Team

Heath B. Freeman is our Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Freeman is one of the founding members of Alden Global and has been its President since 2014. He has been managing and investing in companies with an opportunistic and catalyst-driven approach since he joined Alden Global’s predecessor Smith Management LLC in 2006. Prior to joining Smith Management, Mr. Freeman was an investment banker at Peter J. Solomon Company, where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions, restructurings and refinancings. In addition to his investment research and operational responsibilities at Alden Global, Mr. Freeman currently serves as Vice Chairman of MNG Enterprises, Inc., a company that owns media properties such as The Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and the Boston Herald. Mr. Freeman currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Freeman Center at Jewish Life at Duke University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 2002.

Randall D. Smith is the Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Smith is the Chief of Investments of Alden Global and is one of the founding members of the firm. Mr. Smith has been investing in companies with an opportunistic and catalyst-driven approach for more than 50 years. Prior to focusing on principal investing through Alden Global and Smith Management LLC, he established and ran R.D. Smith & Co., a company that became one of the largest enterprises in the world devoted exclusively to financially distressed companies. R.D. Smith & Co. was both a principal investor in distressed and a broker dealer for distressed securities. Mr. Smith exited that business in 1991 to focus exclusively on managing assets for himself and affiliated entities. Prior to creating R.D. Smith & Co., he was a partner at Bear Stearns where he headed the convertible arbitrage department and later focused on distressed investing. Beginning in 2020, Mr. Smith has served as a board member for Tribune Publishing Company. Mr. Smith graduated from Cornell University in 1965 and received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1967.

Martin R. Wade, III is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Wade is Partner in Residence with Catalyst Acquisition Group, an investment firm focusing on the acquisition and restructuring of distressed companies in the United States and internationally, since September 2007. Mr. Wade is the Chief Executive Officer of Broadcaster, Inc., a company engaged in the internet service provider and applications businesses, since 2006. In addition to operating roles, Mr. Wade has been a member of eighteen Boards of Directors and served as Chairman of eight and Chief Executive of three. Mr. Wade currently serves on the board of directors of MNG Enterprises, Inc., a company that owns media properties such as The Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and the Boston Herald. Mr. Wade began his career in investment banking and mergers & acquisitions in 1975 at Bankers Trust Company. In 1980, Mr Wade joined Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb and became Head of Exclusive Sales and Divestitures within the M/A Department. In 1992 Mr. Wade joined Price Waterhouse LLP as National Head of Investment Banking with ten offices in the U.S. In 1997, Mr. Wade joined Salomon Brothers to form a Divestiture Sales Group in the Mergers and Acquisition Department. In his thirty-year investment banking career, Mr Wade initiated and advised on over two hundred transactions. Mr. Wade served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of Payless Shoesource, Inc., from August 2017 to January 2019. Payless Shoesource, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2019. Mr. Wade graduated from West Virginia University in 1971 with a B.S. in Business Administration and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. In 1975, Mr. Wade was honorably discharged from the USAF holding the rank of Captain. Mr. Wade also received an MBA degree from the University of Wyoming in 1975.

Maz Akram is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Akram’s background is in private equity investing, portfolio company management, turnarounds/special situations, financings and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Akram is an execution specialist with deep experience in structuring and negotiating complex transactions including cross-border transactions. He has extensive experience in sourcing proprietary deal flow in a variety of business sectors including financial institutions, retail, consumer products and manufacturing/industrial sectors. Mr. Akram currently serves on the board of directors of MNG Enterprises, Inc., a company that owns media properties such as The Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and the Boston Herald. Currently at Zeus Capital, Mr. Akram focuses on alternative investments, market infrastructure inefficiencies and event-driven opportunities. He leads in sourcing and executing transactions in the United States, Europe, South America and the Middle East. He also plays a vital role in rolling out strategic goals and corporate development initiatives such as forging mission-critical partnerships, and steering entry into new markets. Previously, Mr. Akram worked at Sun Capital Partners, a $13 billion US private equity firm, and in mergers and acquisitions at Peter J. Solomon Company, a boutique New York investment bank. He was also a member of the investment banking division of Salomon Smith Barney. Mr. Akram’s experience also includes projects with several non-for-profit organizations, including affiliates of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in developing countries. Mr. Akram received his A.B. degree, cum laude, in Chemistry from Princeton University with a Minor from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael J. Monticciolo is our Chief Legal Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary and a member of our board of directors. Mr. Monticciolo has also served as the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of Alden Global since joining in March 2014. He has held a variety of positions in the investment management industry as well as at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Monticciolo was the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Gruss Capital Management, a global event-driven investment manager. From 2006 to 2007, he was an associate general counsel at GSC Group, a credit-focused alternative investment adviser, and additionally was the chief compliance officer of a NYSE-listed business development company. Prior to that, Mr. Monticciolo served at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission as a senior counsel in the Division of Enforcement from 2000 to 2006 and as a staff attorney with the Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Monticciolo earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio State University and a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law.

Joshua P. Kleban is our Chief Financial Officer and has been the Chief Financial Officer of Alden Global since 2012. Prior to joining Alden Global, Mr. Kleban was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Attara Capital from 2009 to 2012. From 2006 to 2009, he was Director of Fund Accounting and Administration at Atticus Capital during which time its peak assets exceeded $20 Billion. From 1999 to 2006, Mr. Kleban was Vice President, Finance at Everest Capital. Previously, Mr. Kleban worked for KPMG in Bermuda and Ellis Foster in Canada. Mr. Kleban earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University in Canada in 1993 and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and a Chartered Financial Analyst.