Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Appointment of New Directors
On July 29, 2025, the board of directors (the “Board”) of Churchill Capital Corp X (the “Company”) appointed each of Paul Lapping and Stephen Murphy as a director of the Board, effective as of August 1, 2025. The Board also appointed Mr. Murphy as a member of the compensation committee and the audit committee of the Board (the “Audit Committee”), and Mr. Lapping as the chairperson of the Audit Committee, replacing William Sherman, who had served as the interim chairperson of the Audit Committee. Mr. Sherman will continue to serve as a member of the Audit Committee.
Paul D. Lapping, age 63, is the Manager of Jakal Investments, LLC, a private investment firm he founded in 2005 that focuses on technology, healthcare, fintech, and artificial intelligence sectors. He has also served as a director of Churchill Capital Corp IX (“Churchill IX”), a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), since April 2025. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Lapping served as Chief Operating Officer of SuRo Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: SSSS), a publicly traded, growth-stage venture capital firm (“Suro”). Prior to Suro, Mr. Lapping served as a director and Chief Financial Officer of New University Holdings Corp., a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, from August 2010 to August 2011. From October 2009 to May 2011, Mr. Lapping was Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, and a director of 57th Street General Acquisition Corp., a SPAC. Between 2007 and 2009, he served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary of Alternative Asset Management Acquisition Corp., also a SPAC. From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Lapping was a General Partner of Minotaur Partners II, L.P. and Merchant Partners, L.P., private equity partnerships focused on middle-market investments. From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Lapping led corporate development at Montgomery Ward Holding Corp., a diversified retail and direct marketing company. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Lapping worked at Farley Industries, Inc. and its affiliated companies (including Fruit of the Loom, Inc. and West Point-Pepperell, Inc.) in corporate development and finance roles. Earlier in his career, Mr. Lapping worked with Golder, Thoma and Cressey, a private equity firm, and in the mergers and acquisitions group at Salomon Brothers Inc. Mr. Lapping is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Lapping is well-qualified to serve as a member of the Board due to his significant operational, financial and leadership experience and experience serving on SPAC boards.
Stephen Murphy, age 62, has served as the Co-Founding Partner of Merivel Capital Partners LLP, a boutique private placement group authorized by the UK FCA, since 2023. He has also served as the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Authentic Bespoke Limited, a boutique investment group, since 2017, and serves on the boards of all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Mr. Murphy has significant past investment banking, principal investing, and direct entrepreneurial experience across a wide range of industries and is actively involved in a number of international businesses at board levels. He has served as a director of Churchill IX since May 2024 and served as a director of Churchill Capital Corp VI and VII from 2021 until their respective liquidations. Mr. Murphy is also an angel investor in various technology companies which are pursuing “green” or sustainable solutions. He serves as a director of various companies related to Qalaa Holdings SAE, which is involved in energy and infrastructure investments in Egypt. He has also served principally as either a company director or chairman of various luxury goods companies in the UK and Ireland. Mr. Murphy was trained as a financial analyst in New York starting in 1986 and ultimately was made head of Salomon Brothers International’s M&A Group in London. He went on to become a Managing Director of Citigroup International. As a Managing Director of Citigroup International, Mr. Murphy was involved in the evaluation and execution of private and public financings and capital raising. Mr. Murphy received an M.A. from University of Dublin Trinity College. Mr. Murphy is well-qualified to serve as a member of the Board due to his significant financial and leadership experience and experience serving on SPAC boards.
No family relationships exist between Mr. Lapping, Mr. Murphy and any other directors or executive officers of the Company. Neither Mr. Lapping nor Mr. Murphy is a party to any arrangements with any other person pursuant to which he was nominated as a director. There are no transactions to which the Company is or was a participant and in which Mr. Lapping or Mr. Murphy has a material interest subject to disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
