Ecopol S.p.A. (“Ecopol” or the “Company”), a leading developer and producer of innovative biodegradable films and delivery systems, announced today the completion of a strategic investment from affiliates of SK Capital Partners, LP (“SK Capital”), a leading private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, ingredients, and life sciences sectors. SK Capital has acquired a majority interest in the Company with Mauro Carbone, Ecopol’s CEO and controlling shareholder, retaining a significant stake and remaining as both the CEO and largest individual shareholder. It is also announced the formation of a new Board of Directors, which includes industry leaders with extensive experience across sustainable materials and consumer packaged goods (“CPG”) markets in Ecopol’s value chains, including Jan-Dirk Auris, E. Craig Mitchell, Daniele Ferrari and Dave Mezzanotte.
“Ecopol is pleased to begin our partnership with SK Capital and to be working with a diverse team of high-impact industry executives who have joined our Board of Directors,” said Mauro Carbone, Ecopol CEO. “I am excited for the next chapter of our journey as we work together to accelerate Ecopol’s rapid growth and continue to make strategic investments to provide even greater value for our global customer base and bring more sustainable solutions to both existing and new markets. We are grateful to Roberto Quagliuolo, Luca Bucelli and Laurent Labatut for their contributions as former Board Directors and look forward to Tikehau Capital’s continued support as an ongoing minority shareholder.”
“In partnership with Mauro, we have assembled a world-class Board of Directors who will be highly impactful in helping Ecopol execute its strategic priorities and achieve its vision to become the global leader in highly innovative and sustainable delivery systems,” added Stephen D’Incelli, Managing Director at SK Capital. “We look forward as a Board to supporting Mauro and his leadership team in driving Ecopol’s next phase of transformational growth.”
In connection with the closing, SK Capital and Mauro have appointed the following Board Directors:
Jan-Dirk Auris spent over 35 years at Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (“Henkel”), where he served in a variety of senior executive roles and as a member of the Henkel Management Board. He most recently led Henkel’s Adhesives Technologies business unit, where he had extensive experience serving leading global CPG companies. Mr. Auris played a leading role in implementing a new performance management playbook across Henkel and driving innovation and sustainability initiatives.
E. Craig Mitchell has over 35 years of experience in the specialty materials industry and currently serves as President, Flavors and Extracts Group at Sensient Technologies Corporation. He previously served in critical roles at global leaders in Ecopol’s supply chain, including President and COO of Sekisui Specialty Chemicals America, LLC, a manufacturer of polyvinyl alcohol, as well as VP of Sales, Americas of Celanese Corporation, a producer of vinyl acetate monomer.
Daniele Ferrari will serve as Board Chairman. Mr. Ferrari, who is based full-time in Italy, has over 35 years of experience in the specialty materials industry, most recently as the CEO of Versalis S.p.A., the largest chemical company in Italy, and as Chairman of Matrìca S.p.A., a joint-venture with Novamont, a leader in the bio-plastics industry at the forefront of renewable chemistry. Mr. Ferrari has served as a Senior Director at SK Capital and brings significant sustainability leadership in prior roles as President of the European Chemical Industry Council (“CEFIC”), President of Plastics Europe, and as a board member of the Alliance to End Plastics Waste.
Dave Mezzanotte has over 40 years of experience in the specialty materials and packaging industries and has served as a Senior Director at SK Capital since 2018. He previously was Chairman and CEO of Coveris, a global manufacturer of flexible consumer packaging, and CEO of CHEP, a global logistics services provider for CPGs.
The Board of Directors also includes Mauro Carbone, Ecopol CEO and significant minority investor; Stephen d’Incelli, Deal Lead and Managing Director at SK Capital; and Josh Lieberman, Principal at SK Capital.
Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to SK Capital. Lead arrangers and bookrunners Crédit Agricole Italia S.p.A. and Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A provided committed financing in support of the transaction. Legance and Alpeggiani Studio Legale Associato served as legal counsel and STS Deloitte served as tax advisor to Ecopol. UBS served as financial advisor.
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