A.K.A. Brands Holding Corp 8-K, filed Jan 4, 2022
A.K.A. Brands Holding Corp. (AKA)
8-K
2022-01-04
For: 2021-12-31
View Original
Added on
April 06, 2026
About this 8-K
A.K.A. Brands Holding Corp filed this 8-K on January 4, 2022, reporting on events of December 31, 2021.
Items reported
- Item 5.02: Director or officer change, or executive pay
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 31, 2021
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Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. | ||||
On December 31, 2021, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. (the “Company”) approved an increase in the size of the Board from six members to eight members and appointed each of Simon Beard and Ilene Eskenazi to the Board, effective immediately.
Mr. Beard will serve as a Class II director until the Company’s 2023 annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified. At this time, Mr. Beard has not been appointed to serve on a Board committee. Mr. Beard will not receive compensation for his service as a director. The Company reports the following related person transactions with Mr. Beard consistent with Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K: the Registration Rights Agreement, the Stockholders Agreement and the Agreement with Culture Kings Minority Equityholders, each as defined and more specifically described in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-259028), originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on August 24, 2021, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), and the exhibits thereto.
Ms. Eskenazi will serve as a Class I director until the Company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and until her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified. Ms. Eskenazi is deemed to be independent in accordance with the rules of the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, Ms. Eskenazi has not been appointed to serve on a Board committee. In connection with Ms. Eskenazi’s service as a member of the Board, Ms. Eskenazi will receive an annual cash retainer of $50,000 to be paid in quarterly installments and an annual equity grant in the form of time-based restricted stock units having a grant date fair value of $100,000, which shall fully vest on the one-year anniversary of the effective grant date.
Each of Mr. Beard and Ms. Eskenazi was nominated as a director pursuant to the Director Nomination Agreement, dated as of September 24, 2021, by and among the Company and funds affiliated with Summit Partners, which was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 27, 2021. There are no other arrangements or understandings between Mr. Beard or Ms. Eskenazi and any other person pursuant to which each of Mr. Beard or Ms. Eskenazi was selected as a director of the Company. Mr. Beard and Ms. Eskenazi will be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred to attend meetings of the Board or committees thereof or otherwise performing duties consistent with service on the Board in accordance with the Company’s expense reimbursement policy. The Company entered into its standard form of indemnification agreement with each of Mr. Beard and Ms. Eskenazi. The form of indemnification agreement is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Registration Statement.
Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. | ||||
(d) Exhibits.
The following exhibits are filed as part of this report:
| Exhibit No. | Description | ||||
| 99.1 | |||||
| 104 | Cover page interactive data file (embedded within the inline XBRL document) | ||||
1
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. | ||||||||
| Date: January 4, 2022 | By: | /s/ Ciaran Long | ||||||
| Name: | Ciaran Long | |||||||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||||||
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a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. Announces Expansion of Board of Directors with
Appointments of Simon Beard and Ilene Eskenazi
SAN FRANCISCO – January 4, 2022 – a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKA), a brand accelerator of direct-to-consumer (DTC) fashion brands for the next-generation, today announced the appointment of Simon Beard and Ilene Eskenazi to its Board of Directors effective December 31, 2021.
“We are thrilled to have both Simon and Ilene join our Board at such an exciting time in our business,” said Jill Ramsey, Chief Executive Officer of a.k.a. Brands. “We look forward to leveraging their extensive expertise as we continue to scale and grow our brands and add even more great direct-to-consumer fashion brands to our portfolio. Their experience will be invaluable as we implement strategic growth initiatives to build upon our success as a next-generation retail platform.”
Mr. Beard is a highly accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded the premium streetwear brand Culture Kings in Brisbane, Australia in 2008. Culture Kings was added to a.k.a. Brands’ portfolio of high-growth brands in March of 2021. Mr. Beard is a visionary leader who rapidly grew Culture Kings from a flea market stall to one of the most unique e-commerce and brick & mortar experiences that combines fashion, music, culture and sport. Mr. Beard successfully developed Culture Kings into a company at the forefront of streetwear fashion, known for its extensive, curated collection of leading global brands, as well as its attractive offering of proprietary brands and exclusive styles. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
“I am thrilled to be joining a.k.a. Brands’ Board of Directors and look forward to leveraging my experience to support the growth of the group of brands and execute on our strategic initiatives,” said Mr. Beard. “I am proud that Culture Kings is part of the a.k.a. Brands portfolio, and I am excited to apply my entrepreneurial skillset to help the company on its mission to be the next generation of retail and increase value for shareholders.”
Ms. Eskenazi brings over 20 years of leadership experience across consumer brands in the retail, sports, technology, and food and beverage industries, including a wealth of regulatory and corporate governance experience. She currently serves as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc., where she oversees all legal, corporate governance and regulatory affairs in support of the company’s strategic plans and growth objectives. Prior to Petco, she was the Global General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer for Boardriders, Inc., an apparel company formerly known as Quiksilver, where she was responsible for all legal and human resource initiatives, managing approximately 10,000 employees and distribution in over 100 countries. Previously, she served as Chief Legal Officer and SVP of Talent Operations and Performance at True Religion Apparel, Inc., and she began her career at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Ms. Eskenazi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.
“I am excited to become a Board member of a.k.a. Brands, which has built a unique and differentiated brand accelerator platform,” said Ms. Eskenazi. “The company is a global leader in direct-to-consumer fashion, and I look forward to collaborating with my fellow Board members and using my knowledge and experience to help drive a.k.a. Brands’ next phase of growth as a publicly traded company.”
About a.k.a. Brands
Established in 2018, a.k.a. Brands is a brand accelerator of direct-to-consumer fashion brands for the next generation. Each brand in the a.k.a. portfolio is customer obsessed, curates quality exclusive merchandise, creates authentic and inspiring social content and targets a distinct Gen Z and millennial audience. a.k.a. Brands leverages its next-generation retail platform to help each brand accelerate its growth, scale in new markets and enhance its profitability. Current brands in the a.k.a. Brands portfolio include Princess Polly, Culture Kings, mnml, Petal & Pup and Rebdolls.
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Investor Contact
investors@aka-brands.com
Media Contact
media@aka-brands.com