Farooq Arjomand
About Farooq M. Arjomand
Farooq M. Arjomand, age 67, is Chairman of the Board of Directors at Reborn Coffee (REBN) and has served on the board since 2018. He is deemed independent under Nasdaq standards and is designated as the Audit Committee Financial Expert; he holds a Business Management degree from Seattle Pacific University and is a citizen of the United Arab Emirates . In 2024, the Board met nine times and each director, including Mr. Arjomand, attended more than 75% of Board meetings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSBC | Banker across private banking, corporate finance, trade services, investment banking | Began 1984 | Broad financial experience |
| Amlak Finance & Emaar Properties | Founding member | 1997 | Capital markets/real estate exposure |
| DAMAC Properties | Chairman (Middle East developer) | Not specified | Corporate governance/real estate leadership |
| Al Ahlia Insurance Company BSC (Bahrain) | Board member | Not specified | Financial services oversight |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arjomand Group (Dubai) | Founder & CEO | Founded 2000 – present | Multi-sector (real estate, manufacturing, trade, financials, aviation) across GCC, Asia, Europe, US |
| Barakat Group | Managing Partner | Current | Manufacturing of juices and foodstuffs for ~30 years |
| Reborn Global | Chairman of the Board | Since Jan 2015 | Affiliated with REBN’s ecosystem |
Board Governance
- Current roles: Chairman of the Board; Audit Committee Chair; member of the Compensation Committee .
- Committee independence: Audit Committee members (including Mr. Arjomand) qualify as independent; Mr. Arjomand is the designated “audit committee financial expert” .
- Independence: The Board determined Mr. Arjomand (and four other nominees) meet Nasdaq independence standards .
- Attendance: Board held 9 meetings in 2024; each director attended >75% of Board meetings .
- Committee activity: In 2024, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee held no meetings; directors attended at least 75% of committee meetings during periods served .
- Board size and slate: Seven directors nominated for election in 2025; Mr. Arjomand first joined REBN’s board in 2018 .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer ($) | 0 | 0 |
| Committee membership fees ($) | 0 | 0 |
| Committee chair fees ($) | 0 | 0 |
| Meeting fees ($) | 0 | 0 |
| Other director cash/equity compensation | None disclosed | None disclosed |
Performance Compensation (Director)
- Equity grants (RSUs/PSUs), options, performance metrics, vesting schedules: None disclosed for non-employee directors in 2023 or 2024 .
- Clawbacks/COC/severance/tax gross-ups for directors: Not disclosed in the proxy for directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Body | Public/Private | Role | Potential Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAMAC Properties | Public (Middle East) | Chairman (past) | Real estate; no REBN related-party transactions disclosed |
| Al Ahlia Insurance BSC | Public (Bahrain) | Board member (past) | Insurance; no REBN related-party transactions disclosed |
| Barakat Group | Private | Managing Partner | Food/juice manufacturing; no REBN related-party transactions disclosed |
| Arjomand Group | Private | Founder & CEO | Diversified; no REBN related-party transactions disclosed other than capital subscription noted below |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert under SEC rules; deep GAAP/ICFR understanding; experience evaluating complex financial statements and audit processes .
- Financial, commercial, corporate governance, capital markets, and management experience per Board skills matrix .
- Career background across banking, investment, and multi-sector operating leadership; Business Management degree (Seattle Pacific University) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | 626,082 |
| Ownership (%) | 10.5% of 5,967,107 shares outstanding as of Oct 3, 2025 |
| Pledged shares | None; company states no shares identified below are subject to a pledge |
| Form of ownership detail | Beneficial ownership includes any shares with sole/shared voting or investment power and shares acquirable within 60 days |
Insider Trades (and Related Party Transactions)
| Date | Type | Security | Quantity/Value | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | Related party subscription | Common Stock | 1,666,667 shares for ~$1,000,000 | — | Not stated | Direct capital infusion by Mr. Arjomand under a subscription agreement |
Item 5.07 voting support: In the Oct 24, 2024 annual meeting, Mr. Arjomand received 1,485,692 votes “For,” 40,728 “Withheld,” with 271,915 broker non-votes, indicating strong shareholder support for his (re)election .
Governance Assessment
-
Positives
- Independent Chairman and Audit Committee Chair with SEC-designated financial expert credentials; strengthens financial oversight and audit quality .
- Material personal ownership (10.5%) aligns interests with shareholders; no pledging disclosed, reducing alignment risk .
- Direct capital commitment via a $1.0 million share subscription in Jan 2024 signals confidence and support of liquidity/capital needs .
-
Risks and RED FLAGS
- Committee inactivity: Audit and Compensation Committees held no meetings in 2024 despite significant oversight mandates—this is a governance red flag on committee effectiveness, even for a small issuer .
- Concentration of influence: Independent Chair with 10.5% stake may raise investor concerns about de facto control, despite Board’s independence determination under Nasdaq rules .
- Nominating function handled by full Board (no Nominating/Governance Committee), which can limit structured evaluation and refreshment processes .
- No director compensation or equity grants: while cost-conscious, may hinder recruitment/retention of experienced independent directors and reduces ongoing equity-based alignment for the broader board (alignment instead depends on personal holdings) .
-
Additional context
- Board activity/attendance: Board met 9 times in 2024; directors attended >75%—meets a minimal threshold but committee inactivity tempers overall effectiveness perception .
- Compliance and disclosure: Section 16(a) filer compliance reported met for 2024, reducing regulatory risk signals .
- Shareholder support: Strong election results in 2024 suggest market confidence in the board slate including Mr. Arjomand .
Supporting governance artifacts: Audit and Compensation Committee charters are available on the company’s website as referenced in the proxy .