Management Team

Michael Nierenberg

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Michael Nierenberg is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rithm Acquisition Corp. and serves as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Rithm Capital, a leading global asset manager and sponsor of Rithm Acquisition Corp. Mr. Nierenberg was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Rithm Capital in 2013 and as Chairman of the Board in 2016. Prior to Rithm Capital, Mr. Nierenberg served as Managing Director and Head of Global Mortgages and Securitized Products at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Nierenberg joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch in November 2008 from J.P. Morgan, where he was head of Global Securitized Products and a member of the management committee of the investment bank.

Prior to his tenure at J.P. Morgan, Mr. Nierenberg held a range of senior leadership positions during fourteen years with Bear Stearns, including Head of Interest Rate and Foreign Exchange Trading operations, Co-Head of Structured Products and Co-Head of Mortgage-Backed Securities Trading. From 2006 to 2008, he was a member of Bear Stearns’s Board of Directors. Mr. Nierenberg spent seven years at Lehman Brothers prior to joining Bear Stearns and was instrumental in building the company’s adjustable-rate mortgage business.

Varun Wadhawan

Chief Financial Officer

Varun Wadhawan is the Chief Financial Officer of Rithm Acquisition Corp. and has been with the company since its formation in 2024. Mr. Wadhawan also serves as Managing Director at Rithm Capital, a position he has held since 2016. At Rithm Capital, Mr. Wadhawan leads Corporate Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions and has been instrumental in leading the acquisition of multiple operating businesses within the Rithm Capital ecosystem. Prior to joining Rithm Capital, Mr. Wadhawan spent 10 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group where he executed numerous M&A and capital raising transactions. Prior to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mr. Wadhawan worked at American Express and KPMG.

Mr. Wadhawan received an M.B.A. from Cornell University, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.