Key Marijuana Executive Changes: Who Will Lead MariMed After CEO's Passing? MJBiz CEO Steps Down

MJBiz CEO To Step Down

Marijuana Business Daily's Chris Walsh will step down as CEO in January.

The move comes nearly a year after Denver-based cannabis publishing and trade show business was acquired by Emerald X, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emerald Holding, Inc. EEX for $120 million in cash plus potential earnouts.

"This is the natural evolution of companies, industries and my career," Walsh said. "Things change. MJBiz is in a great place."

Walsh joined MJBiz in 2011 as its founding editor. In 2020 he was named the company's CEO.

MariMed Names Interim CEO After Fireman's Passing

MariMed, Inc.'s MRMD MRMD board of directors has recently tapped president Jon Levine to serve as its interim CEO.

Robert Fireman, who served as MariMed's chairman, CEO and co-founder died unexpectedly on Dec. 11.

"With a heavy heart on the news of Robert Fireman's passing, appointing Jon Levine as Interim Chief Executive Officer was an easy decision," Edward Gildea, one of MariMed's independent directors said. "As President, Jon has managed the day-to-day facets of MariMed's operations, and as co-founder of MariMed, has the experience and knowledge of the company's inner workings and growth strategy that are crucial at this juncture."

The Norwood, Massachussets-based company said it plans to conduct a process to identify a permanent CEO, which may include external and internal candidates.

Rubicon Organics Elects Directors

Rubicon Organics Inc. ROMJ ROMJF recently announced the voting results from its annual general and special shareholders meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The company's leadership set the number of directors of the company at five, electing Jesse McConnell, Margaret Brodie, John Pigott, David Donnan and Melanie Ramsey for the ensuing year.

InMed Names Interim CFO

InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. INM named Jonathan Tegge to be its new interim CFO as part of a service contract with Brio Financial Group to provide senior financial leadership and bookkeeping services.

Tegge is also a member of Brio, a financial and management consulting group based in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The company also said that its auditor, KPMG LLP, has resigned effective as of Dec. 8 and that the audit committee of the company's board of directors approved the engagement of Marcum LLP as its auditor, subject to Marcum's completion of their client acceptance procedures.

Green Thumb Strengthens Leadership Team With New Additions

Green Thumb Industries Inc. GTII GTBIF, the owner of RISE Dispensaries, recently announced the appointment of four executive leadership positions and one new board member.

The leadership promotions include Anthony Georgiadis to president, Matt Faulkner to CFO and Bret Kravitz to general counsel and secretary, as well as the appointments of Rachel Albert to a chief administrative officer and Dawn Wilson Barnes to the company's board of directors. These appointments will be effective Jan. 1, 2023.

"These changes reflect the natural evolution of high-performing team members to positions of greater responsibility and demonstrate our conviction in the strength of our leadership," said Ben Kovler, the company's founder, chairman and CEO.

Skye Bioscience Names First CSO

Skye Bioscience, Inc. SKYE has hired Chris Twitty, Ph.D., as its first chief scientific officer.

Twitty brings more than 25 years of life science research and drug development experience. In his new position, he will be responsible for leading the strategic development of Skye's scientific estate.

Twitty, CSO recently at Onchilles Pharma, was also the director and head of clinical sciences and then VP of R&D and CSO at Oncosec Medical. He began his career at Bayer BAYRY and also worked in research at Cell Genesys and Tocagen.

Punit Dhillon, CEO and chair of Skye, called Twitty "an accomplished scientist and executive highly skilled in clinical translational science, which will broaden our understanding of this class of molecules."

Zoned Properties Announces AL Brokerage Office, New Appointment

Zoned Properties, Inc. ZDPY is launching its new brokerage office in Alabama. As part of the expansion, the company tapped Chey Garrigan to serve as a qualifying broker for the state market.

Garrigan has built a strong presence in her home state of Alabama as a licensed real estate broker specializing in land issues. For the past three years, Garrigan has served as the chief executive director of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association, an organization that she founded in 2019.

"We are thrilled to expand our national brokerage and create a local presence in Alabama," Berekk Blackwell, COO and president at Zoned Properties, said. "The state has a comprehensive application process and Chey brings extensive experience in commercial real estate."

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