Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Valens, Ayurcann, SpeakEasy, General Cannabis

Valens Shakes Up Leadership Team

The Valens Company Inc. VLNS VLNCF has recently appointed Sunil Gandhi as its chief financial officer and Adam Shea as chief commercial officer.

Gandhi, who agreed to oversee the financial department of the British Columbia-based company, has over 25 years of experience in corporate and operational finance across consumer packaged goods and alcohol beverage industries. He previously served as CFO at Trophy Foods, Inc.

Shea brings more than 16 years of experience in commercial strategy in different consumer-focused companies within the food, beverage, tobacco, and cosmetics industries. Prior to joining Valens, he served as vice president and general manager at North American Foodservice of Weston Foods Ltd.

Simultaneously, Valens nominated Dr. Guy Beaudin, senior partner at RHR International, as well as Drew Wolff, former vice president and CFO of international and channel development at Starbucks Coffee Company, to be on its board of directors.

Nitin Kaushal agreed to step down from the board after the company's shareholders' annual general and special meeting.

"Valens has been off to a running start in 2021, and these new additions to our management team demonstrate our commitment to fostering industry-leading growth within our organization," Tyler Robson, the company's CEO, co-founder and chairman, said.

Ayurcann Holdings Forms Advisory Board

Cannabis-focused Canadian extraction company Ayurcann Holdings Corp. AYUR has gathered cannabis and non-cannabis sector experts to form an advisory board.

Igal Sudman, CEO of the Toronto-based company, said he was thrilled to launch a six-member board, which includes:

• Michael Ash, CEO of Juno OTC Pharmaceuticals and a pharmaceutical expert
• Barry Katzman, an alcohol and cannabis expert who is a current board chairman and executive director at Thrive Cannabis, Grey Beard Cannabis Co. and CEO of Hemp Energy Drink
• Trina Fraser, who serves as a partner at Brazeau Seller Law and is head of BSL’s CannaLaw group
• Iris Bincovich, CEO of Innocan Pharma and an expert in the healthcare and biotech industries
• Casey Hiltemann, founder and CEO of Budtenders Associate
• Ben Feferman, CEO of Amuka Esports

“As a public company that is solidifying itself as a long-standing player in the Canadian cannabis industry, the team and I wanted to develop an advisory group of individuals who we felt could provide their respective insights in parallel with the deployment of our strategies for brand asset growth and expansion,” Sidman disclosed last Thursday.

SpeakEasy Cannabis Club Shakes Up Board Of Directors

Cannabis company, SpeakEasy Cannabis Club Ltd. EASY (Frankfurt: 39H), elected William Fleming, Patrick Geen, Frey Garabagi and Charles Williams as its directors during the company’s annual general meeting on April 28.

Fleming opted to step down from the board after the meeting to pursue "personal business opportunities."

The British Columbia-based company subsequently elected Ryan Kennedy as an additional director after being nominated from the floor.

"These board changes allow the company to continue to strengthen its corporate governance and actively pursue additional independent board members to achieve its goal of becoming a leader in governance within the cannabis space," the company's CEO Malcolm Davidson said last Thursday.

General Cannabis Appoints Adam Hershey As Interim CEO, Steve Gutterman Resigns

General Cannabis Corp CANN revealed Friday it had appointed its current board member and investor Adam Hershey to serve as interim CEO.

Hershey, who brings over 25 years of experience in investing in both public and private markets, agreed to replace Steve Gutterman, who opted to step down as CEO and director of the Denver-based company.

Tim Brown, founder and CEO of Trees, opted to join the board upon closing the company's recently announced acquisition.

General Cannabis purchased the cannabis retailer for approximately $39.5 million, with 13% of the sum to be paid in cash over the next 24 months.

"With the pending transformational Trees acquisition and improvements to the General Cannabis organization, the Company is well-positioned for the next chapter of rapid growth," said Carl Williams, chairman of the board of General Cannabis.

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