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Posted 19 September, 2023

FOXO TECHNOLOGIES INC. appointed Mark White as new CEO

NYSE:FOXO appointed new Chief Executive Officer Mark White in a 8-K filed on 19 September, 2023.


  Appointment of Mark White as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director and Martin Ward as Interim Chief Financial Officer  

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Overview of FOXO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Health Care/Life Sciences • Biotechnology
FOXO Technologies, Inc. develops genetic sequencing technology artificial intelligence and bioinformatics tools. The company was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.
Market Cap
$2.90M
View Company Details
Relevant filing section
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.


Departure of Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer


On September 13, 2023, Tyler Danielson notified the Company of his decision to resign as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer of the Company, effective as of September 14, 2023.


On September 14, 2023, Brian Chen resigned as Chief Science Officer of the Company, pursuant to a resignation letter, effective immediately. Mr. Chen's resignation letter asserted that he resigned for Good Reason (as defined in his employment agreement); however, he did not specify what he believed constituted Good Reason. The Company is reviewing its obligations, if any, to Mr. Chen pursuant to his prior employment agreement.


Transition of General Counsel to Contractor Role


On September 14, 2023, the Company terminated the employment of Michael Will as General Counsel of the Company, effective as of such date, due to the Company's current financial constraints and the need to reduce its staff.


In connection with Mr. Will's termination, Mr. Will and FOXO Technologies Operating Company, a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ("FOXO Technologies Operating Company"), have entered into a Contractor Agreement, dated September 15, 2023 (the "Contractor Agreement"), pursuant to which Mr. Will shall provide legal advice to the Company on an as-needed basis to ensure an orderly transition.


Appointment of Mark White as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director and Martin Ward as Interim Chief Financial Officer 


On September 19, 2023, the board of directors (the "Board") of the Company (i) elected Mark White to the Board to serve as a director of the Company, effective immediately, and (ii) appointed Mark White to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective as of Mr. White's entry into his employment agreement with the Company, and Martin Ward to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective as of Mr. Ward's entry into his employment agreement with the Company.


Prior to his appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, Mr. White, 63, has served since 2022, and continues to serve, as President of KR8 AI Inc. ("KR8 AI"), a company in the development stage that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop products and tools for content creators. Prior to his role with KR8 AI, in 2014, Mr. White founded and became Chief Executive Officer of One Horizon Group PLC, a predecessor of One Horizon Group, Inc. which he served as Chief Executive Officer and a Director from 2012 to 2014. Mr. White was again appointed Chief Executive Officer and director of One Horizon Group, Inc. in 2017.. Mr. White founded Next Destination Limited in 1993, the European distributor for Magellan GPS and satellite products, and sold the business in 1997. Prior to that, Mr. White was Chief Executive Officer for Garmin Europe, where he built up the company's European distribution network. Mr. White's entrepreneurial career in the distribution of electronic equipment and telecommunications spans over 25 years. Apart from his product and technical knowledge, Mr. White has a wealth of experience in corporate finance. He has led in excess of 25 merger and acquisition transactions and associated funding and financing rounds and has helped numerous private and public companies obtain financing.


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Except as disclosed in "Exploration of Strategic Alternatives" in Item 8.01 below related to a possible transaction with KR8 AI, there are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. White and any other person pursuant to which he was selected as the Interim Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company. There are no family relationships between Mr. White and any director or executive officer of the Company. Mr. White does not have any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.


On September 19, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mark White, pursuant to which Mr. White agreed to serve as the Company's Interim Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Company's Board. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. White is an at-will employee and will receive an annual base salary of $1.


Mr. White will be eligible to participate in the Company's benefits program, including medical, dental and vision, 401k plan, short-term and long-term disability, paid time off, holidays and other voluntary benefits. The Company also agreed to reimburse Mr. White for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in furthering the Company's businesses, after he provides an itemized account of expenditures pursuant to the Company's reimbursement policy. The employment agreement includes provisions governing Company confidential information and ownership of work product.


The foregoing summary of the Mr. White's employment agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the employment agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.4, and is incorporated herein by reference.


As an employee and a director of the Company, Mr. White is eligible to participate in the Company's 2022 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the "2022 Plan").


Prior to his appointment as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company, Mr. Ward, 66, has served since 2022, and continues to serve, as Chief Financial Officer of KR8 AI. Since 2012, Mr. Ward served and continues to serve as the Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a director of One Horizon Group Inc. Mr. Ward served as the Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a director of One Horizon Group PLC the predecessor to One Horizon Group, Inc., where he oversaw One Horizon Group's United Kingdom arm float on the London AIM market and its merger into an OTC market company in 2012 which uplisted to the NASDAQ Capital Market in 2014. Mr. Ward is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ("ICAEW") and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983.


Except as disclosed in "Exploration of Strategic Alternatives" in Item 8.01 below related to a possible transaction with KR8 AI, there are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Ward and any other person pursuant to which he was selected as the Interim Chief Financial Officer. There are no family relationships between Mr. Ward and any director or executive officer of the Company. Mr. Ward does not have any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.


On September 19, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Martin Ward, pursuant to which Mr. Ward agreed to serve as the Company's Interim Chief Financial Officer. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Ward is an at-will employee and will receive an annual base salary of $1.


Mr. Ward will be eligible to participate in the Company's benefits program, including medical, dental and vision, 401k plan, short-term and long-term disability, paid time off, holidays and other voluntary benefits. The Company also agreed to reimburse Mr. Ward for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in furthering the Company's businesses, after he provides an itemized account of expenditures pursuant to the Company's reimbursement policy. The employment agreement includes provisions governing Company confidential information and ownership of work product.


The foregoing summary of the Mr. Ward's employment agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the employment agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.5, and is incorporated herein by reference.


As an employee of the Company, Mr. Ward is eligible to participate in the 2022 Plan.


Messrs. White and Ward entered into the Company's standard form of indemnification agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.17 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2022.


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