Marijuana Business Magazine February 2020

Marijuana Business Magazine | February 2020 102 Canopy Chooses Klein as CEO Canada’s largest cannabis company by revenue, Ontario-based Canopy Growth, appointed David Klein as CEO, effective Jan. 15. Klein currently serves as Canopy’s board chair and until recently was chief financial officer at Constellation Brands, a New York-based alcohol giant that became the company’s largest shareholder in 2019. Klein takes over from Mark Zekulin , who agreed to remain Canopy’s sole CEO after the board of directors fired co-CEO Bruce Linton last July. Canopy also appointed Judy Hong as vice president of investor relations. Hong most recently served as a managing director at Goldman Sachs’ global investment research division covering the U.S. beverage and tobacco sectors. She will be based in New York and report to executive vice president and chief financial officer Mike Lee.  Harborside Poaches Canndescent CFO Oakland, California- based Harborside, a vertically integrated cannabis company, appointed Tom DiGiovanni as chief financial officer. Former CFO Keith Li will stay with the company as vice president of finance. DiGiovanni, a certified public accountant, most recently was a founding partner and the CFO at Southern California cultivator Canndescent, where he managed the day-to-day financial accounting and reporting functions as well as implemented banking, financing and cash-management procedures. DiGiovanni’s pre-Canndescent roles included CFO of Mainstream Energy. Harborside also announced the appointment of Conrad Gregory , the company’s head of government relations, to the California Cannabis Industry Association board of directors. His tenure started Jan. 14. Gregory has led Harborside’s government-relations division since 2016. Previously, he ran several successful political campaigns on the local, state and federal levels before joining the staff of then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gregory eventually rose to chief consultant for economic and cannabis policy. Two Key Execs Exit Aurora Cannabis Aurora Cannabis, one of Canada’s most prominent marijuana companies, lost two of its most important executives at a crucial time for the Alberta-based firm. Chief Global Business Development Officer Neil Belot quietly left Aurora in December. Belot was one of Aurora’s most important executives as the international cannabis company executed its business plan in global markets. Aurora confirmed that Belot “chose to move on from his role” on Dec. 13. Exactly a week after Belot’s exit, Cam Battley stepped away from his position as chief corporate officer. In an email to Marijuana Business Daily , the company noted that Battley was asked to step down Dec. 20. The two executives’ departures come as Aurora is rolling out its roster of Cannabis 2.0 products across Canada and is still integrating a slate of corporate acquisitions from 2018 and 2019. The company also is turning its focus away from expansion and toward execution as it failed to meet investors’ expectations in recent quarters. Another CEO Change at High Times High Times Holding Corp. appointed Stormy Simon , former president of online retailer Overstock.com, to replace former CEO Kraig Fox , left Los Angeles-based High Times after only nine months. Simon served in various roles at Overstock.com for 15 years and has been on the High Times board of directors for the past two years. In a related move, the company also appointed a new president, Paul Henderson , who formerly was CEO of California-based marijuana firm Grupo Flor. The announcement came as High Times disclosed plans to open its first cannabis retail stores, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as part of a strategy to diversify the business. VanderMarel Steps Down from Beleave Jeannette VanderMarel announced her departure as CEO of Canadian cannabis producer Beleave after fewer than two months on the job. VanderMarel disclosed her resignation on social media, saying she “happily resigned” from the struggling com- pany in Flamborough, Ontario. She remains director of Toronto-based license holder 48North. VanderMarel had embarked on an ambitious plan to turn around Beleave after joining the company at the end of October. Khiron Shuffles Board Sidney Himmel resigned as director and chair of the board of directors at Khiron Life Sciences, a Toronto- based, vertically integrated cannabis company with core operations in Latin America, to pursue other interests. Khiron’s board appointed CEO Alvaro Torres as interim board chair until a new independent director is appointed. Khiron’s board also chose Deborah Rosati to replace Himmel as chair of the board’s audit committee. Rosati’s experience includes serving as chair of the audit committee at Lift & Co. and chair of the audit committee at Sears Canada, among other positions. Industry Players | New Hires & Promotions Tom DiGiovanni