Filed by Novibet PLC pursuant to
Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Artemis Strategic Investment
Corp.
Commission File No.: 001-40855
NOVIBET PROVIDES UPDATE ON SENIOR MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS AND
EXPECTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMPOSITION
World Class Management and Board to Lead Novibet’s Next
Phase of Expansion and Growth
Valletta,
Malta and Phoenix, AZ – July 20, 2022 –
Logflex MT Holding Limited (doing business as Novibet) (“Novibet”
or the “Company”), an established, profitable, iGaming and Online
Sportsbook (“OSB”) provider operating in several countries across
Europe, today announced several senior management appointments and
the expected composition of its Board of Directors upon the
completion of its previously announced proposed business
combination with Artemis Strategic Investment Corporation (Nasdaq:
ARTE) (“Artemis”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition
company. The proposed transaction, announced March 30, 2022,
has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both
companies and is expected to close in the second half of 2022,
subject to approval by Artemis’ shareholders and other customary
closing conditions.
Senior Management Appointments
Christoforos
Bozatzidis has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer for
International Markets, a new position at the Company.
Mr. Bozatzidis has extensive experience and a strong record of
accomplishments as a senior executive in the highly competitive and
digitally enabled mobile telecom industry working for leading
brands. Mr. Bozatzidis reports directly to George
Athanasopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of Novibet and will have
primary oversight of Novibet’s global expansion into markets
including Europe, North America and Latin America.
Mr. Bozatzidis held high ranking
positions in Marketing for multi-national and Greek companies.
He was most recently Brand, Marketing Communications, Retail
Marketing and Products Director for WIND Hellas, an integrated
telecommunications provider that is the third largest mobile
operator in Greece with more than 4.4 million active subscribers.
Prior to joining WIND Hellas, he was a senior executive at COSMOTE
Mobile Telecommunications, S.A. for more than seven years and an
executive at Germanos, a multi-national electronic good retail
chain for
technological products and services. From June 2020 -
May 2021, Mr. Bozatzidis was a member of the management
board of Hellenic Advertisers Association. He holds two Executive
MBAs from Alba Graduate Business School, and - from Athens
University of Economics and Business and a degree in
Marketing & Communication from Athens University of
Economics and Business.
In
addition, Thomas Granite, who currently serves as Chief Financial
Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Artemis and possesses more than
17 years of gaming industry operational and investment banking
experience, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and
Treasurer of Novibet effective as of the completion of the
companies’ business combination transaction. Mr. Granite
will oversee all financial aspects of the Company’s
business, including internal and external financial reporting,
internal audit, compliance and controls, investor relations, and
treasury and capital markets functions, and will take a prominent
role in strategic planning, business development, and mergers and
acquisitions. From 2019 to 2020, he served as Chief Financial
Officer of Maverick Gaming LLC, a regional U.S. casino operator.
Prior to this, Mr. Granite served as Managing Director in the
Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging Investment Banking group at
Jefferies Financial Group which he joined in 2010 and worked with
clients across the gaming industry. He previously served as
Director of Gaming, Leisure, and Transportation Investment Banking
from 2005 to 2009 at Merrill Lynch.
George Athanasopoulos commented on the management appointments, “We
are at the beginning of a very exciting time for Novibet with the
ongoing business momentum in markets where we currently operate
soon to be complemented by our entry into additional regulated
iGaming and OSB markets in Europe, North America and Latin America.
Continuing to enhance our senior management leadership and
capabilities will prove vital to our ability to achieve consistent
progress on our business expansion initiatives.
“Christoforos has many years of senior management experience from
the highly competitive mobile telecom industry, an industry that
shares a lot of similarities with iGaming and OSB in regards to
customer acquisition, experience, and retention as our customers
are constantly mobile, and we use the same KPIs for our data-driven
decision making. His onboarding is going to be very efficient and
we look forward to the experience and expertise that Christoforos
is bringing to our senior management team. Having worked closely
with Tom on our proposed business combination transaction and with
his deep gaming industry background and knowledge, he is an
excellent choice to lead our finance team and play an important
role in driving our strategic development initiatives. Novibet’s
senior management team alongside all of our team members will be
focused on the collaborative innovation we know will help us grow
and succeed.”
Board of Directors - Expected Composition
Novibet also announced the expected composition of its Board of
Directors comprised of the following members (effective as of the
completion of the above noted business combination
transaction):
Rodolfo Odoni – Executive Chairman of Novibet’s board of directors:
Mr. Odoni is the owner of Komisium and the beneficial owner of
Novibet and has served as a member of Novibet’s board of directors
since February 2021. In addition, Mr. Odoni serves as the
Managing Director of I.P.D Press & Media Online Ltd. From
2018 to 2020, and from 1995 to 2018 he was the President and CEO of
Centric Holdings S.A.
George Athanasopoulos – Director: Mr. Athanasopoulos has
served as Novibet’s Chief Executive Officer since
October 2009. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of
Abraserve Limited since 2021, and previously served as the Chief
Executive Officer of Streaming Upload from 2018 to 2021. From 2008
to 2018, Mr. Athanasopoulos served as the Chief Operating
Officer of Centric Holdings SA. Prior to this, he was the Financial
Controller of Intralot/ Totolotek from 2006 to 2008 and oversaw
Budgeting and Reporting of InfoQuest from 1999 to 2006.
Samy David – Director: Mr. David serves as a managing partner
of Grifon Partners, a position he has held since 2013.
Mr. David served as the Global Head of Treasury and Capital
Markets for Marfin Popular Bank from 2005 to 2012, the Head of
Derivatives for Hellenic Securities from 2000 to 2005, and in Bank
of America’s Treasury Market Making Greek Government Bonds services
from 1995 to 2000. Mr. David has served as a
non-executive board member of Porto Karras s.a., PAPERPACK s.a.,
Marfin Bank Romania, and Marfin Bank s.a.
Holly Gagnon – Director: Ms. Gagnon currently serves as
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Artemis. Currently,
she is the President and Founder of Hospitality Gaming Consulting,
LLC. From 2017 to 2020, Ms. Gagnon served as Chief Executive
Officer of Seneca Gaming Corporation, which manages the gaming
operations of the Seneca Nation of Indians. Prior to this, she
served as Chief Executive Officer for Chumash Enterprises for the
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians from 2015 to 2017. Before
joining Chumash Enterprises, Ms. Gagnon served as the
President and Chief Executive Officer of Pearl River Resort from
2012 to 2015 and, prior to this, held key financial and operational
roles with Caesars Entertainment Corporation, MGM Resorts
International and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. Ms. Gagnon
serves as a board member and Audit Committee Chair of Bragg Gaming
Group. In addition, she is a founding board member of Global Gaming
Women and a Distinguished Fellow for the International Gaming
Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Philip N. Kaplan – Director: Mr. Kaplan currently serves as
Co-Chief Executive Officer and President of Artemis. In addition,
Mr. Kaplan serves as the Chairman of Velocity E-Sports and
previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
GameWorks, Inc., which operates a chain of entertainment
venues focusing on video gaming, since 2018 and as Managing Partner
of April Mountain Properties, LLC since 2013. From 2010 to
2013, Mr. Kaplan was the Chief Executive Officer and board
member at dbtech, a private equity-held a provider of healthcare
workflow automation solutions. Mr. Kaplan served as Chief
Operating Officer and board member of Quality Systems, Inc.
from 2008 to 2010 and as President, Chief Operating Officer and
board member at VitalStream Holdings, Inc. from 2000 to
2008.
Rodolfo Odoni commented, “Our proposed Board of Directors will be
world class as it will include senior executives who possess
significant gaming and/or technology industry and capital markets
experience that we believe will prove valuable in helping the
Company continue to execute at a high level and achieve consistent
progress on its growth initiatives. We’re looking forward to
working collaboratively with George and the entire Novibet team as
they embark on this exciting time in the Company’s history and work
to create value for all shareholders.”
####
About Novibet
Novibet is an established GameTech company operating in several
countries across Europe through its headquarters in Malta, offices
in Greece and employees in Isle of Man and Italy.
Licensed and regulated by HGC, MGA, ADM, and Irish Revenue
Commissioners, Novibet is committed to delivering the best sports
betting and gaming experience to an expanding customer base. Since
2010, Novibet has offered online sports betting and casino
entertainment in several competitive European markets.
The exciting online gaming experience begins with providing the
most popular online casino games and, to that end, Novibet has
teamed up with some of the world’s leading online casino content
providers. With over 5,000 online casino games available
to its experienced Casino Management Team, Novibet
delivers slots, casino table, live-action, and many more game types
across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.
Novibet has its own proprietary betting platform that integrates
world leading official data providers; with its own algorithms
generating an extensive Betting Offer that includes In Play and
Minute markets, in house developed Automatic and Hybrid Cash-Out,
quick settlement of bets, and unparalleled excitement to sports
enthusiasts.
As an innovative and adaptable operator, Novibet has a product
offering that is constantly interacting with demand to meet and
exceed existing and upcoming trends. In close
partnership with Microsoft, Novibet is fully hosted in the Azure
Cloud, providing scalability, high availability, redundancy,
and economies of scale that are unrivaled in the industry.
For
more information:
https://investor.novibet.com/.
About Artemis Strategic Investment Corporation
Artemis is a special purpose acquisition company formed in 2021 and
listed on Nasdaq in September 2021. Artemis was formed for the
purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition,
share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with
one or more businesses. Artemis is focused on partnering with
companies in the gaming, sports and entertainment sectors as well
as the technology and services that are associated with these
verticals. Its Class A common stock, units, and warrants trade
on Nasdaq under the symbols "ARTE”, “ARTEU”, and “ARTEW”,
respectively. Artemis’ management team is led by Holly Gagnon,
Philip Kaplan, Thomas Granite and Scott Shulak who each have
decades of experience operating, advising and creating value for
the owners and investors of leading businesses and entities.
Important Information About the Proposed Business Combination
and Where to Find It
In
connection with the proposed Business Combination, Artemis,
Novibet, and Novibet PLC (“PubCo”) intend to prepare, and PubCo
intends to file with the SEC, a registration statement on
Form F-4 (“Registration Statement”) which will include the
proxy statement of Artemis and the prospectus of PubCo (as amended
or supplemented from time to time, the “Proxy
Statement/Prospectus”) and one or more amendments to the
Registration Statement, and, after the Registration Statement is
declared effective, Artemis will mail the definitive Proxy
Statement/Prospectus included therein to the holders of Artemis’s
common stock in connection with Artemis’s solicitation of proxies
for the vote by Artemis stockholders with respect to the Business
Combination and other matters described in the Registration
Statement. Artemis urges its stockholders and other interested
persons to read, when available, the Registration Statement, the
amendments thereto, and the documents incorporated by reference
therein, as well as other documents filed by Artemis with the SEC
in connection with the Business Combination, as these materials
will contain important information about Artemis, Novibet, and the
Business Combination. Stockholders of Artemis will also be able to
obtain copies of such documents, when available, free of
charge through the website maintained by the SEC at
www.sec.gov or by directing a written request to Artemis Strategic
Investment Corporation, 3310 East Corona Avenue, Phoenix, AZ
85040.
Participants in the Solicitation
Under
SEC rules, Artemis, Novibet, PubCo, and each of their respective
officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the
solicitation of Artemis’s stockholders in connection with the
Business Combination. Stockholders of Artemis may obtain more
detailed information regarding the names, affiliations, and
interests of Artemis’s directors and officers in Artemis’s
prospectus for its initial public offering, filed with the
SEC on October 1, 2021 (the “IPO Prospectus”) and the
Registration Statement, when available. The interests of Artemis’s
directors, officers, and others in the Business Combination may, in
some cases, be different than those of Artemis’s stockholders
generally. Information about such interests will be set forth in
the Registration Statement when it becomes available. You may
obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding
paragraph.
Forward-Looking Statements
This
press release includes historical information as well as
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe
harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These forward-looking
statements relate to matters such as the future results of
operations and financial position of PubCo and its subsidiaries;
planned products and services; Novibet’s business strategy,
including Novibet’s planned launch in the United States and the
Americas; objectives of Novibet’s management for future operations;
market size and potential growth opportunities; competitive
position; expectations and timings related to commercial launches;
potential benefits of the proposed business combination; and
technological and market trends and other future
conditions.
Words
such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,”
“future,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,”
“could,” “should,” “would,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,”
“strategy,” “opportunity,” “continue,” and similar expressions are
intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Accordingly,
such forward-looking statements are not guarantees and are subject
to inherent risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstance that
are difficult to predict and may be outside of PubCo’s, Artemis’s
and Novibet’s control. PubCo’s, Artemis’s and Novibet’s
actual results may differ materially from their expectations,
estimates and projections due to a variety of factors and
consequently, you should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.
Although it is impossible to identify all factors that may cause
such differences, they include, but are not limited to:
(1) the level of redemptions by Artemis’s shareholders in
connection with a business combination and the outcome of any legal
proceedings that may be instituted against Artemis or Novibet
following the announcement of the Business Combination;
(2) the inability to complete the Business Combination;
(3) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current
plans and operations of Novibet as a result of the announcement and
consummation of the Business Combination; (4) the inability to
recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination,
which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the
ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth
profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and
retain its key employees; (5) costs related to the Business
Combination; (6) changes in laws or regulations applicable to
Novibet’s business; (7) the possibility that PubCo may be
adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive
factors; (8) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic;
(9) the risk factors which will be set forth under the heading
“Risk Factors” in the Registration Statement; and (10) the
risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of
Artemis’s IPO Prospectus and Artemis’s subsequent filings with the
SEC.
The
foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. There may be additional
risks that Artemis and Novibet do not presently know or that they
currently believe are immaterial that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking
statements. All information set forth herein speaks only as of the
date hereof in the case of information about Artemis and Novibet or
the date of such information in the case of information from
persons other than Artemis and Novibet, and PubCo, Artemis and
Novibet expressly disclaim any intention or obligation to update
any forward-looking statements as a result of developments
occurring after the date of this press release or to reflect any
changes in their expectations or any change in events, conditions
or circumstances on which any statement is based.
No Offer or Solicitation
This
press release is for informational purposes only and shall
neither constitute an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an
offer to buy any securities, nor a solicitation of a proxy, vote,
consent or approval in any jurisdiction in connection with the
Business Combination, nor shall there be any sale of securities in
any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdictions. No offering of
securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting
the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act, or an
exemption therefrom.
INVESTMENT IN ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED
OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY NOR HAS
ANY AUTHORITY PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE OFFERING OR
THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. ANY
REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
Investor
Contacts:
Joseph Jaffoni, Richard Land and James Leahy
JCIR
(212) 835-8500
novibet@jcir.com
Thomas Granite
Artemis Strategic Investment Corporation
info@artemisspac.com
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