Marijuana Business Magazine January 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | January 2019 114   Aphria Hires Research Director Ontario-based licensed producer Aphria hired Jonathan Simone as director of research and clinical studies. Simone serves as the primary liaison between Aphria’s science, technical and med- ical division teams and outside med- ical, academic and clinical centers. Simone recently completed his Ph.D. in neurobiology and physiology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, where he was instrumental in the development of an award-win- ning, multidisciplinary cannabinoid research program. Ontario LP Gets Interim CEO FSD Pharma, a licensed Ontario can- nabis cultivation and research com- pany, appointed Dr. Raza Bokhari as interim CEO and chairman of the board of directors. Bokhari, a physi- cian-turned-entrepreneur, currently serves as chairman and CEO of PCL, a global diagnostic provider of addic- tion screening and opioid prescription monitoring. He is also the managing partner of RBx Capital and recipient of Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award. FSD’s board of directors also appointed Zeeshan Saeed as president and Anthony Durkacz as co-chair of the board. Saeed is an entrepreneur and a founding member of FV Pharma, a subsidiary of FSD, who was instrumen- tal in raising the original seed capital; he served as executive vice president before being promoted to president. Durkacz is currently a director of FSD Pharma and since 2014 has been a director and executive vice presi- dent at First Republic Capital. Promotions, New PR Head at Ontario Firm Beleave, a vertically integrated cannabis company in Ontario, pro- moted CEO Andrew Wnek and chief financial officer Bojan Krasic to chair of the board, and president and chief financial officer, respectively. Wnek joined the board in December 2015 and was appointed CEO of Beleave in October 2017. Krasic joined Beleave in early 2013 and has been instrumental in developing the company’s partner- ships and raising capital to fund new opportunities. In his expanded role, Krasic will help lead Beleave’s sales, marketing and retail teams. The company also hired a chief communications officer, Kevin Kea- gan , whose resume includes stints as head of equity trading at two of Canada’s biggest asset managers. Keagan also has been a board mem- ber of the Canadian Securities Trader Association and Institutional Equity Trader Association. Vancouver MJ Business Hires PR Specialist Harvest One, a Vancouver cannabis company, hired Will Stewart as sen- ior vice president for corporate and public affairs. Stewart is a longtime marijuana policy reform activist and cannabis business consultant. Marien Segovia also is joining Harvest One as corporate secretary. Segovia has nearly 20 years of expe- rience in the administration of public companies and has worked in senior roles at EMX Royalty, Great Panther Silver, Wiklow Corporate Services and Silvermex Resources. Blockstrain Appointment Blockstrain Technology in Vancouver appointed Swapan Kakumanu to take over as chief financial officer for Anthony Jackson , who resigned. Kakumanu has more than 25 years of senior finance and operations experience and has served at senior executive management levels in pub- lic and private companies in a variety of industries.   Board Members for BC Company with American Ambitions C21 Investments, a Vancouver-based cannabis investment firm with hold- ings in Nevada and Oregon, has two new board members. Michael Kidd is currently chief financial officer of C21 Investments. Previously, Kidd served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at E.C.S. Electrical Cable Supply, a privately held distrib- utor with operations in Canada and Dubai. Sky Pinnick is CEO of Phantom Farms, a canna- bis cultivation company founded in 2008. Last year, C21 Invest- ments agreed to acquire Phantom Farms. Pinnick began his career as a producer and senior designer at Microsoft Studios and then in 2000 started his own video production company. Pinnick also produces a one-hour TV show for NBC Sports, “Rally America,” and works as a commercial director for companies such as Face- book, Nike, Garmin and PetSmart.   MPP Appoints New Board Members The Marijuana Policy Project elected three new members from the busi- ness and public service sectors to serve on its nine-person board: • Sheri Orlowitz is a former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Jonathan Simone Courtesy Photo Sky Pinnick Courtesy Photo Sheri Orlowitz Courtesy Photo Industry Players | New Hires & Promotions