Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Mindset Pharma, Better Plant, NeonMind, Urban-Gro, Lowell Farms, Vext Science, Grapefruit USA

Mindset Pharma Taps Dr. Joseph Gabriele To Advisory Board

Mindset Pharma Inc. MSET MSSTF has hired Dr. Joseph Gabriele, a molecular pharmacologist and co-founder of Delivra Corp., as a scientific advisor.

Prior to joining the advisory board of the Toronto-based company, Gabriele worked on the development of delivraTM, a transdermal delivery platform, according to Psychedelic Finance.

His company, Delivra, is an industrial partner with the National Research Council of Canada.

"Mindset will benefit greatly from Dr. Gabriele's extensive experience in drug and delivery product development, which will be critical as Mindset progresses its drug candidates towards clinical trials," CEO James Lanthier said.

Better Plant Sciences Names Perry Chua CCO

Vertically-integrated wellness asset corporation Better Plant Sciences Inc. PLNT VEGGF, formerly known as the Yield Growth Corp., has promoted Perry Chua to a chief creative officer.

According to Psilocybin alpha, Chua has served as creative director of the Vancouver-based company since 2019.

He brings over two decades of experience in brand design, having worked with clients such as Nokia NOK, McDonald’s Restaurants MCD, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Four Seasons Private Residences, Urban Barn, and NGRAIN.

“We look forward to seeing Perry use his exceptional creative ability and outside-of-the-box thinking to lead his team in the development and evolution of Better Plant’s brands,” the company’s CEO Penny White disclosed Tuesday.

NeonMind Biosciences Appoints Philippe Martin To Develop Psilocybin Drug

NeonMind Biosciences Inc. NEON NMDBF, a biotechnology company focusing on the manufacture of medicinal mushroom products, has hired Philippe Martin to serve as a drug development consultant.

Martin spent 20 years working in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry on the development of innovative therapies. He focused on the fields of immunology, oncology, and neurology.

At his new position, Martin will assist in advancing the company’s two psilocybin drug development programs focusing on weight loss and appetite suppression.

Currently, Martin served as chief of clinical development and operations at San Diego-based BioAtla, Inc BCAB.

Prior to that, he spent over a decade holding leadership positions at Celgene.

“Philippe will help us navigate the many decisions we need to make to advance synthetic psilocybin through the rigorous drug development process towards becoming an approved medical therapy,” the company’s President and CEO Robert Tessarolo noted.

Urban-Gro Appoints Barbara Jacobs As VP Of Marketing

Urban-gro Inc. UGRO has appointed Barbara Jacobs to serve as vice president of marketing, on the heels of naming James Dennedy president and chief operating officer.

Bradley Nattrass, the CEO, and chairman of Lafayette, Colorado-based horticulture company, said Tuesday that Jacobs is poised to help develop and strengthen its “sales opportunity pipeline.”

“Barbara is a driven leader with strong experience in the CEA sector,” Nattrass commented on Jacobs returning to the Urban-gro team.

The company also opted to collaborate with Interius Farms on “growing fresh and sustainable foods for the Canadian market,” Dennedy explained.

Lowell Farms Appoints Bryan Dunmire As CPO

Cannabis company Lowell Farms Inc. LOWL LOWLF, previously known as Indus Holdings Inc., has appointed Bryan Dunmire to supervise its production.

Dunmire joined the company in April as senior vice president of strategy. He also oversaw the recent acquisition of Lowell Farms by Indus, as well as the name change and the company’s rebranding.

Previously, he worked at Geronimo Capital as a chief development officer and at multi-state cannabis operator Acreage Holdings as director of M&A and corporate strategy.

“Bryan combines both the business acumen and institutional knowledge needed to grow this organization with the personal passion and understanding of the role cannabis plays at the consumer level,” the company’s CEO Mark Ainsworth said Wednesday.

Vext Science Hires Vahan Ajamian As CFO

CBD company Vext Science, Inc. VEXT VEXTF has hired a seasoned cannabis expert Vahan Ajamian to oversee its financial department.

Ajamian, who replaces Denise Lok, will also serve as corporate secretary, a position held by Brian Cameron.

Eric Offenberger, the company's CEO, praised Ajamian's skills and expertise in the cannabis industry.

"VEXT is currently in a period of strong growth as the Arizona adult-use market continues to develop and as we look to expand our footprint through accretive deals both within Arizona and in other limited license states," Offenberger noted Wednesday.

In January, the Vancouver-based company managed to secure $18 million through a bought deal offering of its units.

Beacon Securities Ltd. opted to buy 16.1 million units of Vext Science at $1.12 per unit under the agreement.

Grapefruit USA’s John M. Hollister Steps Down

Cannabis company Grapefruit USA Inc. GPFT announced Wednesday that John Hollister opted to resign.

Hollister was the company’s CEO before its reverse acquisition by Grapefruit Boulevard Investments, Inc.

Prior to venturing into the cannabis sector, Los Angeles-based Grapefruit was a developer of 3D imaging.

“While we, of course, will devote the vast majority of our time and energy to our rapidly growing cannabis businesses and to rapidly ushering in the Hourglass era, we intend to take all prudent efforts to maximize the value of our patented 3D imaging technology, whether by sale, development, spinoff or other available methods,” CEO Bradley Yourist stated.