Board of Directors

Chairman

Stuart Lever

Stuart is a private investor and Non- Executive Director on the Board of Demeter Investment Holdings Ltd, a Cayman Islands’ subsidiary of The Entrepreneur’s Investment Office in London, a platform that connects institutional and family office capital with bond-like opportunities secured by real estate and other securities.

Stuart started his career as a property consultant and industrial real estate advisor with real estate agents, Edward Erdman and Garrard Smith, in the late 60s and early 70s. From 1974 – 2001, Stuart was the Commercial Director in London of the family’s steel trading business. Stuart was the driving force behind its expansion beyond the UK and its sale to the Macsteel Group in 2001. Stuart was regional CEO of Macsteel International in the Middle East from 2004 – 2015 and a consultant until 2016. The role involved managing complex logistical operations as well as advanced financial and physical positions. In 2015, Stuart was also one of the founders of Kold Press Juice Company Limited (“KPJC”), a cold pressed juice company delivering its juices in glass bottles.

CEO, Managing Director

Raja Abuljebain

In 2015, Raja was also one of the founders of KPJC. Essentially Juices Manufacturing (“EJM”) was founded in 2012. Following an initial informal arrangement in December 2017 for the sharing of ideas and resources between KPJC and EJM, Raja acquired EJM in June 2019 and has been the Manager of the business since. Raja has been instrumental in developing a range of juices using High Pressure Processing (“HPP”), scaling up of EJM’s manufacturing capabilities and extending the product range including a range of wellness shots. Raja’s knowledge and understanding of consumer trends and the juice market in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is key to the development of new products and/or ranges, significantly increasing revenue potential.

Following the successful launch of the HPP juices in May 2018, the activities of the KPJC were wound down in January 2019 to allow Raja and the Essentially team to focus on the growth of the Essentially brand which had a significantly larger client base and had been in operation for much longer than KPJC.

His key responsibilities include overseeing day-to-day production activities to ensure business objectives are met, and devise policies, guidelines and operational procedures to ensure maximum productivity and profitability. Raja has been employed by UNETEC - United Engineering & Technical Consultants Ltd, DMCC Branch since 2004, as a civil engineer. Raja graduated from California State University in 2004 and holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Kuwait Society of Civil Engineers. Raja originally comes from a Civil Engineering background and was a director at Abuljebain Engineering Consulting Office.

Non-Executive Finance Director

Ajay Rajpal

Ajay Rajpal, ACA. Mr. Rajpal is based in the UK. He is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). During his career, he has gained broad-ranging commercial experience developed in the US, Europe, Middle East and Far East, with a particular focus on M&A, financial management and insolvency/restructuring.

Post qualification, Mr. Rajpal held several finance-related roles which involved working in the US, Europe, Middle East and Far East. Since 2011, Mr. Rajpal has run his own consultancy business, NAS Corporate Services Ltd, providing companies with various corporate services, such as assistance with their pre-IPO funding, the IPO process and post IPO management. Mr. Rajpal has project managed the initial public offering process and assisted with the associated funding of two businesses on AIM, namely New Trend Lifestyle Group Plc, which provides Feng Shui products and services across Asia, and Zibao Metals Recycling Group Plc, a Hong Kong and China based metals recycling company. He was a non-executive director for Phimedix Plc (formerly named Zibao Metals Recycling Group Plc), and currently acts as a non-executive director for RC365 Holding Plc, a payment gateway solutions provider listed on the standard segment of LSE.

Mr. Rajpal has also assisted Grand Vision Media Holdings Plc, a special purpose acquisition company on the Standard segment of the London Stock Exchange, which successfully completed a reverse takeover of an outdoor media business in Hong Kong/China. Mr. Rajpal is currently non-executive director of Grand Vision Media Holdings Plc.

Non-Executive Director

Ragnar Meitern

Ragnar Meitern is a senior investment banker, investor, and finance executive with 25 years of experience in the global financial services and investment banking sector, particularly in the Middle East. He is the founder of Highgoal Capital, a private investment firm that focuses on early and growth-stage technology ventures in EMEA and emerging markets, with a specific emphasis on FinTech, Mobility, and Energy Transition.

During his career, Ragnar has served as an advisor to Fortune Global 500 companies, private equity investors, governments, and entrepreneurs across various regions. Prior to establishing Highgoal Capital, he held the position of Managing Director of Corporate Finance at ING, a prominent European bank. In this role, he spearheaded Corporate Finance operations and managed M&A transactions for telecom infrastructure and technology clients. Ragnar also played a pivotal role in establishing the London office of TAP Advisors, an independent New York-based investment banking boutique. He led the Strategic Client Coverage Group at Standard Chartered PLC, focusing on Telecom, Media, and Technology (TMT) clients in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

During his decade-long tenure at Citigroup, he was instrumental in establishing Citi's investment banking office and advising on landmark M&A and IPO transactions in the Middle East. Ragnar's expertise encompasses strategic advisory, M&A, IPOs, debt financings, and capital raising from private markets, leveraging his extensive network with private equity, venture capital, and sovereign wealth fund investors. He has advised on transactions exceeding $100 billion in total value.

Ragnar holds a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Economics from Rutgers University in the United States and an Executive Education qualification in Corporate Governance from Harvard Business School.