Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Turning Point Brands, Zentrela, GrowGen, Marijuana Policy Project

Former Liberty Media Executive Yavor Efremov Named CEO For Turning Point Brands 

Turning Point Brands, Inc. TPB announced recently that it has tapped Yavor Efremov to serve as president and CEO.

Efremov replaces Larry Wexler, the current CEO of the Lousiville, Kentucky-based company, who opted to retire in January following 18 highly successful years at TPB.

In addition, Wexler will remain on the board of directors and serve as a consultant to the company following his retirement.

Prior to joining Turning Point Brands in July 2021 as a board member, Efremov served as the CEO of Motorsport Network and a senior executive at Liberty Media Corp.

During his career, he also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co. and as a corporate lawyer at the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton.

"Yavor came highly recommended by some of the most successful operators and investors in the world," David Glazek, the company's chairman said. "The Board is confident he has the right skill-set to help grow the Company to the size and scale necessary to maximize value in a world driven by constantly shifting consumer preferences."

Former HEXO Exec Jay McMillan Joins Zentrela's Advisory Board

Cannabis-focused neurotechnology company Zentrela Inc. announced Thursday that Jay McMillan, CEO of UberGreen Inc., opted to join the company's board of advisors responsible for strategic business affairs.

McMillan is an accomplished corporate development and M&A executive with a passion for product innovation and  25 years of international markets experience.

He brings an extensive background in new market development and strategic engagements with Fortune 500 organizations in the consumer packaged goods, technology and consumer electronics spaces.

Most recently, he served as a chief development officer with HEXO Corp.HEXO. While there, McMillan headed up identifying strategic business development opportunities for M&A, joint ventures and key partnerships in addition to being responsible for R&D, innovation and commercialization.

"Jay is a major figure in the industry, and I couldn't be more excited to have him on our team," said Israel Gasperin, founder of Zentrela. "One of our core goals for 2022 is to expand the number of licensed producers that use our scientific consumer experience data to help them drive stronger product revenues, and Jay brings unparalleled experience in building those kinds of relationships."

GrowGen's Executive VP & COO Tony Sullivan Retires

GrowGeneration Corp. GRWG, a cannabis-focused chain of specialty hydroponic and organic garden centers, revealed that Tony Sullivan, executive vice president and CEO is retiring.

Darren Lampert, CEO of the Denver-based company said that during his tenure Sullivan contributed to every part of its operation and thanked him for his hard work and dedication.

"In 2021, we brought on key leaders with exceptional retail experience, talent, and expertise, including Jeff Lasher as CFO, Paul Rutenis as Chief Merchant Officer to lead the private label and proprietary brands growth, Dennis Sheldon to run technology and supply chain, and Becky Gebhardt to run e-commerce and marketing," Lampert said. "We believe the operational team now in place will allow the Company to grow and scale in 2022 and beyond."

Marijuana Policy Project Names Illinois Cannabis Czar Toi Hutchinson As President & CEO

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), an organization working solely on marijuana policy reform in the US, is getting a new leader.

Toi Hutchinson, who was Gov. J.B. Pritzker's key cannabis adviser, agreed to replace Steve Hawkins and join the national advocacy organization as president and CEO, Marijuana Moment reported.

During her career, Hutchinson has been pushing for marijuana legalization. In addition to being social equity advocate, she is known for her sponsorship as a state senator of Illinois's adult-use legalization policy that Gov. Pritzker signed into law in 2019.

Hutchinson told Marijuana Moment that when she got the call from MPP, "it was a no-brainer because we know that the march towards federal legalization is going to happen through the states."

Hutchinson brings a myriad of skills and experience in ushering in reform to a state legislature. Previously she served as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Hutchinson added that in order to "normalize and legalize a product for whom the prohibition of that exact same product destroyed generations of communities, you have to center those two things together."

Photo: Courtesy of David Gabrić on Unsplash