John O’Donnell
About John O’Donnell
John O’Donnell, age 77, has served as an independent director of Oak Woods Acquisition Corporation since February 2023. He holds a B.S. from Southwest Baptist University and brings extensive entrepreneurship, trading education, and consulting experience; he chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Audit and Nominating Committees .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Trading Academy (Irvine, CA) | Director of Research | Not disclosed | Led research and education; featured on CNBC, CNN, MarketWatch |
| Double Win Capital Network | Founder & CEO | 1986–1997 | Boutique investment banker; financed $150M+ in M&A/equity placements for 6 companies |
| Republic Resources, Inc. (public company) | Founder & CEO | 1979–1986 | Built one of the world’s largest jojoba plantations; syndicated $20M in farming investments |
| Precious Metals Exchange, Inc. → sold to Penn Pacific (public) | Founder & CEO | 1972–1978 | Refining/retail bullion and coins; became one of the most active NASDAQ equities in 1979 |
| Milwaukee Public School System | Physical Sciences Teacher | 1968–1972 | Early career in education |
External Roles
| Organization/Platform | Role | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNBC, CNN, MarketWatch; WSJ, IBD, Traders Journal, EQUITIES | Media/Contributor/Featured | Various | Frequent features on financial media/web portals and print |
| Trade2Win, Online Traders Expo, London IX, Brazil Active Traders, MoneyShow, Canadian Financial Forums | Keynote Speaker | Various | Regular keynote speaker at global finance expos |
Board Governance
- Independence: O’Donnell is an independent director under Nasdaq standards; OAKU’s committees comprise solely independent directors .
- Committee assignments: Audit (member), Compensation (chair), Nominating (member); audit chair is Mitchell Cariaga; nominating chair is Lauren Simmons .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors hold regularly scheduled meetings attended only by independent directors .
- Attendance: The Nominating Committee held no meetings in FY 2024; other committee/board attendance rates not disclosed .
- Years of service: Director since February 2023 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $0 | “None of the Company’s officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to the Company” |
| Committee membership fees | $0 | No cash fees disclosed prior to business combination |
| Committee chair fees | $0 | No cash fees disclosed prior to business combination |
| Meeting fees | $0 | No cash meeting fees disclosed |
| Reimbursements | Allowed | Directors/officers entitled to reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses related to business combination work; aggregate out-of-pocket expenses/loans outstanding were approx. $3,777,261 (company-wide) as of the Sept. 25, 2025 proxy |
Performance Compensation
| Instrument/Metrics | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Stock awards (RSUs/PSUs), options | Not disclosed | No equity grants or option awards to directors disclosed prior to business combination |
| Performance metrics (revenue, EBITDA, TSR, ESG) | Not disclosed | No performance-linked director compensation disclosed |
| Clawback provisions | Not disclosed | Not specified for directors in filings reviewed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Current/Prior | Committee/Interlock Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | Current | No current public company directorships disclosed for O’Donnell in OAKU filings |
| Republic Resources, Inc. (public) | Founder & CEO | Prior | Leadership role at a public company; not a board interlock disclosure |
| Penn Pacific Corp (public, acquirer of Precious Metals Exchange) | — | Prior | Transactional connection via sale; not a disclosed board seat |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Entrepreneurship, investment banking, trading education, and global finance keynote experience; BS degree from Southwest Baptist University .
- Committee leadership: Compensation Committee chair; financially literate Audit Committee member (audit financial expert designation is with Mitchell Cariaga) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Security Type | Shares | % of Outstanding | Record Date/Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John O’Donnell | Class B Ordinary Shares | 10,000 | <1% | Record date shares outstanding: 6,037,979; table shows O’Donnell <1% |
- Vested/unvested breakdown, options, pledging, hedging: Not disclosed in reviewed filings .
- Stock ownership guidelines and compliance: Not disclosed in reviewed filings .
Governance Assessment
-
Positives
- Independent director with chair role on Compensation and membership across Audit/Nominating; committee-only independence supports board effectiveness .
- Code of Ethics and formal charters; Compensation Committee empowered to retain independent advisors and must assess adviser independence .
- Related-party policy requires Audit Committee approval and independent director review for transactions ≥$120,000; no advances to management in 2023–2024 (both $0) .
-
Risks/Red Flags
- SPAC structural conflicts: Insiders (incl. directors) expected to vote all of their ~33% shares to support extension; insiders may purchase public shares and enter non-redemption agreements to limit redemptions (cannot vote purchased shares for extensions), potentially reducing float and complicating Nasdaq listing maintenance .
- Sponsor/insider value at risk: Sponsor founder shares, warrants, and rights would be worthless if no business combination occurs—creating incentives misaligned with public shareholders (company-wide disclosure) .
- Listing risk: Nasdaq notice (Aug. 8, 2025) for failing the minimum 300 public holders requirement; loss of listing could impair liquidity and investor confidence if not remediated .
- Limited committee activity: Nominating Committee held no meetings in FY 2024, raising questions on refreshment/nomination process cadence .
Overall, O’Donnell’s broad financial markets background and committee leadership support governance capability, but SPAC-specific insider incentives, extension mechanics, and listing compliance risks are material factors for investor confidence in board effectiveness .