Troy Henderson

Account Executive, Virox Technologies Inc.

Troy Henderson is a cannabis industry consultant with more than 5 years of experience in infection prevention and control. He specializes in streamlining and designing biosecurity programs for cannabis producers, and has worked with over 150 LPs across Canada implementing and training employees on best-in-class protocols and products.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Gaia Green Organics

Av Singh is one of the leading proponents of regenerative organic cannabis production being engaged in cannabis projects across six continents. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 600 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Drew Emmer

Strategic Relationships, Boveda Inc.

Drew Emmer’s career has included a variety of sales and business development roles in technology, publishing, music, government and regulatory consulting. Drew joined Boveda in 2015 in the business development role titled Strategic Relationships.  He supports the Sales and Marketing teams anchoring many of Boveda’s trade show appearances worldwide.  Co-host of Boveda’s Cultivate Podcast Drew joins Scott Swail in delivering interviews about the people and technology that are blazing a trail in the cannabis industry.

Born in Minnesota Drew is enthusiastic about all things outdoors.

Scott Swail

Sales Executive, Boveda Inc.

Scott Swail, Sales Executive, is responsible for helping Canadian cannabis companies grow their
business and maintain their flower quality from cure to consumption. Scott has worked in the
Canadian cannabis market for over 5 years, providing the terpene shield to B2B customers ranging
from local retail stores and craft growers to the largest LPs. Scott has vast knowledge of water
activity and the role it plays in proper cannabis storage and also co-hosts the Cultivate Live podcast
every week.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Gaia Green Organics

Av Singh is one of the leading proponents of regenerative organic cannabis production being engaged in cannabis projects across six continents. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 600 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Trevor Millar

Owner Liberty Root Therapy Ltd.

Trevor Millar is a social-entrepreneur who has played a role in advancing the psychedelic movement for nearly a decade. He has the unique perspective of having operated a business where he legally administered psychedelics to over 200 people within Canada, mostly for substance use disorder. He is a board member and co-founder of the Canadian Psychedelic Association and from 2018 to 2021 was on the board of directors for the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada, where he acted as Chair of the Board for over two years. From 2012 to 2017, Trevor was active as the founder and President of Liberty Root Therapy Inc., a business dedicated to healing and transformation by legally providing the plant medicine ibogaine to people mostly with opiate use disorder. Trevor was featured in the award-winning documentary about using magic mushrooms and Iboga to treat addiction, anxiety and depression called DOSED, which was released in 2019. He also serves as Chief Psychede

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Gaia Green Organics

Av Singh is one of the leading proponents of regenerative organic cannabis production being engaged in cannabis projects across six continents. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 600 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Kieley Beaudry

Co-founder of Parkland Flower Inc.

Mother, caregiver, relationship builder, entrepreneur and self-described “serial student”, Kieley Beaudry is the co-founder of Parkland Flower Inc. and the Founder and President of the Alberta Cannabis Micro License Association.

A cannabis user for 25 years, her personal journey as a caregiver using cannabis therapies started in 2013 when her father-in-law was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a series of brain tumours. To help him sustain quality of life, Kieley and her husband researched and made cannabis oil when they found his options for cannabinoid therapies were limited during end-of-life care.

As a mother to an 8-year-old daughter who lives with Cystic Fibrosis, Kieley’s research extended further into her family life as she began treating her daughter’s symptoms with cannabis. These experiences led to Kieley devoting her time to other families, helping them navigate treating their children who live with chronic disease or illness holistically with cannabis. She encourages parents to be responsible for their cannabis consumption while advocating for the normalization of cannabis as part of a healthy family dynamic.

Kieley has applied her years of intense research of cannabis into developing different oils, topicals, tinctures, lotions and suppositories from legal cannabis products while helping people navigate Canada’s medical cannabis program. Kieley also has developed an interest in the connection between cannabis and sexual health, taking the taboo out of both topics by talking about each openly and honestly through her platforms.

As a self-named “serial student”, Kieley has enjoyed education at Western University, Fanshawe College, and received an Occupational Health and Safety Diploma, with distinction, in 2009 from the University of Alberta, after receiving her Workforce Trainer Certification from Keyano College. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health at Columbia Southern University and her Diploma of Organic Skincare Formulation from Formula Botanica. Kieley continues to passionately educate herself about cannabis by attending and speaking at various events, conferences and research symposiums.

Prior to cannabis, Kieley enjoyed a fast-moving career in Health and Safety where she oversaw the safety of hundreds of workers across numerous oil and gas sites. While raising her children, she reached Top 4 in all of Canada for Direct Sales with Mary Kay, birthing her interest in skincare and topicals.

With her personal experiences with cannabis fueling her passion, she successfully lobbied her own municipal government to allow for cannabis production in Parkland County. She opened Parkland Flower Inc. with two other co-founders, where they are applying for their micro-license and are in the early stages of building their business.

With a desire to bring cannabis micro-license applicants together, Kieley formed the Alberta Cannabis Micro License Association in June 2019, to help support and protect smaller cannabis operations in Alberta by providing innovation, collaboration and education within all levels of government in Alberta.

When she’s not learning about cannabis and passing on the knowledge, Kieley devotes all her time to her family, who together are tackling first-time dog ownership in the form of Tundra, a 90lbs (and still growing) Great Pyrenees. In her spare time, she is an avid snowboarder, has been known to carry a mean karaoke tune. Kieley can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @kieleybeaudry

Albert Eppinga

Owner, BC Cannabis Inc

Ron Gauthier

CEO, UpRyze Cannabis

Ron Gauthier is the CEO of UpRyze Cannabis, a micro cultivator and processor in Acheson, Alberta. UpRyze Cannabis is truly craft – small batch grown, hang dried, hand trimmed and expertly cured. UpRyze produces exceptional, high quality cannabis, to bring a unique experience highly valued by consumers.

Logan Dunn

Owner, Dunn Cannabis

Logan Dunn is the owner of Dunn Cannabis in Abbotsford, British Columbia, run by a legacy production team of 3 with over 42 years of cannabis experience. Dunn Cannabis has found early success in the market by building a network of partners and a good reputation among consumers.

David Brown

Advisor, StratCann Services Inc.

David Brown is the founder of StratCann, a cannabis industry publication with a special focus on micros and nurseries. Prior to founding StratCann, David was a Senior Policy Advisor to Health Canada’s cannabis branch from 2018-2020, working—among other things—with the regulation team on the crafting of new licence categories like micros and nurseries. Prior to his time with Health Canada, David was a co-founder of and Communications Director for Lift Cannabis and Editor in Chief of Lift News.

Rico Thorsen

Certified Arborist

Rico Thorsen is an ISA Certified Arborist with a European Horticulture Degree from his home country of Denmark. With 30 years of experience in both Europe and North America, Rico now operates a Horticultural Consultation business based in the Okanagan. As the pioneer of RT Horticulture Ltd., Rico has been determined to support growers across North America in converting to regenerative practices.

Rico is renowned for his creative problem-solving capacity, leading to the development of the first successfully converted BC-based Regenerative Tree Nursery. With a strong connection to some of the Industry’s leading experts and researchers, Rico has been granted $500 000 worth of Government Research awards in the past 6 years.

Rico’s innovation and cutting-edge holistic growing methods have also recently landed him a project in Ethiopia through Global Affairs Canada.

Anoo Solomon

Owner, CannaProtect IPM Solutions Integrated Pest Management, Scientist and Educator in the Canadian Cannabis Industry

Claude Robert

Sales Representative & Cannabis IPM Specialist, Anatis Bioprotection

Cannabis enthusiast since 1987. Collecting genetics and knowledge since the beginning of this passion. Working in greenhouse research since 2004. Teacher and speaker for small fruit production in Quebec. Worked many years on the pest and pathogens alert team ( RAP ) for the minister of agriculture of Quebec ( MAPAQ ) Now taking care of the cannabis sector at Anatis Bioprotection. Protecting crops for ACMPR growers, home growers , micro-producers and licensed producers across Canada. Doing a lot of research and development and helping growers with their Integrated Pest Management IPM programs.

Zamir K. Punja

Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Zamir completed MSc and PhD degrees in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis. He joined Campbell Soup Company and was Manager of plant biotechnology until 1989, when he left to join Simon Fraser University. Zamir’s research investigates the causes and management of plant diseases on vegetable and horticultural crops, and include the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. His group is currently developing methods for identifying and managing new and emerging diseases of cannabis.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Greenstar

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.

Deepank Utkhede

Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Utkhede has 22 years of experience in pharmaceutical formulation and process development and has extensive experience developing robust and commercially scalable manufacturing processes. He has worked extensively developing various pharmaceutical dosage forms — topicals (dermal and ocular), orals (capsules and liquid), parenterals (aseptic and terminally sterilized) — and drug/device combination products with extensive experience in the area of lyophilization, liposome and emulsion technology. Utkhede is also well versed in GMP/FDA regulation.

Christian Santi

Director of Sales

With over 25 years experience in sales, business development, marketing, and operations management from in a variety of different industries, Christian Santi is no stranger to leading global supply chain organizations.

With past titles ranging from Chief Operating Officer, Director of Channel Sales & Product Development, Exec. Vice President, and most recently Director of Sales for companies such as Socati Corp, Ferrin-Tech, and Boulder Botanicals & Bioscience Laboratory, Christian’s background is second to none.

Additionally, Christian has incredible expertise in building and leading high-performance sales teams and providing client needs analysis with a consultative approach as well as an extensive background in sourcing from China and India.
.

Bridget Hoffer

Marigold PR (Moderator)

Bridget is the co-founder of Marigold Marketing and PR, a communications strategist and brand expert. She has extensive experience in delivering strategic communications, marketing, and brand programs that achieve results and resonate. Her expertise ranges from developing and managing iconic Canadian brands to refreshed personal brands with effective positioning to ensure relevance and value.

Since 2015, she has been a consultant with individual clients, digital start-ups and PR firms providing communications strategy and planning for business development, expansion and launching new brands. From 2000 to 2014, Bridget was the executive director of CBC communications, marketing, and brand for all CBC English Services. She collaborated with CBC Radio-Canada’s French and Corporates service on national projects. During her tenure, CBC was ranked as one of Canada’s most influential brands by Ipsos. Previous, to her role as executive director, Bridget was director of CBC Radio and CBC regional communications. Before joining CBC, Bridget led the communications teams for the United Way of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Currently, she is a board member for Safetynet services in Oakville, ON.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Cultivation Advisor and Chief Science Officer, FS Cannabis

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.

Jeff Jones

Oaksterdam University’s Horticultural Instructor & Co-Founder”Oaksterdam”

Jeff Jones co-founded the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative (OCBC) in 1995 simultaneously creating the downtown cannabis-friendly area known as “Oaksterdam”. With Jeff’s assistance, the City of Oakland became the first U.S. City to contract with a medical cannabis provider in 1998. Jeff set many precedents from self-regulatory practices that would become the tenants of law to best practices in dispensaries. His cooperative coined the term “dispensary” for medical cannabis!

Jeff was named the defendant in the OCBC Federal Civil case, one of the longest-running medical cannabis cases in history as it traveled all the way through the Supreme Court; the first to ask the question of if cannabis can be provided for medical necessity patients.  He transitioned the OCBC into advocacy and education with the Patient ID Center (formerly OCBC) and shared his expertise with hundreds of thousands of medical cannabis patients, professionals, and experts. He has become known worldwide as an educator in horticulture, with a passion for mitigating pesky pests and pathogens.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Greenstar Plant Products

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.

Frenchy Cannoli

Consultant, Educator, Writer

Frenchy Cannoli is a California-based teacher, consultant, artisan and activist dedicated to the production and appreciation of traditional cannabis concentrates.

Frenchy grew up in Nice, France but left home as soon as he could, inspired by the promise of exotic adventure — and by the imported hashish common in late-60s Europe. He lived nomadically for over twenty years, staying with traditional producers and learning techniques handed down over generations. This took him from Morocco, to Mexico, to Nepal, Pakistan and India, where he spent eight growing seasons living in caves and harvesting cannabis resin with Parvati Valley cultivators. Eventually, he settled with his family in California, where early medical access laws let him go from hiding his life’s work to producing legal cannabis concentrates.

Collaborating with legendary Emerald Triangle growers and experimenting with techniques like ageing, Frenchy’s since scaled up to producing “pure gold” (Cannabis Now) for licensed dispensary distribution: “unmatched” hash, with a character “unlike anything that you would ever smell or taste in cannabis [flower]” (Nick Smilgys, Emerald Cup judge). He’s also taken an open-source approach to promoting traditional methods. His “Lost Art of the Hashishin” seminars provide hands-on training for aspiring concentrate-makers, and Frenchy freely shares the same techniques on Youtube, as well as with his 146,000+ Instagram followers. He’s likewise pushed for broader post-legalization public education: beyond working to develop hashish grading standards, Frenchy is a prominent supporter of regional growing certifications for cannabis production, inspired by appellation d’origine contrôlée rules like those protecting the integrity of Bordeaux wines. He’s also developing a feature-length documentary that showcases the challenges legalization has brought to small California farms.

Frenchy’s lively personality and unique expertise make him a sought-after international speaker, on topics such as cannabis terroir, the promise of organic and regenerative cultivation approaches, and the importance of independent “craft” production. He also writes about the science and global history of cannabis for publications including Extraction Magazine (USA), Skunk (Canada), Weed World (England) and Dolce Vita (Italy).

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Agronomist, Greenstar Plant Products

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.

Dr. Daniel Chinnapen

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Chinnapen recently joined Vantage as Chief Scientific Officer and is responsible for direction on oversight of the Company’s extraction operations, research and development. Dr. Chinnapen has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and was a principal investigator at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital focused on research into large molecule therapeutic delivery. Dr. Chinnapen also brings extensive experience from various cutting-edge biotech companies focused on biologic drug development. He has publications in peer-reviewed journals and brings a critical eye to the science of CBD supporting the company’s deep-science approach at every step of the process from seed-to-extract

Deepank Utkhede

Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Utkhede has 22 years of experience in pharmaceutical formulation and process development and has extensive experience developing robust and commercially scalable manufacturing processes. He has worked extensively developing various pharmaceutical dosage forms — topicals (dermal and ocular), orals (capsules and liquid), parenterals (aseptic and terminally sterilized) — and drug/device combination products with extensive experience in the area of lyophilization, liposome and emulsion technology. Utkhede is also well versed in GMP/FDA regulation.

Bridget Hoffer

Marigold PR (Moderator)

Bridget is the co-founder of Marigold Marketing and PR, a communications strategist and brand expert. She has extensive experience in delivering strategic communications, marketing, and brand programs that achieve results and resonate. Her expertise ranges from developing and managing iconic Canadian brands to refreshed personal brands with effective positioning to ensure relevance and value.

Since 2015, she has been a consultant with individual clients, digital start-ups and PR firms providing communications strategy and planning for business development, expansion and launching new brands. From 2000 to 2014, Bridget was the executive director of CBC communications, marketing, and brand for all CBC English Services. She collaborated with CBC Radio-Canada’s French and Corporates service on national projects. During her tenure, CBC was ranked as one of Canada’s most influential brands by Ipsos. Previous, to her role as executive director, Bridget was director of CBC Radio and CBC regional communications. Before joining CBC, Bridget led the communications teams for the United Way of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Currently, she is a board member for Safetynet services in Oakville, ON.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Cultivation Advisor and Chief Science Officer, FS Cannabis

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.

Justin Statton

Founder and CEO, CannBreton Cultivation

Justin Statton, a cannabis cultivator and entrepreneur for the past decade, is enthusiastic about building a cannabis community on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. As the Founder/CEO of CannBreton Cultivation, Justin has been working toward becoming a licensed micro-cultivator and takes “Craft” cannabis seriously. Justin also owns/operates Mary Janes Smoke Shop Sydney, a respected accessories store, which he hopes will become the hub of the Cape Breton cannabis community. 

Ryan Wankel

Cannabis Grower Liaison, Heliospectra

A second-generation cannabis grower recognized with multiple cannabis cup awards, Ryan has led commercial teams at large scale facilities in Denver, Colorado. Having taken multiple cultivation facilities from HPS to LED lighting solutions, he now assists customers in North America and Europe in developing strain-specific lighting strategies and understanding the benefits and environmental conditions of growing with LEDs.

Av Singh, PhD, PAg

Cultivation Advisor and Chief Science Officer, FS Cannabis

Av Singh is one of the leading authorities on regenerative organic cannabis production. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Av has had the privilege of visiting over 2000 farms across five continents which has shaped his extension of holistic, system-based design solutions. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

Av has recently been appointed to the Cannabis Quality Assurance (CQA) Standards Committee and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty.  Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at  O’Cannabiz and the Grow Up Conferences.