As Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference returns on September 13-14 to Chicago, gathering top CEOs, investors and leaders in the industry, let's scroll through the latest leadership changes within the space.
US Cannabis Council Names New CEO
Last week, the U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC) announced that it has taped Khadijah Tribble to serve as its new CEO, succeeding Steven Hawkins, who led USCC since its founding in February 2021.
Tribble founded Marijuana Matters in 2020, an organization that operates as a cannabis education and advocacy incubator. Currently, she serves as senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at USCC member company Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE:CURA) (OTCQX:CURLF), a role she will continue in during her interim term as CEO.
"The US Cannabis Council unites my deep commitment to cannabis legalization with my passion for addressing the harms of prohibition," Tribble said in a press release. "My priority is advancing meaningful cannabis reforms through Congress this year that will provide the foundation for achieving our ultimate goal of federal descheduling while fostering an equitable and inclusive legal cannabis industry."
Akanda Strengthens Leadership Team to Scale Medical Cannabis Platform Across Europe
International medical cannabis platform company Akanda Corp. (NASDAQ:AKAN) has appointed Tom Flow to serve as its COO and managing director of Holigen, and Steven George to the role of commercial director.
Flow is an accomplished global business leader with over 15 years of direct cannabis industry experience emphasizing facility design and operations, including multiple large-scale EU GMP-certified cultivation facilities.
George joins Akanda with extensive experience in the financial services and cannabis sectors. He served as both Iberian Country Manager and European Alliance Manager at Tilray Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY).
"Adding proven and elite global cannabis executives like Tom and Steven is an important milestone for Akanda, expanding our capabilities and growing our leadership as we scale," Tej Virk, the company's CEO, said. "These hires are illustrative of the ongoing work we're doing to build the best team possible to engage Europe's rapidly growing cannabis market."
Day One Beverages Bolsters Its Board Of Directors With New Appointment
Day One Beverages has welcomed Thomas Salaba to its board of directors.
Salaba is a veteran in the beverage business sector with extensive expertise in beverage marketing, distribution, and retail strategy. He spent 25 years at Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (NYSE:BUD).
"Tom's prolific career at Anheuser-Busch and nearly 40 years of experience building beverage brands will support Day One's hyper-aggressive distribution and marketing goals," Chris Clifford, founder and CEO of Day One Beverages said. "Tom's reputation in the industry speaks for itself and we both look forward to bringing this Golden Case opportunity to best-in-class distributors across the country."
Isracann Biosciences Welcomes Super Bowl MVP & Mental Health Advocate Mark Rypien To Advisory Board
Isracann Biosciences Inc. (CSE:IPOT) (XFRA: A2PT0E) (OTC:ISCNF) has welcomed Super Bowl XXVI MVP and mental health advocate Mr. Mark Rypien to its advisory board.
Rypien spent 13 years in the NFL, during which he was named to the All-Madden Team in 1992 and twice named to the Pro Bowl.
"As is widely reported and, as a result of sustained trauma during that time, Mark has suffered and continues to deal with some long-term effects," CEO Phil Floucault said. "It is his advocacy for other athletes, military and civilians that brought us together."
Unrivaled Brands Names Interim CLO
Unrivaled Brands, Inc. (OTCQX:UNRV) named Robert Baca as an interim chief legal officer, on the heels of naming Sabas Carrillo as interim CEO.
Baca has over a decade of experience as a corporate attorney and consultant focused on mergers, acquisitions and leveraged finance transactions and is a California cannabis industry veteran.
Prior to representing clients in the cannabis industry, Baca practiced as a corporate attorney at institutions including the New York offices of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Paul Hastings, LLP, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS).
Baca currently serves as legal affairs and innovation manager at Adnant, LLC and is an adjunct law professor at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, teaching The Practice and Business of Cannabis Law.
"Robert is an aggressive and experienced advocate appropriate for this moment in Unrivaled's history. His experience in cannabis and in corporate transactions will make him an important part of the Unrivaled team," Sabas said.
Cannabis Life Sciences Names New CEO and Board Member
CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (OTCQB:CLSH) (CSE:CLSH), which operates as Cannabis Life Sciences, recently announced the resignation of CEO and chairman Jeff Binder, as well as the subsequent appointment of Andrew Glashow as CEO, and the addition of a new member to the board of directors, David Zelinger.
Glashow, who will keep his position as the company's president, has over two decades of experience in capital markets, cannabis, and various leadership positions.
"In working closely with Andrew during my time at CLS, I have confidently recognized that his leadership will continue building our momentum and bring our brand to new heights," Binder said. "I am grateful for my time as CEO and look forward to seeing CLS further its growth and accomplishments with Andrew at the top."
After spending eight years in investment banking, with executive positions at Archeus Capital and Deutsche Bank, as well as holding various roles in both startups and multi-national fintech firms, Zelinger entered the cannabis industry in 2021.
He joined LeafLink to help build their funding and technology solutions business in the Nevada market, gaining insight into the infrastructure of the cannabis market.
In addition, he recently left this position to rejoin the fintech industry as the chief operating officer for RTX Fintech & Research.
Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference
Meet a slew of cannabis execs, entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, et al. at the September Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, Sept. 13-14 in Chicago. Get your tickets HERE and reserve your spot at the Palmer House Hotel HERE.
Benzinga photo. Source: Image from Shutterstock
