Willow Industries Founder & CEO, Jill Ellsworth
Fueled by her passion for innovation and dedication to health, Jill Ellsworth has made a career of creating solutions for better living. Prior to launching Willow Industries, Jill founded Vibrant Earth Juices (VEJ), a Santa Barbara-based cold-pressed organic juice company. Jill became passionate about pasteurization techniques, employing High Pressure Processing (HPP) to prevent microbial growth […]
VERSES CEO, Gabriel René
Gabriel René is CEO and co-founder of VERSES, developer of COSM™, an operating system for AI, and author of the #1 International Bestseller “The Spatial Web – How Web 3.0 Connects Humans, Machines, and AI to Transform the World”. As an emerging technology pioneer, Gabriel has architected enterprise and consumer software and services in partnership […]
Apex Trading & Bushel44 Founder & CEO, John Manlove
John Manlove is the founder and CEO of Apex Trading and Bushel44, two industry leading technology platforms in the emerging cannabis and hemp verticals. An industry pioneer, who helped launch the first legal cannabis wholesale marketplace in the United States while simultaneously running a distribution company supporting over 300 brands throughout California, John brings a […]
1906 New Highs CEO & Co-Founder, Peter Barsoom
Nuka & 1906 CEO and Co-founder Peter Barsoom, has an extensive career experience in finance and business strategy, holding a variety of senior management positions at leading institutions including American Express, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Blue Mountain Capital and Intercontinental Exchange. In 2015, Mr. Barsoom left the financial industry to found Nuka Enterprises (Nuka) a […]
How to Cultivate Accountability in Leadership
If you want a high-performance culture in your company, you’ll need accountability in leadership. Accountability is one of the most important leadership traits. If leaders aren’t accountable, who will be? The culture of your organization, after all, is a mirror reflection of what is modeled from the top. To build this positive trait within your […]
ShaeWellness VP of Education, Dr. Cam McDonald
Dr. Cam McDonald is a leader, educator, scientist, motivator and father. As VP of Education of ShaeWellness, Dr. Cam is driven to increase awareness around the need for a personalised approach to leadership and workplace wellness. This work, while in true alignment with his mission of creating tangible and healthy change in the world, has […]
Jushi Holdings Inc. Chief Commercial Director, Trent Woloveck
Trent Woloveck brings singular strategic planning and strong business acquisition and cannabis development experience to his role as Chief Commercial Director at Jushi Holdings Inc. Trent formerly served as President of TGS National Holdings (an affiliate of The Green Solution), as well as COO at American Cannabis Company, where he worked with his clients to […]
How to Identify Key Leadership Characteristics
Integrity. Influence. Self-awareness. Empathy. What are the most essential characteristics of leadership? It’s a topic of endless debate, but most everyone can agree on one thing: Leaders show others the way. Granted, it may not always be the right way, but where leaders go, others follow. Leaders have always been important, but in this nearly […]
Bhang Inc. President & CEO, Jamie L. Pearson
Jamie L. Pearson is the President & CEO of Bhang Inc. [CSE:BHNG OTCQB:BHNGF]. A rare, second-generation cannabis executive, she has decades of experience in global operations, deal structuring and negotiation as a multi-national real estate investor. Fluent in German and English, Jamie is responsible for Bhang’s capital markets division, national and international expansion, and overall […]
House of Puff Founder & CEO, Kristina Lopez Adduci
Kristina Lopez Adduci is the founder and CEO of House of Puff, a Latina-led and women-owned cannabis lifestyle company based in NYC. Kristina launched House of Puff to help women consume cannabis unapologetically, making it chic and effortless. Hailing from the art world, she marries these worlds with art-inspired cannabis products that women can […]
Happi President, Lisa Hurwitz
Lisa is the President of Happi, the first THC-infused beverage to launch in the state of Michigan, which she co-founded and leads with her partner Joe Reynolds. Happi’s all-natural sparkling water beverages are made with simple ingredients, organic fruit, they are vegan and have just 15-25 calories. Designed for the cannacurious woman, Happi combines Lisa’s […]
Leaf Trade Founder & CEO, James Yi
In the Cannabis space, James stands apart as someone with both keen industry understanding and proven technology experience, having previously co-founded NextME, a B2B software provider across multiple industries including restaurants and healthcare, and serving as a cannabis industry consultant for several MSO license holders including serving as VP of Business Development at Windy City […]
Business Strategist & Marketing Leader, Annie Davis
Annie Davis is a business strategist and marketing leader with nearly 20 years of experience building lasting teams and brands for companies spanning consumer packaged goods, renewable energy, natural products and cannabis. In 2018, she transitioned her career into the legal cannabis industry, where she’s led Marketing functions for several of California’s largest […]
Wana Brands CEO, Nancy Whiteman
Heralded as “The Queen of Legal Weed” by Inc. (May 2017) and “The Martha Stewart of Edibles” by Entrepreneur (Jan. 2019), Nancy Whiteman is co-founder and CEO of Wana Brands, a top international brand already available in more than 3,000 dispensaries across the United States and Canada. Nancy leads the company’s strategic vision and […]
C3 Industries Co-founder, President, & CFO, Vishal Rungta
Vishal Rungta is Co-founder, President and Chief Financial Officer of C3 Industries Inc. To date, Vishal has overseen approximately $100 million in capital investment for C3, leveraging his expansive network of business professionals in addition to his expertise in business strategy, capital structure and risk management. Vishal also co-founded and now serves on the board […]
How to Turn Virtual Onboarding Challenges into Opportunities
An employee’s earliest experiences with the company can pave the way to future successes. These experiences include virtual onboarding. Remote working environments complicate every aspect of the hiring experience. But the hiring process doesn’t end with the job offer. Now is the time to introduce new hires to the company, their team members and help […]
Headset Director of Industry Relations, Jocelyn Sheltraw
Jocelyn Sheltraw is the Director of Industry Relations at Headset, responsible for internal and external strategies to build Headset’s brand awareness, community development, and market expansion across North America. Jocelyn is a vocal cannabis advocate and industry thought leader, involved in various cannabis associations, committees, social equity programs, as well as regular speaker at various […]
The Great Resignation: How to Preventing C-Suite Turnover
Some 4.4 million employees, or 3% of workers, left their jobs in September 2021, leaving employers scrambling to fill vacancies, particularly in the low-income sectors. A large portion of this number, 40%, came from bars and restaurants, hospitality, health care, travel and manufacturing industries. These are traditionally low-paying, high-stress jobs that were among the hardest […]
5 C-Suite Leadership Goals to Start the New Year with Intention
Ring in a new year and another opportunity for a fresh start toward achieving your leadership goals. The good news is that you don’t have to make sweeping changes. James Clear, author of the New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, suggests that if you can live one percent better each day, you’ll be 37 times […]
Creo Inc. CMO, Shuchi Sarkar
Shuchi Sarkar is currently CMO of a biotech start-up, Creo Inc. Creo, is an ingredient platform, producing rare and novel cannabinoids, through a fusion of technology and fermentation, with multiple benefits to humans. In her current role she is responsible for driving the go-to-market strategy, brand building, PR and communications, category growth and demand […]
Cannabis Entrepreneur, Investor, & Thought Leader, Armen Yemenidjian
In 2017, Armen was named to Vegas Inc.’s prestigious “40 Under 40” list and in 2018, he was named as one of High Times’ “100 Most Influential People in Cannabis.” Armen Yemenidjian began his career at Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in August 2009 in the Marketing Department, subsequently moving to Casino […]
Using LinkedIn for Executive Recruitment: Benefits and Drawbacks
Many people use LinkedIn as an executive recruitment tool when seeking qualified candidates. The platform showcases tons of experienced professionals and, on the surface, appears to be the best place to start looking for good people. And, for some companies, it may be. But is it right for your business? There are advantages to using […]
Hiring Your First COO? How to Set a Competitive COO Salary
The name of the game is engaging and retaining top talent. So, in an increasingly competitive market, how do you set a solid COO salary? In addition to being the CEO’s right arm, the chief operating officer is the go-to person when it comes to leading the day-to-day workings of any business. Given this, a […]
CEO vs. COO: How To Create an Optimal C-Suite Team
The C-suite team consists of an organization’s top senior executives such as the chief executive officer, chief information officer, chief technology officer, chief people officer, etc. Executives in the C-suite are the leaders in an organization and ensure that a company follows its projected plan and growth. Although each executive in the C-suite serves a […]
Inclusive Leadership: What It Means and Why It Matters
There are plenty of checkbox diversity and inclusion initiatives. But inclusion isn’t simply about hiring the right number of people from the right categories. Inclusivity is the creation of a culture where diverse people feel welcome. To have a really diverse workplace requires inclusive leadership. When people feel included, they show up wholeheartedly. They exceed […]
The Role of CPO & Its Evolving Importance for Businesses
Chief people officer (CPO) is a relatively recent title, perhaps not even two decades old. Not too long ago, the highest-ranking human resources professional was typically not considered a member of the C-suite. They were often called the human resources manager, director, or simply the head of HR. And even today, in some companies the […]
Chief Technology Officer: Key Skills, Competencies and Responsibilities
Every company must be able to keep up with a rapidly changing competitive environment and the speed of the digital age. That’s where the chief technology officer (CTO) comes in. The recent pandemic underscores the fact that technology disruption can bring a business to its knees, virtually overnight. Scores of business were forced to work […]
