Marijuana Business Magazine November-December 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | Month 2019 170  VP on a Mission Mission Dispensaries, a six-state medical cannabis dispensary chain affiliated with 4Front Ventures, hired Laurie Parfitt as the new vice president of customer engagement and marketing. Parfitt previously served as head of category management at Mizkan America, which produces Ragu and Bertolli pasta sauces, and as director of brand strategy at Topco, which provides professional services for food companies. She also previously held business and marketing roles at Walgreens, Jim Beam Brands and Kraft Foods.  Surterra Nabs Bacardi Exec, Enters Europe Atlanta-based multistate marijuana operator Surterra Wellness hired Lee Applbaum as its new chief marketing officer and Philippa Classey as the company’s first managing director in Europe. Applbaum joins Surterra from Bacardi Global Brands, where he was global CMO for Patrón tequila and Grey Goose vodka. At Bacardi, he led two global integrated marketing organizations across more than 165 countries, reporting to the global CEO. Applbaum also was CMO for Target Australia and held leadership marketing roles at RadioShack, Federated Department Stores and other consumer goods companies. Applbaum began his career at the Coca-Cola Co. Classey, who will be based in London, joins Surterra as its first international executive leadership teammember, signaling the company’s readiness to expand into Europe and other international markets. Prior to joining Surterra, Classey was the CMO of Harmless Harvest, where she reported to the CEO and oversaw the expansion plans of regulated coconut water. She also led the commercial launch of SmartWater and VitaminWater in Europe for the Coca-Cola Co., having worked in the company’s water and juice divisions for two decades. Linton Returns Ousted Canopy Growth co-CEO Bruce Linton is getting back into the marijuana business, resurfacing as a senior executive and adviser at two different U.S. cannabis companies. Linton is joining Michigan-based Gage Cannabis Co. as executive chairman at parent company Wolverine Part- ners. Gage said in a news release that it plans to change its corporate name fromWolverine Partners to Gage Growth Corp. and appoint Linton to his new post. Separately, Better Choice Co., a Florida company that makes CBD products, announced Linton would become an adviser. Better Choice said Linton would consult on expand- ing the company and cannabinoid animal research and intellectual prop- erty protection. Terms of the Better Choice’s arrangement with Linton were not disclosed. Caliva Grows Executive Team Caliva, one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in California, welcomed Jeffry R. Allen to its board of directors, Joseph Sequenzia as chief marketing officer, Leann Taylor as chief strategy officer and Drew Kornreich as chief mergers and acquisitions officer. Allen is former executive vice president of business operations and a board member at NetAPP, a California tech firm. One of Allen’s primary responsibilities will be leading Caliva’s audit committee. Sequenzia has worked for Pepsi, Nike, Starbucks, RJ Reynolds, Coca- Cola, Fox, McDonalds, American Express, MasterCard, Porsche, Virgin Megastores, ABC Networks and other companies. Before joining Caliva, Taylor served as head of investor relations at Warner Music Group and also spent eight years in executive and operational roles at Gartner Inc. Kornreich was the co-founder, president and general counsel of HighTower Holding, a wealth- management firm. Prior to HighTower, he was also a founding member of Camping World, which operates a network of recreational vehicle dealerships. Ex-NBA Forward Joins Cannabis Company Former NBA standout-turned- successful-businessman Jamal Mashburn  is joining Revolution Enterprises, a growing three-state cannabis company based in Chicago. Mashburn also founded the Mashburn Family Foundation, which raises funds for scholarships and mentoring programs, and the Mashburn Scholarship Fund, which finances the educations of promising underprivileged students in Kentucky. Mashburn has interests in more than 100 franchise locations including Outback Steakhouse, Papa John’s Pizza and Lexus and Toyota dealerships. At Revolution, he will advise the board and executives on operations, marketing and social- equity issues. The Green Solution Reorganizes Management The Green Solution, one of the largest cannabis dispensary companies in Colorado, has reorganized its executive team. Steve Lopez has been promoted from chief Lee Applbaum Industry Players | New Hires & Promotions