Who's Who In Cannabis: January Executive Changes You Should Know About

Cannabis And Hemp Regulatory Appointments

Last week, Flora Growth Corp. FLGC announced that Clifford Starke, its CEO and director, has been elected to serve as chairman of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable board of directors. Starke said "momentum is swinging in the right direction" for hemp and cannabis, "given the current political environment."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Friday new appointments in his administration.

Besides naming Wendy Epstein as a member of the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Advisory Committee and Melody Spann Cooper as a member of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, Pritzker tapped Teresa Ramirez to serve as a member of the Employment Security Board of Review.

Ramirez has more than two decades of experience as an advocate for workers throughout the Illinois. She's an officer of Local 881 UFCW, currently serving more than 34,000 retail and grocery members as recorder and as the director of organizing, bringing vital union protections to cannabis workers statewide.

Top Cannabis Companies Name New CEOs, President

In the meantime, two cannabis giants named new CEOs in January. 4Front Ventures Corp. FFNT FFNTF kicked off 2024 by appointing Andrew Thut as CEO, succeeding Leo Gontmakher who remained on the board as a director and served as a consultant to the company.

The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc. CBST CBSTF 3LP announced a week later that the company's board of directors has named David Hart, previously the company's president and chief operating officer, as the new CEO. The board also appointed Jesse Channon, previously the company's chief commercial officer, as president.

See Also: Who’s Who In Cannabis: Latest Executive Changes You Should Know About

Board Changes

In January, four companies made changes to their respective boards of directors.

Rythmia Life Advancement Center, a medically licensed plant medicine-based personal transformation center, announced the appointment of entrepreneur Earl Koskie to its board of directors.

Organigram Holdings Inc. OGI OGI appointed Karina Gehring to its board at the company's annual general and special meeting held on Jan. 18. Gehring is one of two directors (including Simon Ashton) designated by BT DE Investments Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco plc, as nominees to the company's board. She has over 25 years of experience in marketing and trade at BAT.

California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis company, StateHouse Holdings Inc. STHZ STHZF said recently that J. Roy Pottle resigned from its board of directors, to pursue other opportunities.

SpringBig Holdings, Inc. SBIG, a provider of SaaS-based marketing solutions for cannabis companies, announced on Monday changes in its board of directors following the completion of its $8 million debt financing with a syndicate of lenders. Matt Sacks, a co-managing partner of Lightbank, and Shawn Dym, a co-lead investor in the debt financing through Shalcor Management Inc., have both joined the company's board of directors.

Now read: Latest Cannabis Hires: Three New CEOs And More

Other Leadership Changes In Cannabis Industry

MedMen Enterprises Inc. MMEN MMNFF said last week that Ellen Deutsch Harrison has stepped down as the CEO and a board member, after which the board appointed Richard Ormond as chief restructuring officer. Moreover, Michael Serruya, executive chairman of the board, who has served in this position since August 2021, has stepped down from the board effective today.

BZAM Ltd. BZAM BZAMF announced last week that Sean Bovingdon, chief financial officer, opted to leave his position on April 30, 2024, to pursue other opportunities. In conjunction with the transition, Bovingdon agreed to step down from the board of directors effective immediately, while Matt Milich, the company's CEO, agreed to join it to fill the vacancy.

California cannabis producer Lehua Brands welcomed four executives to its team earlier this month, as part of an expansion of its house of brands into Canada, including CEO Sierra Elaina, Vice President of Development Todd Menaker, Vice President of Operations Thomas Riddle and Director of Marketing Yorgi Spanos.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TRUL TCNNF has named Marie Zhang as its new chief operating officer, effective Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. Zhang has more than 25 years of experience in operational roles for private and public companies including Blaze Pizza, Focus Brands, Yum! Brands and ConAgra Foods.

Grown Rogue International Inc. GRIN GRUSF announced recent changes to its management team, including the promotion of Christian Stiers to national cultivation director and Seann Igoe to national post-harvest director. In addition, Cameron Correia was hired as the company's newly established vice president of business analytics, while Kala Bernhardt joined the executive team as corporate controller.

Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. HASH appointed Jeff Lawrence to the position of vice president of marketing and sales last week.

Consensus Holdings Arizona, a manufacturing and distribution company in the cannabis industry, has named Leah Sigety as its new chief operating officer.

The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), a global accreditation body, hired Scott Renkes as its new business development manager. As the latest addition to the business development team, Renkes is expected to create high-level business development strategies and work closely with prospective A2LA customers.

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