Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Marijuana Co. Of America, Akerna, Seedo, PSYC, Aurora

Another Tuesday has come with a new list of leadership changes that shook up the cannabis industry over the past week.

Marijuana Company Of America (MCOA) Names Tim Psomiadis VP Of M&A

Themistocles (Tim) Psomiadis has been named executive vice president of mergers and acquisitions at Marijuana Company of America Inc. MCOA.

Psomiadis has been serving on MCOA's board since February,

South Charleston, South Carolina-based Psomiadis brings three decades of experience in corporate finance, which he earned while working in both US and Latin America.

At MCOA, he will work alongside Marco Guerrero, who joined the company's board in June. The pair is expected to tackle MCOA's expansion in Brazil.

MCOA CEO Jesus Quintero called Psomiadis' appointment "a true game changer." 

Akerna Appoints David McCullough As CTO

Akerna Corp. KERN nameded David McCullough as its CTO.

Having over 16 years of experience, McCullough will be leading the Denver-based company's overall internal technology strategy.

Akerna CEO Jessica Billingsley said McCullough's promotion "demonstrates the strength of our bench and our commitment to team member development."

McCullough, who has been serving as the company's executive vice president of product and engineering, is replacing Alex Shah, the president of solo sciences.

Shah congratulated McCullough on his success, further explaining he will continue to focus on the “advancement of solo* technology."

Akerna, a provider of enterprise software solutions, recently reported revenue of $3.1 million during the third quarter. That's up by 32% compared to the same quarter last year.

Moreover, the company inked two deals in April, including an agreement with a pre-roll cannabis automation company, Rolling in Green, and a $2 million acquisition agreement with Trellis, a compliance software company.

Seedo Elects Board Of Directors

Seedo Corp. SEDO, an Israel-based cannabis farming startup, announced Wednesday that its shareholders had voted new directors to its board.

Dr. Gil Feiler who will serve as the chairman of Seedo's board, also serves as the Director Bank of Georgia and partner at Forest Investment House.

Feiler is a Head of Scientific Advisory Board of Cannabics Inc. CNBX, which recently welcomed Dr. Erez Scapa to its ranks.

He received a Ph.D. in Middle East Economics from Tel Aviv University and has served as a member at several boards, including Advanced Vision Technology (VSJ) and Habenleumi Bank Mutual Fund Division.

David Grossman, who was appointed CEO and a board member, replaced Zohar Levyat on the position. 

Prior to this, Grossman served as a board member of Biomedico Hadarim Ltd., Beyond Air Inc. XAIR, and Cellect Biotechnology Ltd. APOP, to name a few.

He has been serving at Partner at Hava - Cannabis Ba'arava Ltd. for three years and is a board member at Gefen Biomed Investments Ltd.

David Freidenberg, who brings telecommunications and IT knowledge, has been vice president of sales & business development at Trigyn Technologies since April 2018.

He was also a CEO and director of POMM Inc., and Chip PC, as well as COO of Nidam Communication.

Grossman said he is "pleased to have joined Seedo as Chief Executive Officer," adding they will do "our utmost to develop the Company and create value for Seedo's shareholders."

PSYC CEO Vanessa Luna Resigns, Sarah Abelsohn Joins Its Psychedelics Team

Last week, Global Trac Solutions Inc. PSYC confirmed it has parted ways with Vanessa Luna, who served as its CEO and chairman.

Her successor is a former Global CEO and a former vice president of operations at Global's subsidiary MTrac Tech Corporation, David A. Flores.

Luna joined the company in 2016. Under her leadership, the company saw its first fully audited year in 2019. 

"My time here with Global and MTrac has been a profoundly rewarding and memorable experience for me," Luna said in a prepared statement. 

Luna brought PSYC on the frontline of the "psychedelics revolution," the company said.

"I believe Global will go on to find industry experts, new and exciting management and staff, and will hopefully create a true presence for itself in this space," she added.

In days following Luna's resignation, the San Diego-based company has deepened its bench of professionals dedicated to positioning the company within the medicinal psychedelic space by welcoming Sarah Abelsohn to its team.

According to PSYC's Monday update, Abelsohn — a finalist for the 2019 San Diego Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Business Leaders list — will oversee the company's development and social media channels.

The company intends to utilize Abelsohn's extensive marketing experience to advance its Psychedelic Spotlight and Micro Dose Monthly newsletter platforms.

Aurora Names Reliva CEO Miguel Martin Its New CCO

Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB ACB ended up on Benziga's movers and shakers list yet again, just a week after it announced the retirement of Terry Booth from the board of directors.

On Monday, the Edmonton-based company confirmed the President of Aurora USA, and Reliva, LLC's CEO Miguel Martin, had been appointed as Aurora's CCO.

The company's interim CEO and executive chairman, Michael Singer, expects Martin's 25-year experience in the consumer packaged goods industry to "drive Aurora's revenues and brand strength in our global core markets."

"His new role at Aurora is indicative of our commitment to combining sales and marketing excellence with driving profitability in our core businesses," continued Singer.

Sproutly's Board Shakeups; Toronto Herbal Remedies Partners With British Columbia

Following late June board shakeups when Justin Kates and Michael Bellas decided to part ways with Sproutly Canada Inc. SPR SRUTF, the Vancouver-based cannabis supplier has confirmed another resignation.

On Monday, Gregg Orr left its board. Sproutly replaced him by appointing its CFO, Craig Loverock, as a Director and Paul Marcellino as its member.

Marcellino has a degree in chemistry as has served as a CEO at an international nutraceutical company.

He also has experience in developing and commercializing of APP technology.

Sproutly CEO and Director Arup Sen said he was "happy to have Paul and Craig joining the Board, as this furthers the reorganization as another step in the execution of the Business Transformation plan."

The company confirmed the addition of a supply agreement with the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch.

Toronto Herbal Remedies, Sproutly's subsidiary, partnered with the province of British Columbia, which is the fifth province in the country to carry out its Caliber branded indoor-grown dried flower products.

Carl Craig Becomes CEO of Agricor and Botanacor

Agricor Laboratories and Botanacor Laboratories, a hemp and CBD testing laboratory, jointly confirmed Monday that Carl Craig has been named CEO of both companies.

Craig holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He sharpened his leadership skills in several commercial laboratories covering microbial, environmental, life science, and cannabis and hemp sectors.

He was also the founder and GM of Pharmaceutical Resource Associates, and served as technology director at Brown and Caldwell Laboratories; quality assurance director for Quanterra Laboratories; and corporate vice president and COO for Microbial Solutions at Charles River Laboratories CRL.

Prior to being named CEO, Craig had been serving as Agricor and Botanacor's COO.

Flower One’s Geoff Miachika Steps Down As CFO

Cannabis cultivator Flower One Holdings Inc FONE FLOOF disclosed its current CFO, Geoff Miachika, will be stepping down from the position due to personal reasons.

According to a Tuesday press release, the decision is effective July 15. 

The company named accountant David Kane as interim CFO.

Kane honed his finance and accounting skills while working as CFO in several companies, including Xtreme Cubes Corporation, Tryke Companies, Aerovoice, EagleRider, and Aquarium of the Pacific, to name a few.

Ken Villazor, Flower One's President and CEO, said Kane brings "an exceptional level of finance and accounting depth to Flower One."

1933 Industries Welcomes Tricia Kaelin As CFO

1933 Industries Inc. TGIF TGIFF made another shift in financial leadership.

The Vancouver-based consumer packaged goods company tapped Tricia Kaelin as its new CFO. She replaces Stephen Radusch.

Kaelin spent over 25 years building her financial and accounting expertise while serving as CFO and CIO in several privately-held companies.

"Tricia is a dynamic leader, and her wealth of experience and deep understanding of the Company's positioning makes her the ideal candidate to execute on our strategy," 1933 President Eugene Ruiz said.