Israel, for Meta Platforms Inc., a company that builds applications and technologies that help people connect, find communities and grow businesses, since 2014. Mrs. Soffer Teeni served as the Managing Director for 888.com, the B2C division of 888 Holdings Plc, from 2008 to 2011. Prior to her time at 888 Holdings Plc, Mrs. Soffer Teeni served as Chief Executive Officer for the Kidum Group from 2002 to 2007, and for Wall Street Institute from 1998 to 2001. She also served as the Executive Chairwoman at Ginger Software, an American and Israeli start-up specializing in natural language processing and AI. Mrs. Soffer Teeni earned a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B., at Tel Aviv University in 1997 and a Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University in 2003.
Foss said, “On behalf of the new Directors, we are honored and excited to be joining the Board of this dynamic and innovative company at such an important time. Selina is creating a hospitality lifestyle platform like no other, and it has the potential to be the brand for a new generation of travelers. Our priorities will be to ensure that the company executes on a sustainable, commercially viable strategy for the benefit of all stakeholders and that it continues to build out its public-company infrastructure.”
About Selina
Selina is one of the world’s largest lifestyle and experiential hospitality brands, built to address the needs and desires of millennial and Gen Z travelers, blending beautifully designed accommodation with coworking, recreation, wellness and local experiences. Custom-built for today’s nomadic traveler, Selina provides guests with a global infrastructure to seamlessly travel and work abroad. Founded in 2014, each Selina property is designed in partnership with local artists, creators and tastemakers, breathing new life into existing buildings in interesting locations around the world — from urban cities to remote beaches and jungles. Selina’s portfolio includes over 163 open or secured properties across 25 countries and six continents. On December 2, 2021, Selina entered into a definitive merger agreement with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS), the closing of which, subject to customary conditions, will result in Selina becoming a publicly listed company.
For further information on Selina, visit www.selina.com or check out @selina on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
