Key Cannabis Exec Changes Investors Should Know About: ScottsMiracle Gro, Tilray, Metrc, & Willow Industries

ScottsMiracle-Gro Nominates Edith Avilés To Board Of Directors

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company SMG announced Monday that its board of directors has nominated Edith Avilés to stand for election to the board at the upcoming 2023 annual meeting of shareholders.

Avilés has over 30 years of experience in the finance industry, where she has cultivated key relationships and executed growth strategies to deliver strong financial performance across complex global organizations. Currently, she is a managing director in the global investor relations team at Clayton Dubilier & Rice. She previously held leadership roles at Natixis, most recently serving as vice chair of the Americas. Before that, she held senior positions at BNP Paribas and Chase Manhattan Corporation, now JP Morgan Chase JPM.

“We look forward to welcoming Edith to our Board of Directors, as her deep experience in capital markets and leveraged finance will bring an added level of expertise and insights into our Board processes. Her fresh perspectives will be beneficial as we continue on the path of strengthening our balance sheet and improving our overall financial performance,” said Jim Hagedorn, chairman of the Board.

Avilés is being nominated to succeed Brian Finn, who has decided to retire from the board at the end of his term at the 2023 Annual Meeting to focus on his family and other interests.

Tilray Taps Veteran Beer & Beverage Industry Executive Ty Gilmore

Tilray announced Tuesday that it has appointed veteran beer and beverage industry executive Ty H. Gilmore as president of Tilray’s U.S. beer business, a newly created position.

The appointment came with the company’s acquisition of Montauk Brewing Company, the #1 craft brewer in Metro New York.

Montauk Brewing is well-known for its product portfolio, premium price point, and distribution across over 6,400 stores, including top national retailers such as Target TGT, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, King Kullen, Walmart WMT, 7-Eleven, Costco COST, BJ’s BJ, and Speedway.

“We are excited to welcome Montauk Brewing’s founders Vaughan Cutillo and Eric Moss, as well as Terry Hopper, Montauk Brewing’s general manager, to the Tilray Brands family and I look forward to working closely with Ty Gilmore to maximize the performance of our enormously powerful craft and lifestyle beverage brand portfolio,” Irwin Simon, Tilray CEO said.

Metrc Strengthens Executive Leadership Team With New Chief Technology Officer Appointment

Metrc, a provider of cannabis regulatory technology systems in the U.S., announced Thursday the appointment of Sam Peterson as chief technology officer to support the continued innovation of its product offerings and expansion into new markets.

In the role of CTO, Peterson will lead the charge in advancing technology and product initiatives, such as data visualization tools, deeper insights for local jurisdictions, and more, to offer increased benefits for Metrc’s state partners, licensees and third-party integrators, including a data center migration that will aid in improving system performance and enhancements to the current API.

Peterson brings more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership and has an extensive background in executing SaaS growth strategies and software and product development.

Before joining Metrc, he served as CTO at Boats Group, a Florida-based advertising and software company for the marine industry. In that role, Peterson led a global team of engineers and technology professionals to deliver a world-class shopping experience and big data insights to the recreational boating industry. Prior to that, he served as CTO at both Overstock and Open English, where he led their technology teams to drive the enhancement and development of the company's respective software.

“The time is now to go all-in on the breadth and depth of Metrc’s offerings. Sam’s successful track record of building cutting-edge strategies and delivering exceptional results will take our dynamic platform to new levels and ensure we remain the top choice for our customers,” said Michael Johnson, CEO of Metrc. 

Willow Industries Appoints Carly Bader As Manager Of Science

Willow Industries, a company focused on cannabis decontamination, announced last week the appointment of Carly Bader as manager of science. In this role, Carly will oversee the company's science team to ensure Willow's partners implement healthy practices across operations and cultivation.

Prior to joining Willow, Bader served as a senior microbiologist at Agrior/Botanacor, now SC Labs, one of the cannabis industry's oldest licensed testing labs and the first to develop a national hemp testing panel, where she was involved in all aspects of assays required for testing and managed the day-to-day operations at both the marijuana and hemp testing sites. Before her work at SC Labs, Carly was a supervisory analyst at AgriScience Laboratories, where she managed a team of microbiologists, analyzed client data, and routinely attended Colorado state regulatory meetings on cannabis topics.

"Carly has dedicated herself to the study of cannabis science, and her expertise in the field of microbiology will strengthen Willow's commitment to ensuring businesses provide consistently clean and safe products," Jill Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Willow Industries stated. "As we continue to scale our business, Carly will play an instrumental role in expanding our scientific knowledge base to provide our partners with the tools and resources they need to deliver the purest product to ensure consumer safety and quality assurance."

Photo: Benzinga Edit, Source: Shutterstock