Top Tier Management Crushing The Cannabis Sector as Sector Matures

POINT ROBERTS, Wash. and DELTA, British Columbia, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering hemp and cannabis stocks , looks at the growing demand to fill top tier management positions as the sector enters a new era of maturity. 

In a recent Forbes article, Jay Czarkowski, Co-founder of H2 Talent commented, “If I was a recruiting company and I reached out to one of these cannabis companies a few years ago, asked them for a fee and then tell them I’d find them an employee, they’d laugh. They weren’t that sophisticated. Right now, there are cannabis companies that are raising $100 million in funding. They’re looking for top-notch talent and not just within the industry but outside. They’re willing to pay a firm like H2 Talent to find these top executives to be successful.”

News of Carol Bartz, former CEO of Yahoo and Autodesk and former Cisco Board Member,  joining Caliva's (one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in California) Board of Directors, showcases the future of the sector. 

Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. (CSE: HARV) (OTCQX: HTHHF), with one of the largest cannabis footprints in the US, holding medical cannabis licenses in nine states and having plans to continue expanding throughout the United States and abroad, is also bringing in the ‘big guns’ when adding to management.

Harvest recently announced the appointment of John Cochran, COO. Cochran is the former CEO of multistate cannabis company, Loudpack Inc., former CEO of Ole Smoky Distillery, former CEO of Pabst Brewing Company and former President and COO of Fiji Water Company.

“With an aggressive growth plan for 2019 and beyond, attracting a world-class executive like John to work with our talented team and lead Harvest’s operations is very exciting,” said Harvest CEO Steve White. “John’s proven track record with some of the largest and best known multinational brands and companies will accelerate our growth as we aggressively expand into new markets. His cannabis experience is an added bonus.”

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX:TGOD) (OTC:TGODF) headline of ‘The Green Organic Dutchman Adds Deep Medical and Pharmaceutical Experience to its Board of Directors’ shows the direction of the industry. The company announced the appointment of Dr. Caroline MacCallum and Jacques Dessureault to its Board of Directors.

"Dr. MacCallum's vast experience in cannabinoid research will be invaluable to TGOD," commented Brian Athaide, CEO & Director of TGOD. "She has been recognized by her peers in the medical industry as an expert in medical cannabis with a focus on dosing, which will be critical as we prepare to launch a suite of multi-dose products under the recently announced Responsible Regulation of Edible Cannabis Products in Canada," continued Athaide.

Athaide went on, saying, "Mr. Dessureault's senior executive and entrepreneurial experience in growing businesses, improving efficiency and leading research & development teams will be invaluable to TGOD. As we advance the research and development arms of our Company, including our beverage science and research division, Jacques' experience will be critical to launching new novel and innovative product lines."

Another multi-state operator, Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCBB: CURLF) announced leadership team expansion with two new executive appointments. Neil Davidson was appointed CFO and Todd Goffman was appointed General Counsel and Secretary.

Curaleaf also announced two additional changes to further support the rapid growth of the business. Peter Clateman has been appointed EVP, Business Development, and Jonathan Faucher, EVP, Finance, will shift his focus to the business in Florida, a key growth state for the Company.

Aphria Inc. (TSX: APHA.TO) (NYSE: APHA), aiming to reestablish itself as an industry leader in the cannabis space, strategically used a key hire in December 2018, with the appointment of  Irwin D. Simon as Independent Chair of Aphria's Board of Directors.  Vic Neufeld, the current Chair, will remain Aphria's Chief Executive Officer and Director. Neufeld had been the target of negative media publicity and Simon’s entry was a signal to the market they understood the significance of management.