2023 Off To A Busy Start: Top Cannabis Execs Making Moves, Will They Attend Benzinga's April Event?

As the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference returns to Miami (April 11-12), gathering top CEOs, investors and leaders in the marijuana industry, let's scroll through some executive moves from the first two months of 2023.

Humble & Fume's New CEO

Starting off with Humble & Fume Inc.'s HUMBF HMBL newly named CEO Jakob Ripshtein, who chaired the company's board of directors prior to his January appointment.

Ripshtein has over three decades of experience in corporate strategy, marketing and sales, as well as a deep understanding of the cannabis industry, having served in leading roles in Tilray Inc.'s TLRY Aphria and Diageo Canada DEO. 

After being named chairman of the board of YourWay Cannabis in March 2022, Ripshtein shared his insights on how to run consumer-centered branding in the cannabis space at Benzinga's cannabis event held in Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Florida.

Green Check Verified's Exec Joins Massachusetts Cannabis Board

Meanwhile, Green Check Verified, a regtech company focused on compliant cannabis banking solutions and services, took pride when its banking regulatory specialist Meaka Brown was appointed to the newly formed Cannabis Social Equity Fund Advisory Board in Massachusetts.

As a new advisory board member, Brown will help social equity cannabis businesses include a diverse group of individuals from various segments of the industry.

April's Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami will feature Green Check Verified CEO and co-founder Kevin Hart, who has four decades of business software experience. The company recently completed a $6 million Series A funding round led by Mendon Venture Partners.

WeedTube Names New CEO

Moving on to WeedTube and Maggie Adair, a political powerhouse who agreed to serve as the new CEO of the Denver-based social media platform for legal cannabis consumers in February.

Adair has a communications and political management background while bringing marketing and fundraising expertise to the table.

The George Washington University graduate also has a successful career in the political realm of Washington D.C., working for top political officials in media, campaigns and in the tech field.

Arend Richard, the company's co-founder, said that Adair's leadership skills will take WeedTube to "the next level, cementing the platform's place as a leader in the marketplace."

Canadian Cannabis Retailer Taps Experienced Exec As CFO

Next up, we have Canadian retailer Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. FFLWF FAF, which recently tapped John Chou to oversee its finance department.

Before joining Fire & Flower management, Chou was CFO of the Flowr Corporation ((TSX.V: FLWR) FLWPF and Terrace Global Inc, as well as VP{ of finance of Gran Colombia Gold Corp. and Frontera Energy Corp.

Stéphane Trudel, the company's CEO, praised Chou's skills citing his "contribution towards growing the strategic objectives of the business" during his tenure as interim CFO.

MariMed Strengthens Leadership Team

Cannabis multi-state operator MariMed, Inc. MRMD MRMD wrapped up January by announcing two new appointments that strengthened the leadership team led by CEO and president Jon Levine, also a speaker at April's Cannabis Capital Conference.  

Matt Truppo, who joined the company as vice president of retail sales, has extensive senior-level retail operations experience, including serving as VP of retail in Pennsylvania and Illinois for cannabis operator Ayr Wellness Inc. AYR AYRWF. He also worked for such retailers as Banana Republic, Helly Hansen and Abercrombie & Fitch. At MariMed, he will be responsible for maximizing revenue and profitability of the company's owned and managed dispensaries.

Jay O'Malley agreed to serve as VP of marketing, research & development. O'Malley spent two decades at the Boston Beer Company where he most recently served as director of commercial operations. In his new role, he will drive strategies to increase the purchase of MariMed's award-winning products through the wholesale channel.

Dama Financial's New CEO

Lastly, we have cannabis banking and payments fintech Dama Financial and its new CEO Patrick O'Boyle who brings over three decades of experience in the payments and financial services industry. Most recently he served as SVP of the banking partner division at Talus Pay. He was also a founding partner of MSP Consulting and a former partner with Accenture.

Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference

The most successful cannabis business event in the world, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, returns to Miami for its 16th edition.
This is the place where DEALS GET DONE, where money is raised, M&A starts, and companies meet investors and key partners. Join us at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida on April 11-12. Don’t miss out.

Photo: Courtesy of Hunters Race on Unsplash