INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Novus Capital, a company focused on sustainability and social equity through technological innovation, announces two new Board Advisors: Lacy M. Johnson and Ittai Kidron.
“Novus Capital’s Board and Board Advisors play a vital role in guiding our partners through strategic, operational and regulatory considerations,” said Bob Laikin, co-founder of Novus Capital. “Lacy and Ittai bring a depth of experience, and we’re proud to welcome them.”
Lacy M. Johnson is a partner in Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP’s Public Affairs Strategies Group and partner-in-charge of the firm’s Washington D.C. office. He is a preeminent senior lawyer, having served on the Biden-Harris transition team, and was a member of Vice President Harris’s Midwest Finance team. He is a trusted adviser and supporter of many Congressional Black Caucus (CBD) leaders and members. In addition, Mr. Johnson has served as a director of Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) since 2016 and a director of Griffon Corporation (NYSE: GFF) since 2019.
“I’m impressed by Novus’s commitment to social equity and inclusion, and I look forward to further guiding future endeavors in this area,” Johnson said.
Ittai Kidron is Managing Director and Senior Analyst covering Analytics, Collaboration, Security and Infrastructure Software at Oppenheimer and Co. Inc. In this role, Ittai has received several awards earning him top recognition for his stock-picking capabilities. He was among the first to implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings throughout his coverage universe. Prior to Oppenheimer, Ittai was an investment banker at Bear Stearns covering the telecommunications industry. He began his career at KPMG as an auditor. Ittai holds an MBA with Highest Honors from the University of Chicago and a BA in accounting and economics with Honors from the Tel Aviv University in Israel. He served for three years in the Israeli Defense Forces as a senior investigator in the Military Police.
“ESG will be an increasingly salient component of doing business in the coming years,” Kidron said. “It’s thrilling to see the ways enterprise can drive development in these areas, and I’m proud to share my experience with Novus Capital and its partners.”
Novus Capital successfully merged its first special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Novus Capital Corporation, into AppHarvest (NASDAQ: APPH) on January 29, 2021. AppHarvest is an applied technology company building some of the world’s largest indoor farms in Appalachia. The company combines conventional agricultural techniques with leading-edge technology and is addressing key issues including access for all to nutritious food, sustainable farming, building a home-grown food supply and increasing investment in Appalachia.
Bob Laikin, Larry Paulson, Hersch Klaff, Jeff Foster, Ron Sznaider and Heather Goodman of Novus Capital launched its second SPAC, Novus Capital Corporation II, (NYSE: NXU.U) on February 3, 2021. The SPAC raised $287.5 million during its IPO. It is now focused on identifying a potential acquisition in the sustainable smart technology and ESG space.
About Novus Capital
Novus Capital is a company focused on sustainability, ESG and social equity through technological innovation. The company is led by Robert J. Laikin, Larry Paulson and Jeffrey Foster, who have significant hands-on experience helping high-tech companies optimize their existing and new growth initiatives by exploiting insights from rich data assets and intellectual property that already exist within most high-tech companies. Novus Capital recently listed its second special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Novus Capital Corporation II (NYSE: NXU.U), on February 3, 2021.