Cannabis Movers & Shakers: HempFusion, Decibel, ARCA, Love Hemp, MindMed, Halo

HempFusion Wellness Promotes VP And Controller Maria Leal To Interim CFO

HempFusion Wellness Inc. CBD CBDHF (FWB:8OO) has promoted Maria Leal, its vice president and controller to become interim CFO.

Leal, who replaces Bruce Valentine, is a seasoned finance management expert, holds a CPA and MBA and has served in several senior financial accounting positions for over two decades.

After joining the Denver-based company in July 2019, she assisted in all financial reporting aspects.

“The Board has full confidence that Ms. Leal will succeed in shepherding HempFusion’s finance and accounting functions,” Jason Mitchell, N.D., CEO of HempFusion, said last Friday. “She has been an integral part of the development and implementation of the financial planning and accounting functions over the past several years.”

Decibel Hires Paul Wilson As CEO

Decibel Cannabis Company Inc. DBCCF has appointed Paul Wilson to serve as CEO.

Wilson, who currently serves as a board member of the Calgary-based company, is an experienced brand builder who held several leadership roles at Canadian Tire, Mark's, Princess Auto, Spence Diamonds and Alcanna Nova Cannabis throughout his career.

"We are excited to continue our momentum with this key appointment," Cody Church, chairman and interim CEO of Decibel, said Tuesday. "We were intent on adding a CEO who would complement our existing strategy and excellent management team."

ARCA Strengtens Cannabis Retail Team

ARCA, a provider of cash automation solutions for financial and retail businesses, is expanding its cannabis retail team.

The North Carolina-based company said Wednesday it has hired Tina Lomagno, Kevin Brown, Katie Poxon and Shawn Daniels to support the increasing demand and number of retail cannabis customers.

Lomagno, who spent over 20 years at NCR, agreed to serve as head of retail cannabis sales operations and development.

Brown, who joined ARCA as a retail sales executive will lead the company's efforts on the East Coast from Denver.

Poxon, ARCA's cannabis retail sales executive will be responsible for operations on the West Coast from Los Angeles. She has over two decades of cash operations experience.

Daniels will serve as a sales support specialist and assist customers from ARCA's headquarters in Mebane, NC. Daniels has more than a decade of sales and accounts management experience from the medical device sales industry to cannabis.

"Retail cannabis is a rapidly growing segment of our business," Joel Leslie, chief sales officer at ARCA said. "By adding these experts to our team, we will continue to help customers streamline their operations and save money."

British Professional Boxer Anthony Joshua Becomes Love Hemp Brand Ambassador

Two-time heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medallist, Anthony Joshua OBE, is endorsing the UK-based CBD and hemp supplier Love Hemp Group PLC LIFE WRHLF.

Under a three-year endorsement agreement, Joshua will become an ambassador and promoter of the Love Hemp brand. The partnership will result in a licensed range of CBD products for athletes.

"Love Hemp is a great brand with an amazing vision," Joshua said. "The ability of CBD to improve people's everyday lives is undeniable. I have a passion for dynamic British businesses and for wellness, making Love Hemp a perfect brand for me to endorse and become a shareholder in."

MindMed Taps Two Experts To Its Advisory Board

Psychedelic medicine biotech company MindMed MNMD MMED has strengthened its advisory board over the past week by tapping psychiatry expert Dr. Maurizio Fava from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School as well as Dr. Peter Bergethon, an expert in neurology, digital medicine and central nervous system drug development.

Fava founded and served as director of Mass General's Depression Clinical and Research Program from 1990 to 2014. He is also the founder of the psychiatry clinical trials network and the institute where he currently serves as executive director.

“I am delighted to join MindMed’s Scientific Advisory Board. Massachusetts General Hospital has recently launched a new Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics to better understand the drugs’ effects on the brain, their mechanisms, and potential for therapeutic purposes,” Fava said.

Bergethon serves as vice president and head of digital and quantitative medicine at Biogen Inc. Prior to that, he worked on Pfizer's worldwide research and development team as vice president and head of the Pfizer Innovation Research Lab in the Early Clinical Development group.

Bergethon spent three decades in academic medicine as a professor at Boston University and Tufts University in the departments of biochemistry, neurology, neurobiology and anatomy and biomedical engineering.

“My research and interests have always centered around a core question: ‘What are the physical and systemic bases for creativity and intelligent behavior, and how could such behavior be practically constructed or reconstructed?’ This core query continues to form the basis for the approach that digital medicine takes toward transforming neuroscience therapeutics,” Bergethon said.

Halo Elects Directors, Appoints Leadership Team Of Akanda, Its New African Medical Cannabis Company

Halo Collective Inc. HALO HCANF elected all of the nominees for directors at its annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on June 23.

The board of the Toronto-based company includes Kiran Sidhu, Peter McRae, Philip van den Berg, Andrew Turman, Louisa Mojela, Charles Kie, Anmol Sidhu and Ryan Kunkel.

In addition, Halo appointed cannabis and corporate finance and banking industry executive Tej Virk to lead its newly formed Alberta corporation, dubbed Akanda Corp.

The company's board approved the reorganization of its non-U.S. operations that include

Bophelo Bioscience and Wellness Pty. Ltd. and Canmart Ltd. into Akanda on Tuesday.

Virk joins Akanda from Khiron Life Sciences KHRN KHRNF where he served as president and managing director of Europe. He will serve as CEO alongside Louisa Mojela, an influential and successful South African business leader, who agreed to serve as executive chairman of the newly formed company.

In addition, Charles Kie, co-founder and CEO of New African Capital Partners and former managing director and CEO of Ecobank Nigeria, will serve as lead independent director at Akanda, while Philip van den Berg, current CFO and director of Halo, will serve as director.

Photo by David Gabrić on Unsplash