Smartbird Appoints New CEO and Changes Name
In a regulatory filing, the company said that on June 12, the Board of Directors approved the appointment of Nadia Carlsten to serve as President, CEO, Secretary and a director of the company, effective June 18. Carlsten will serve as a Class I director and will stand for reelection at the 2028 annual meeting of stockholders. The Board has also appointed Lily Yan Hughes as the Chairperson of the Board. Joe Vernachio, the company's current President, CEO, and Secretary of the company, has tendered his resignation as an officer and director, with his final date of service to be June 19. Vernachio informed the company that his resignation from the Board is not a result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to its operations, policies or practices. On June 15, the company filed a Certificate of Amendment to its Ninth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to change the name of the company to Smartbird, Inc. and to remove references to the company being a public benefit corporation. The company has completed its previously announced definitive agreement to sell the Allbirds brand and footwear assets. With the transition to Smartbird now completed, the company also strengthened its balance sheet by increasing the size of its convertible financing facility from $50M to $100M. The expanded capital base provides Smartbird with additional resources to execute its AI infrastructure strategy.
