Kalera appoints Curtis McWilliams as interim CEO

"We are thrilled to have Curtis' proven leadership and stellar track record of creating shareholder value which he will bring to the interim CEO role. He embodies the strong culture and leadership we seek to build at Kalera. We are grateful that he has agreed to serve," said Kim Lopdrup, incoming Chairman of Kalera's Board of Directors.

As a veteran executive with over 25 years of experience in finance and real estate, McWilliams will provide Kalera with invaluable leadership as the Company continues to pursue strategic growth. Curtis currently serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE, ASC). McWilliams is also the Lead Director of Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc (NYSE BHR). He retired from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of CNL Real Estate Advisors, Inc. in 2010.  He has also served on numerous other boards and held various executive leadership roles including in the investment banking industry with Merrill Lynch & Co, where he facilitated a number of major transactions. Curtis holds an MBA with a concertation in Finance from the University of Chicago, and a Bachler of Science in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.

Curtis McWilliams said "Kalera has incredible products and technology, but its greatest asset is its exceptionally strong and deep management team that is committed to achieving our vision to bring the freshest, safest, affordable greens to local markets across the globe. I am excited to work with this team to help the company achieve its full potential."

Former CEO Daniel Malechuk is leaving Kalera to pursue other interests. "The board would like to thank Daniel for his leadership and hard work over the past several years. Kalera has come a long way since he joined and is now well-positioned to achieve its mission of becoming a global leader in environmentally sustainable vertical farming," said Kim Lopdrup.

The Board of Directors has begun a formal search for a permanent CEO and expects the process to be concluded in 2022.

About Kalera:
Kalera is a vertical farming company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Kalera uses technology to ensure that more people around the world have access to the freshest, most nutritious, and cleanest products available. It has spent several years optimizing plant nutrient formulas and developing an advanced automation and data acquisition system with Internet of Things, cloud, big data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities. Kalera currently operates farms in the US (Orlando, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Houston, Texas), and Kuwait. Additional farms are in development. More information is available at www.kalera.com.

Source: Kalera

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

Source: Kalera