Marijuana Business Magazine November December 2018

118 • Marijuana Business Magazine • November/December 2018 SPEAKERS TO WATCH Codie is an entrepreneur, investor and speaker who’s built a highly successful asset-management business in Latin America and served as an investment consultant at companies such as Facebook, Apple and Amazon. Codie has early stage investments in cannabis companies that include Cresco Capital, Blue Bonnet Ventures and several private entities. She started her career as an award- winning journalist and has worked at Goldman Sachs, State Street and Vanguard. Codie also hosts the podcast, “The Struggle Isn’t Real.” Shanita added the cannabis sector to a portfolio heavy on consulting experience in 2015. She founded Budding Solutions with the hope of changing the perception of marijuana on a worldwide basis. Certified in project management, Shanita has helped clients work toward creating compliant marijuana companies and to be active in the industry and their communities. She serves as board president of the Minority Cannabis Business Association and is a member of the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association’s Board of Trustees. Ryan joined Denver-based Native Roots in 2016 as Chief Revenue Officer and was promoted to CEO in 2017. Since taking the helm, he has concentrated on growing Native Roots while keeping the company’s focus on community and customer experience. Before entering the cannabis industry, Ryan served as a manager at RevGen Partners, a business and technology consulting firm, and as a business consultant for Hitachi Consulting. Those experiences helped inform Ryan on the importance of critical thinking and explaining the “why” to employees to increase team buy-in. Codie Sanchez Partner & CPG Investor, CS Ventures Shanita Penny Principal Consultant, Budding Solutions Ryan Brown CEO, Native Roots Dispensary MJBizCon 2018 Preview KEYNOTE SPEAKER Torsten Kuenzlen CEO, Sundial Growers Torsten brings extensive Fortune 500 experience to the emerging cannabis industry. Torsten spent 25 years in executive leadership positions on three continents, playing key roles at companies such as Coca-Cola and MolsonCoors. At Sundial – one of Canada’s largest cannabis companies – he is building a world-class team and executing a plan to create a global business and brands. Sundial will use state-of-the-art cultivation facilities across Canada to produce more than 100 million grams of highest quality cannabis, making it one of the industry leaders domestically and internationally. With over 150 speakers and 65 sessions, here are some of our top speakers to look out for.