Peter Cuneo is an American businessperson known for serving as CEO and Vice Chairman of
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American show business, entertainment company (law), company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York (state), New York, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment ...
, President and CEO of
Remington Products
Remington Products, commonly known as simply Remington, is an American personal care brand which manufactures hair clippers, electric shavers, epilators, and haircare products. It is a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands and Oak Hill Capital.
His ...
, Managing Principal of Cuneo & Company, a private investment and management company and President of
Black & Decker
Black+Decker Inc. is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances and fastening systems headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where the company was o ...
security hardware group. Business Insider named Cuneo as one of the "Ten Greatest Turnaround CEOs". Cuneo is currently Chairman o
CIIG Capital Partners II Inc.
Early life
Peter Cuneo was born at
Naval Air Station Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
, in Alameda, California where his father was a Navy officer. Cuneo spent most of his childhood in Queens, New York City. His father was a Lieutenant in the
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...
and his mother was an
Emergency medical technician
An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...
. Cuneo attended
Flushing High School
Flushing High School is a four-year public high school in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education.
As of the 2020-21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,4 ...
.
Education
Cuneo received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Ceramic Engineering
Ceramic engineering is the science and technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials. This is done either by the action of heat, or at lower temperatures using precipitation reactions from high-purity chemical solutions ...
from
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
and earned an MBA from the
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
.
Career
After a year working as a quality control engineer for
Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation
Owens Corning is an American company that develops and produces insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites and related materials and products. It is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass composites. It was formed in 1935 as a partn ...
, Cuneo entered the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
– graduating with honors from
Officer Candidate School
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...
in
Newport,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
. He served on the
USS Joseph Strauss
USS ''Joseph Strauss'' (DDG-16), named for Admiral Joseph Strauss (admiral), Joseph Strauss USN (1861–1948), was a guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy.
''Joseph Strauss''s keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding C ...
, a
guided missile destroyer
A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...
, as Damage Control Officer and as
Communications Officer
A communications officer is a naval line officer responsible for supervising operation and maintenance of a warship's signal flags, signal lamps, and radio transmitters and receivers. The communications officer is usually responsible for encrypti ...
. The Strauss participated in several war cruises during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and Cuneo was decorated for service in that conflict.
Early in his career, Cuneo spent over a decade in various roles with
Bristol Myers Squibb
The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...
, including as President of Bristol Myers in Canada. His tenure as President of
Clairol
Clairol is the American personal care-product division of company Wella, specializing in hair coloring and hair care. Clairol was founded in 1931 by Americans Joan Gelb and her husband Lawrence M. Gelb, with business partner and lifelong friend ...
's personal care group marked his first successful turnaround. Cuneo later spent several years as President of
Black and Decker
Black+Decker Inc. is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances and fastening systems headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where the company was o ...
security hardware group.
In the early 1990s, strapped with debt and a declining business,
Remington Products
Remington Products, commonly known as simply Remington, is an American personal care brand which manufactures hair clippers, electric shavers, epilators, and haircare products. It is a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands and Oak Hill Capital.
His ...
Company was near bankruptcy. Vulture investor
Isaac Perlmutter
Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter ( he, יצחק "אייק" פרלמוטר; born December 1, 1942) is an Israeli-American billionairehttps://www.forbes.com/profile/isaac-perlmutter businessman and financier. He is the chairman and former CEO of Marvel Ente ...
purchased a controlling interest in the company from former New England Patriots owner
Victor Kiam
Victor Kermit Kiam II (December 7, 1926 – May 27, 2001) was an American entrepreneur and TV spokesman for Remington Products, and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988–1991. He was well known for his turnaround of Remi ...
. Cuneo was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Remington. In less than four years, he executed a successful turnaround of the business and facilitated Remington’s sale to
Vestar Capital Partners Vestar Capital Partners is an American private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions in middle-market companies in the United States."About Us"8/27/08
The firm, which was founded in 1988, is headquartered in New York City with offic ...
.
In 1999, Cuneo was recruited to turnaround
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American show business, entertainment company (law), company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York (state), New York, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment ...
as Chief Executive Officer. Having recently emerged from bankruptcy, Marvel was burdened by high yield debt and had only $3 million in the bank, barely enough to cover its cash needs. The company’s stock fell as low as 96 cents per share. Within a few years, Marvel had become a household name launching film franchises based on
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
,
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
,
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
,
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
and others. Record-breaking profits at the box office led to significant growth in toys, video games, merchandise and other consumer products as well as market share leadership in comics. Cuneo later became Vice Chairman of Marvel.
The company made the transformative move of raising $525 million in funding to launch
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
. Cuneo left Marvel with the company's sale to Disney at the end of 2009. Marvel’s stock price had risen from the low of $0.96 to over $50 per share. In December, 2009,
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
purchased Marvel for over $4 billion.
After leaving Marvel, Peter formed a private investment company, Cuneo & Company, with his son, Gavin. In 2011, Cuneo & Co capitalized
Valiant Entertainment
Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher. The company was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to Acclaim Entertainment ...
for relaunch. Peter Cuneo became Valiant's Chairman with Gavin Cuneo serving as Chief Operating Officer and on the board.
Valiant was relaunched under new leadership to become “Marvel 2.0”. With its revival, Valiant soon became the third largest superhero entertainment company after Marvel and DC Comics. Valiant struck a five-movie partnership with
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
. Numerous film and TV projects were announced including
Bloodshot (film)
''Bloodshot'' is a 2020 American superhero film based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the first installment in a series of films set within a Valiant Comics shared cinematic universe. Directed by David S. ...
. Cuneo & Company exited Valiant through the sale to DMG Entertainment in 2018.
In 2015, Cuneo was named Interim CEO of publicly traded
Iconix Brand Group
Iconix Brand Group is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers primarily in the apparel, footwear, and apparel accessory industries. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Sear ...
. Iconix is a brand management company and owner of over 20 brands such as Rocawear, Umbro, Peanuts, Mossimo, Ed Hardy, Ecko and Candies. From 2015 to 2021, Cuneo transitioned from Interim CEO to Executive Chairman to non-Executive Chairman. In 2021, Iconix was acquired by Lancer Capital, an affiliate of the Glazer Family.
In 2017, Cuneo was named Chairman of VR / digital twin startup BeyondView, formerly known as Uncorporeal Systems. He has sat on the boards of numerous public and private companies.
In 2019, Cuneo became Chairman and CEO of CIIG Merger Corp, a
Special-purpose acquisition company
A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC; ), also known as a "blank check company", is a shell corporation listed on a stock exchange with the purpose of acquiring a private company, thus making it public without going through the traditional i ...
. CIIG was founded by Peter Cuneo, Gavin Cuneo and Michael Minnick. CIIG IPO’d on Nasdaq on December 17, 2019. On November 18, 2020 CIIG announced a business combination with electric vehicle developer
Arrival
Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to:
Film
* ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film
* ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film
* ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...
including a $400 million in private investment in public equity, or PIPE, from investors that included Fidelity, Wellington,
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is a French international banking group, founded in 2000 from the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP, "National Bank of Paris") and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. The full name of the grou ...
and
BlackRock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a Enterprise risk management, risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackR ...
. Cuneo became Non-Executive Chairman of Arrival.
In 2021, Cuneo became Chairman of CIIG Capital Partners II Inc., a
Special-purpose acquisition company
A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC; ), also known as a "blank check company", is a shell corporation listed on a stock exchange with the purpose of acquiring a private company, thus making it public without going through the traditional i ...
. CIIG closed an upsized $287,500,000 Initial Public Offering on
Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
on September 17, 2021.
On November 24, 2022, Cuneo was appointed interim CEO of Arrival.
Nonprofit Work
Cuneo has been a member of the
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
Board of Trustees
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
since the 1990s. He served as its Chairman for number of years.
Cuneo helped found the Maris Cuneo Equestrian Park at Alfred University with his wife Maris Cuneo.
Cuneo sits on the Board of the
National Archives Foundation The National Archives Foundation is an independent non-profit organization that works to increase public awareness of and showcase the United States National Archives and Records Administration.
Board of Directors
• Chair: Governor James J. Bla ...
in Washington, D.C. and on the Board of the
Police Foundation
The National Policing Institute, formerly known as the Police Foundation, is an American non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and independent scientific research. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuneo, Peter
Marvel Comics people
American chief executives
Living people
Alfred University alumni
Harvard Business School alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)