Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Blinc Group, HEXO, Grower's Ally, Halo Collective

The Blinc Group Names New COO

The Blinc Group, Inc., a regulatory-focused designer, and provider of premium customized vaporizer technologies, has tapped cannabis industry veteran Pete Sahani to serve as its new chief operating officer.

Sahani brings more than 25 years of global operations management, global supply chain and sourcing expertise, which he honed while living and working in diverse cultural environments, including Japan, China and India.

His experience in the cannabis industry is deep and varied, beginning with his exposure to cannabis while attending college in Humboldt, CA.

He has held leadership positions in operations infrastructure and supply chain functions at leading companies such as Greenlane Holdings, Inc. GNLN and Calyx Containers, to name a few.

"Pete is joining the Blinc Group family at a time when we've had 134% growth in revenue and 77% growth in new clients this past year," Arnaud Dumas de Rauly, CEO and co-founder of the Blinc Group said. "Our business has come out of the darkness of the recent pandemic in great form, and we needed someone with his passion and foresight to help keep up this tremendous momentum."

HEXO Shakes Up Management Team, Names New CEO & CFO

HEXO Corp HEXO HEXO recently appointed Charlie Bowman to serve as its acting president and CEO.

Bowman will move into a permanent role upon completing Health Canada's security clearance process for key personnel, which has been initiated.

Concurrently, Scott Cooper is stepping down from his role as HEXO's president and CEO. Cooper assumed the role of the company's CEO and director following Sebastien St-Louis' departure in November.

"We are entering the next phase of HEXO's strategic growth plan by remaining laser-focused on becoming cash-flow positive, expanding our leading brands market share across Canada's recreational market, while growing our international business and launching new products for Medical," Bowman said.

Bowman previously served as HEXO's acting COO and general manager of HEXO USA. After resetting operations as acting COO, he is well-positioned to guide HEXO towards becoming cash flow positive.

The company also announced the departure of acting CFO Curtis Solsvig and the appointment of Julius Ivancsits as acting CFO, effective May 16, 2022.

Ivancsits will move into a permanent role upon successfully completing Health Canada's security clearance process for key personnel.

Ivancsits will play a key role in executing HEXO's strategy to drive profitable growth and enhance shareholder value.

Grower's Ally Appoints Cannabis Industry Veteran Brian Keenan As Director Of Cultivator Partnerships

Grower's Ally, a producer of safe and effective pesticides for cannabis and hemp, has hired Brian Keenan as director of cultivator partnerships.

Keenan is an industry veteran with over three decades of experience in cannabis, including roles in retail hydroponics, facility design and plant cultivation. He is a proponent of education, committed to the highest levels of customer service for both cultivators and retail partners.

"Grower's Ally is positioned for growth as the cannabis industry continues to evolve," said Scott Allshouse, CEO and president of Grower's Ally. "Brian brings a deep understanding of plant cultivation, including IPM processes, as well as first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by hydroponic stores and experience working with distributors."

Halo Collective Names Interim CFO

Halo Collective Inc. HALO HCANF reported that Philip van den Berg resigned as director and CFO of Halo, effective April 30, to join Halo Tek as its CEO.

Marshall Minor, the current senior vice president of finance at Halo, has been appointed to act as interim CFO.

"On behalf of Halo, I want to thank Philip for the extraordinary job he has done in helping the company transition from a private MSO to a publicly-traded cannabis company with global operations and investments," Kiran Sidhu, Halo's CEO said. "Philip will bring much-needed leadership and capital markets experience to Halo Tek as it transitions to a public company."

Simultaneously, the Toronto-based company said that Halo Tek Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary, has filed a preliminary long form prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, other than Québec, for the purpose of qualifying the distribution by Halo to holders of Halo's common shares of all of the issued and outstanding common shares in the capital of Halo Tek.

Photo: Courtesy David Gabrić on Unsplash