Robert Fagenson has been a member of our Board since March 2012 and has served
as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since December 2014 and served
as Executive Co-Chairman from July 2012 to December 2014. Mr. Fagenson has spent
the majority of his career at the New York Stock Exchange, where he was Managing
Partner of one of largest specialist firms operating on the exchange trading
floor. Having sold his firm and subsequently retired from that business in 2007,
he has been CEO of Fagenson. & Co., Inc., a 50 year old broker dealer that
engaged in institutional brokerage as well as investment banking and money management.
On March 1, 2012, Fagenson. & Co., Inc. transferred its brokerage operation,
accounts and personnel to National Securities Corporation and operates as a
branch office of that firm. During his career as a member of the New York Stock
Exchange beginning in 1973, he has served as a Governor on the trading floor
and was elected to the New York Stock Exchange Board of Directors in 1993, where
he served for six years, eventually becoming Vice Chairman of the Board in 1998
and 1999. He returned to the Board in 2003 and served until the Board was reconstituted
with only non-industry directors in 2004. Mr. Fagenson has served on the boards
of a number of public companies and presently is the Non-Executive Chairman
of Document Security Systems, Inc. (NYSE MKT - DSS) and a member of the Board
of Cash Technologies Corp. He is also a Director of the National Organization
of Investment Professionals (NOIP). In addition to his business related activities,
Mr. Fagenson, serves as Vice President and a Director of New York Services for
the Handicapped, Treasurer and Director of the Centurion Foundation, Director
of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, Treasurer and
Director of the New York City Police Museum and as a Member of the Board of
the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation. He is a Member of the alumni boards
of both the Whitman School of Business and the Athletic Department at Syracuse
University. He also serves in a voluntary capacity on the boards and committees
of many civic, social and community organizations. Mr. Fagenson received his
B.S. degree in Transportation Sciences & Finance from Syracuse University
in 1970. Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Fagensons extensive experience
in serving on boards of directors and his leadership experience he gained by
serving as Chief Executive Officer of Fagenson & Co., Inc., as well as his
extensive knowledge of public company governance derived from his many years
of service on the board of and as vice chairman of The New York Stock Exchange,
qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.
Mark Goldwasser has served as a member of our Board since December 2001. Mr.
Goldwasser joined the Company in June 2000. Mr. Goldwasser has served as our
President since January 2013. From August 2000 to July 2008 Mr. Goldwasser also
served as our President. From December 2001 to January 2013, he served as our
Chief Executive Officer and from April 2005 to March 2012, he served as our
Chairman. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Goldwasser was the Global High Yield
Sales Manager at ING Barings from 1997 to 2000. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Goldwasser
was the Managing Director of High Yield Sales at Schroders & Co., and from
1991 to 1995, the Vice President of Institutional High Yield Sales at Lazard
Freres & Co. From 1984 to 1991, Mr. Goldwasser served as the Associate Director
of Institutional Convertible Sales and Institutional High Yield Sales at Bear
Stearns & Co., Inc. From 1982 to 1984, Mr. Goldwasser was a Floor member
of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the Commodity Center (COMEX).
Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Goldwassers extensive experience in
the broker dealer industry, as well as his extensive knowledge of all aspects
of our business, qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.
Richard Abbe has served as a member of our Board since July 2014. Mr. Abbe
is the Co-founder, and is a Principal and Managing Partner of Iroquois Capital
Management, LLC and Iroquois Capital (offshore) Ltd. (collectively, "Iroquois
Capital"). Mr. Abbe has served as Co-Chief Investment Officer of Iroquois
since inception in 2003. Previously, Mr. Abbe co-founded and served as Co-Chief
Investment Officer of Vertical Ventures, LLC, a merchant bank. Prior to that,
he was employed by Lehman Brothers and served as Senior Managing Director at
Gruntal & Company, LLC, where he also served on the firms Board of Directors.
Mr. Abbe also previously served as Founding Partner at Hampshire Securities.
Mr. Abbe’s extensive knowledge of the capital markets and experience in
matters involving corporate governance makes him a valuable asset to the Board
of Directors.
James Ciocia has served as a member of our Board since October 2013. He was
a principal founder of Gilman Ciocia, Inc. having opened its first tax preparation
office in 1981 and serving as its Chief Executive Officer from 1981 until November
6, 2000 and as a director from 2001 to October 2013. Mr. Ciocia brings to the
Board of Directors extensive business and operating experience as well as insights
into and experiences within the tax preparation and financial planning industry.
Salvatore Giardina has served as a member of our Board since October 2012.
He has served as Chief Financial Officer of Pragma Securities LLC and its holding
company, Pragma Weeden Holdings LLC, since 2009. From 2006 through 2008, Mr.
Giardina served as S.V.P. and Chief Financial Officer of G-Trade Services LLC
and ConvergEx Global Markets LLC. From 2002 through 2006, Mr. Giardina served
as V.P. and Chief Financial Officer of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services
Inc., the publicly-traded holding company of Ladenburg Thalmann & Co., Inc.,
where Mr. Giardina served as its E.V.P. and Chief Financial Officer from 1998
through 2006 and as its Controller from 1990 through 1998. From 1983 through
1990, Mr. Giardina was an auditor with the national public accounting firm of
Laventhol & Horwath. Mr. Giardina is a certified public accountant and is
Series 27 registered. Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Giardinas extensive
financial expertise and his practical and management experience in public accounting
and securities broker-dealers qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.
Mr. Giardina also serves as our Audit Committee financial expert.
William Lerner has served as a member of our Board since March 2013. For over
the last five years, Mr. Lerner has been engaged in the private practice of
corporate and securities law in New York and Pennsylvania. Since 2006, Mr. Lerner
has served as a director/trustee of The Daily Income Fund, a diversified, open-end
management investment company, and also serves on its Compensation Committee
and is the Chairman of the Compliance and Risk Committee. Mr. Lerner also served
as Branch Chief of the Enforcement Division at the SEC and a former officer
and director of compliance at the American Stock Exchange. Mr. Lerner serves
on the Board of Directors of Sanomedics, Inc., a medical technology company
focused on developing, manufacturing and acquiring technology product and service
companies, and The Daily Income Fund and the California Daily Tax Income Fund,
both SEC registered money-market mutual funds. Our Board of Directors believes
that Mr. Lerners perspective as a non-management director and his experience
as a corporate lawyer with substantial experience and insight into matters relating
to the SEC and the securities markets qualifies him to serve on our Board of
Directors.
Frank S. Plimpton has served as a member of our Board since June 2010. Mr.
Plimpton has over 35 years of experience in reorganizations, investment banking
and private equity investing. Mr. Plimpton is an investor, having worked for
Matlin Patterson Global Advisors LLC and its predecessor within Credit Suisse
First Boston (distressed-for-control private equity 1998-2008), Wexford Capital
Advisors (special situations), Pegasus Financial (special situations), Smith
Management Company (distressed securities); previously, Mr. Plimpton worked
as a restructuring advisor, including PaineWebber Incorporated (now part of
UBS, M&A and restructuring), Solomon Brothers, Inc. (now part of Citicorp,
M&A and restructuring), and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (bankruptcy
lawyer); Mr. Plimpton previously served on the Boards of Broadpoint Gleacher
Securities, Inc., XLHealth Corporation, Renewable BioFuels, LLC, and NorthernStar
Natural Gas, LLC. Mr. Plimpton holds a BA in Applied Mathematics and Economics
from Harvard College, and an MBA and LLB from The University of Chicago. Our
Board of Directors believes that Mr. Plimptons extensive experience in private
equity, reorganizations, investment banking and investing qualifies him to serve
on our Board of Directors.
Frederic B. Powers III, has served as a member of our Board since March 2013.
Since June 2012, Mr. Powers has served as Managing Director of Powers Private
Equity LLC – Family Office, a company that makes direct investments in
public and private companies. From 1989 to May 2012, Mr. Powers served in various
capacities, including President and Executive Vice President, at Powers Fasteners,
Inc., a global manufacturer and distributor of construction products to the
professional market. Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Powers perspective
as a non-management director and as an investors, as well as his 23 years executive
level experience he gained by serving as President and Executive Vice President
of a multinational corporation qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joshua Silverman has served as a member of our Board since July 2014. Mr. Silverman
is the Co-founder, and is a Principal and Managing Partner of Iroquois Capital
Management, LLC, the Registered Investment Advisor to Iroquois Capital LP and
Iroquois Capital (Offshore) Ltd. (collectively, “Iroquois”). Mr.
Silverman has served as Co-Chief Investment Officer of Iroquois since inception
in 2003. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Silverman served as Co-Chief Investment Officer
of Vertical Ventures, LLC, a merchant bank. Prior to forming Iroquois, Mr. Silverman
was a Director of Joele Frank, a boutique consulting firm specializing in mergers
and acquisitions. Previously, Mr. Silverman served as Assistant Press Secretary
to The President of The United States. Mr. Silverman’s extensive experience
investing in public and private companies and solving company inefficiencies
as they relate to corporate structure, cash flow and management qualifies him
to serve on our Board of Directors.
Frederick Wasserman has served as a member of our Board since October 2013.
He served as a director of Gilman Ciocia, Inc. from September 2007 under October
2013. Since May 2008, Mr. Wasserman has served as the President of FGW Partners,
LLC, which provides management and financial consulting services. From January
2007 until April 2008, Mr. Wasserman provided management and financial consulting
services as a sole practitioner. From August 2005 until December 31, 2006, Mr.
Wasserman served as the Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer for Mitchell
& Ness Nostalgia Co., a privately-held manufacturer and distributor of licensed
sportswear and authentic team apparel. Mr. Wasserman is non-executive Chairman
of the Board and audit committee member for DHL Holdings Corp. (formerly TeamStaff,
Inc.), a provider of government logistics services. Mr. Wasserman is also a
director and Chairman of the audit committee of MAM Software Group Inc., a provider
of software products for the automobile aftermarket, director and Chairman of
the audit committee and compensation committee member of Breeze-Eastern Corporation,
a manufacturer and distributor of cargo and rescue lifting equipment. Mr. Wasserman
also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SMTC Corporation, a global
Electronics Manufacturing Services provider, based in Toronto, Canada, is the
Chairman of their audit committee and serves on their compensation and nominating
committees. As the President of a management and financial consulting services
firm, and former Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President
of several public and private companies, Mr. Wasserman brings to our Board a
great deal of experience as an active member of a number of public company boards
as well as a deep understanding of the financial and operational aspects of
a business.
Glenn C. Worman, has been our Executive Vice President - Finance since May 2015
and Chief Operating Officer since November 2015. Prior to May 2015 Mr. Worman
served as Chief Financial Officer for the Americas to ICAP plc, an inter dealer
broker and provider of post trade risk mitigation and information services,
from July, 2011 through March, 2015. Mr. Worman has also served in a wide variety
of senior management positions at major investment banks and broker-dealers.
A 23 year career at Merrill Lynch (June, 1985 through March, 2008) included
segment CFO positions in Fixed Income and Equity Trading, Investment Management,
and Wealth Management. He also held senior finance positions in Corporate Reporting,
and was responsible for various strategic analysis projects at that firm. From
April, 2008 through February, 2009 he headed Finance for Wealth Management at
Morgan Stanley, and from January, 2010 through June, 2011 he served as the Chief
Operating Officer for Finance in the Americas at Deutsche Bank. Mr. Worman earned
a Masters degree in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Alan B. Levin, has been our Chief Financial Officer since the merger with vFinance,
Inc. in July 2008. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer of vFinance
since January 2007. Prior to that date, he served as its Interim Chief Financial
Officer since July 2006 and its Controller since June 2005. Prior to joining
vFinance, Mr. Levin served as Chief Financial Officer for United Capital Markets,
Inc. from September 2000 to January 2005. Mr. Levin has over 15 years of experience
in the brokerage industry serving as a Financial and Operations Principal and
25 years of experience serving in accounting management roles in various industries.
He received a B.S. degree in Economics with a concentration in Accounting from
Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1986.
National Holdings Corp currently has 1152 employees.
