Marijuana Business Magazine September 2018

was the founder and chairman of Sofilia Logistics Group, a Canadian delivery logistics service, where he successfully acquired and integrated mid-market businesses. He also was regional director of United Parcel Service Canada. Maricann Hires European GM Ontario-based marijuana cultivator Maricann Group added Morten Lars Brandt as general manager, Europe. Brandt held progressively senior roles at a European specialist pharmaceutical company, Norgine, including vice president of medium-sized markets. He is based in Germany and will lead Maricann’s European pharmaceu- tical division. Maricann also tapped Thoralf Schlosser for its Euro- pean medical division. Schlosser held progressively senior roles at Catalent Pharma Solutions, Dynavax Tech- nologies’ European affiliate and Sandoz. Blockchain Firm Taps MJ Vet for Board Vancouver, British Columbia-based BlockStrain – a blockchain platform that registers and tracks canna- bis intellectual property – nabbed cannabis cultiva- tion veteran Derek Pedro for its advisory board. Pedro co-founded and was master grower at Ontario-based Maricann Group and is currently the design, cultivation and production partner at WeedMD, a licensed producer in Ontario. Pedro has been legally cultivating medi- cal cannabis in Canada since 2003. In 2009, he started Medical Marihuana Alliance and Resources, a cooperative business with 14 locations designed to provide low-cost medical cannabis to low-income patients. Australian Firm Hires CEO The Hydroponics Co. (THC) of Australia appointed bio- tech industry professional Ken Charteris as group CEO. Charteris will focus on expanding THC’s medicinal can- nabis business during the next phase of growth, includ- ing cultivation and manufacturing. He has more than 30 years of industry experience and has held various senior roles within THC. Canadian Drug Firm Gets New Board Member Vancouver, British Columbia-based Pascal Biosciences, a drug discovery and development company, appointed Julie Eastland to its board. Eastland most recently was chief business officer and CFO of Washington state- based Cascadian Therapeutics, where she negotiated and managed the company’s acquisition by Seattle Genetics in March 2018. Before joining Cascadian Therapeutics in 2010, she was the CFO and vice president of finance and operations of VLST Corp., a defunct Seattle biotechnol- ogy company. New CFO For Surna The board of directors at Boulder, Colorado-based Surna, a cultivation supplies company, appointed Mark Smiens as CFO and treasurer. Since August 2017, Smiens has been the CFO at U.S. Fence Solutions, a Colo- rado residential fencing company. From April 2015 to August 2017, he was CFO of private equity-owned Wildcat Minerals, an oil field services firm that was sold to a public company in 2017. From January 2010 to April 2015, Smiens was the CFO (North America) for SMA Solar Technology, a German publicly traded company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of high-tech solar equipment. Quebec CBD Firm Hires Sales, Security Pros LiveWell Canada, a CBD-focused wellness firm in Que- bec, appointed Peter Geimer as vice president of sales and marketing and Jean Bernard as vice president of information security and technology. Geimer previously held executive sales and marketing positions with Roche, Bioventus, Ondine Biomedical and Leo Pharma. Bernard previously worked as account manager and portfolio director for Eastern Canada clients at Avanade, a Seattle- based international IT consulting services company. Civilized Gets Audience Acquisition Expert Brad Schlachter joined Civilized, a Colorado-based cannabis publication, as director of audience acquisition. Schlachter most recently consulted for Los Angeles-based Jukin Media and Valorous TV, a digital TV-sub- scription service focused on “heroes.” He also served as the marketing lead for Motor Trend On Demand, a video and on-demand content service for automotive enthusiasts, and was vice president of mar- keting at Hallmark Labs, the digital, direct-to-consumer arm of Hallmark Cards. In addition, Schlachter held senior posts in interactive entertainment for Major League Baseball, Walt Disney, Sega and Microsoft. ◆ Hired or promoted someone for a senior-level position? Send a news release or general information to OmarS@ MJBizDaily.com. Mark Smiens Brad Schlachter September 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 115