Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Ghost Drops, Virtual Medical International, Hemp Meds, Avicanna, Silver Therapeutics, Ayr Wellness

Former Ignite Exec Gene Bernaudo To Serve As CEO And Interim COO Of Ghost Drops

Ghost Drops has named cannabis expert Gene Bernaudo as its CEO and interim chief operating officer.

Bernaudo brings extensive business experience in establishing and building cannabis brands in Canada. Prior to this, he served as president and global head of cannabis for international cannabis brand Ignite.

"I am ecstatic to have been chosen to represent one of Canada's most iconic legacy brands through their transition into the legal market," Bernaudo said last Thursday. "Our differentiator is that we're bringing legacy market tools to the table and merging the best of both worlds."

Virtual Medical International Appoints Anthony Moore As Director And Board Chair

Hemp and CBD company Virtual Medical International, Inc. QEBR has tapped Anthony Moore to serve as director of the company and chairman of the board of directors.

Moore, who is currently based in Istanbul, is the founder and executive chairman of Evrensel Capital Partners.

He brings extensive global executive experience in government, public entities, financial institutions and corporates in Africa, India, the UAE/GCC and ASEAN.

"We are delighted to have Tony Moore join Virtual Medical as its Chairman," Larson Elmore, the company's CEO, said last week. "With his more than four decades of experience in the global financial services industry on four continents, Tony brings a wealth of knowledge, contacts and real-life key professional guidance to multiple public and private companies."

Medical Marijuana’s Subsidiary HempMeds Names UFC Champ Raoni Barcelos New Spokesperson

HempMeds welcomed five-time Brazilian national wrestling champion and professional UFC fighter Raoni Barcelos as its newest spokesperson.

The news was released Thursday by its parent company, Medical Marijuana, Inc. MJNA.

The two-time South-American Wrestling Champion featured at the “Fight of the Night” twice with the UFC has been using HempMeds’ CBD products to recover after training and fights.

“I hope to share knowledge with athletes around the world who could benefit from using CBD but are afraid to use the products or uninformed of how to use them,” Barcelos said.

“We are excited to begin this new project and begin partnering worldwide with professional athletes who may be able to improve their wellness by taking our products,” HempMeds CEO Raul Elizalde said.

Avicanna Elects Directors

Avicanna Inc. AVCN AVCNF (FSE:0NN) reported Thursday it has elected the following nominees as directors:

• Aras Azadian
• Dr. Chandrakant Panchal
• Setu Purohit
• Giancarlo Davila Char
• Flavio Jose Zaclis, a new board member who brings over two decades of experience in private equity, venture capital and entrepreneurial projects.
• Dr. Assad J. Kazeminy, a new board member, founder and former president and CEO of Irvine Pharmaceutical Services Inc. and Avrio Biopharmaceutical LLC.
• John McVicar is also a new board member and experienced senior finance executive with over three decades of Canadian and international experience in industry and professional services.

Former Grassroots Co-Founder Joshua Joseph Joins Silver Therapeutics Of Maine As Board Member

Former co-founder of Grassroots Cannabis - acquired by Curaleaf Holdings CURA CURLF in an $850 million deal in July 2020 – has returned to the cannabis industry after taking time to grow his Nashville-based family office, Big Plan Holdings,

Along with his partner, Joseph recently invested in Silver Therapeutics of Maine, which operates three dispensaries, one grow facility and a processing facility. They are in the process of launching three additional dispensaries in 2021.

Joseph will join the company's board of directors and assist in roll-up strategies, sourcing tuck-in acquisitions and raising capital across the country.

We are thrilled to become part of the growing cannabis communities in Maine and are looking forward to additional strategic market entry points," Joseph disclosed Friday.

Ayr Wellness Elects Directors

Vertically integrated cannabis company Ayr Wellness Inc. AYR AYRWF has re-appointed Jonathan Sandelman, Charles Miles, Chris R. Burggraeve, Louis F. Karger, Glenn Isaacson and William Pfeiffer as directors.

The Toronto-based company held its annual general and special meeting of shareholders on Thursday, June 24.

Photo by David Gabrić on Unsplash