Alex is co-founder of Leaf, Canada’s largest cannabis industry meet-ups, and Leaf Forward, Canada’s first cannabis business accelerator program. He’s passionate about helping
budding cannabis entrepreneurs by providing them with mentorship, networking, and learning opportunities from successful leaders who have taken ideas and turned them into reality.
Prior to Leaf, Alex worked with an Ontario based licensed producer as Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategy, he has also co-founded a boutique public affairs firm where he advised organizations within regulated industries on government relations, advocacy and communications.
Jay Rosenzweig, the founding partner of Rosenzweig & Company, is an expert in designing, building and attracting world class executive teams. He consults to public and private companies including large global corporations; emerging growth to mid-sized businesses; professional services firms; and private equity and venture capital firms. Jay, a lawyer by background, earned three degrees at McGill University: Philosophy, Civil Law, and Common Law. In addition, he completed Roger Fisher’s Negotiation Program at Harvard Law School. He also serves as Director, Canada for the Chief Digital Officer Club & Summit.
Jay is a champion of the cause of gender equality. He has been actively advocating on behalf of women for several decades, most prominently through his highly regarded Rosenzweig Report on the status of women.
Jay advises several leading edge businesses, most of them based in California, New York, or Ontario, including: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, the next quantum step in mobility: sustainable, safe and super-fast transportation for all humans and all parts of the world; Hooch, the first ever members-only cocktail app; Winston House, a global community of young creators sharing a passion for people, music, art, sports, travel, brands, and activism; Ignited Network, a start-up music accelerator; Logit Sport, a high performance technology for athletes; Drop, the leading millennial coalition loyalty program; Limelight, a business that improves ROI for brands that do live marketing, by driving better customer engagements, higher sales and lower costs; and GEC Risk Advisory, which equips clients with customized governance, risk, ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility strategies and tactics that enhance performance.
Jay is active in many social causes. He is on the Board of Directors of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Irwin Cotler’s Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He is on the Board of Governors of Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is Co-Chair of the Breast Cancer Cabinet. He is on the Board of UJA Genesis Centre For Innovation, where he focuses on nurturing emerging initiatives, providing career mentorship, and supporting innovation. He proudly served on the Board of One Young World 2016, the premier global forum for young leaders under 30.
Randy Flemming is well-known and well-respected within the cannabis subculture of North America. Prior to serving as the first master grower at Organigram, Randy had been a recreational researcher of cannabis working towards a better understanding of the plant at all stages of its life cycle. Affectionately known as “The Pot Whisperer”, Randy contends that “humility” is the most important ingredient in cannabis cultivation acknowledging that the plant in a living soil knows what to do.
Randy served as the Director of Cultivation with the American Cannabis Company, where he continued to share innovative techniques helping producers to dramatically increase yields at lower costs while enhancing the cannabinoid and terpene profile.
Randy brings nearly 30 years of experience to his clients – covering all aspects of cannabis from breeding to propagation, cropping to curing, extraction to responsible consumption. Knowledgeable in organic production methodology, Randy is comfortable using biological control for pests, but relies most heavily on a proactive management approach ensuring cleanliness, adequate fertility, temperature, and humidity as best practices to avoid disease and insects. Randy brings a commitment to growing the healthiest plant possible to both optimize the medicinal properties as well as recognizing that the end-consumer is wanting something that is life-giving.
While serving as a Director of SoHum Living Soils, the soil was the recipient of High Times Magazine’s STASH Award for best potting soil.
Alex joined MedReleaf in 2014 which was the beginning of his career in the medical cannabis industry. Alex was present at the outset of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association (CMCIA) and during his subsequent tenure he served as committee chair and held the position of interim Executive Director.
He has spoken to thousands of patients with various conditions and ailments such as PTSD and chronic pain. Alex has worked with Veterans Affairs Canada on the coverage of cannabis and vaporizers and is a proponent of methods of ingestion other then smoking. He left MedReleaf at start of 2017 and has since focused on cannabis education, as well as taking his experience and expertise around the world to help accelerate emerging cannabis markets.
As the founder of Hybrid Tech, Dan Gustafik has brought to fruition years of experience in the cannabis, contracting, and equipment technology sectors. He has a passion for maximizing the potential of cultivation facilities utilizing his knowledge of the intricacies of integrating cannabis systems with best cultivation practices. He enjoys balancing running his own business by exploring the Pacific Northwest outdoors with his family as much as he can.
Kevin O’Leary was born to a middle class family in 1954. The combination of Kevin’s mother’s family heritage as merchants and his father’s Irish charisma truly meant that O’Leary was born for business. Kevin learned most of his business intuition from his mother. She taught him key business and financial insights from an early age. These became Kevin’s core philosophies, and the pillars upon which he would one day build his empire.
The Turning Point
Kevin’s approach to business went through major changes as a teenager. During his second day on the job at a local ice cream shop, his boss came into the front of the store where Kevin was scooping ice cream. She looked at Kevin and asked him to perform a task that he wasn’t expecting. What happened next had a profound effect on Kevin – one that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Foundations of an Empire
As a university student, Kevin’s innate business sense led him along several different paths – including some very unusual, very entrepreneurial ways of making a profit.
Not long after he finished his MBA, Kevin had a meeting that changed his life forever. He met a man who had a strange idea for a software product – an idea with huge, high-profit potential that Kevin immediately recognized.
After years of ups, downs, sacrifices, challenges, and lessons learned — not to mention a critical phone call that nearly cost him everything — the opportunity that Kevin saw eventually turned into a computer software giant that was acquired for more than $4 billion dollars.
Investor Extraordinaire
After his extraordinary success at the software company he founded – and a difficult period of obstacles and legal disputes – Kevin eventually found himself on television, quickly becoming a sought-after host and personality on a range of shows – including Discovery’s Project Earth, CBC’s Dragons’ Den, and ABC’s Shark Tank.
Kevin has since launched O’Leary Funds, an investment fund company; O’Leary Fine Wines; and a best-selling book series on financial literacy.
In 2014, Kevin founded O’Leary Financial Group – a group of brands and services that share Kevin’s guiding principles of honesty, directness, convenience, and above all, great value.
Tony Chapman is a frequent commentator in the mainstream news, a podcast host, conference speaker, interviewer, and moderator. His podcast, Chatter that Matters is ranked in the top 1% of most popular in the world. Tony shares stories of people who overcome circumstances to chase their dreams and change their world and ours for the better.
Chapman is an inductee into the Marketing Hall of Legends and the Canadian Advertising, PR and Marketing Hall of Fame, cementing a legacy where he founded, built and successfully exited from two internationally renowned advertising agencies and a research firm.
Tony is one of North America’s thought leaders on consumerism, corporate culture, branding, retail and the impact of change. Tony draws upon his three decades designing award winning strategies for clients around the globe.
Tony is one of the Youngest recipients to be inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends. Four different television documentaries featurehis approach to audience engagement. Five years ago Tony sold all of his interests to freely speak his mind in the media, and to Host and Deliver Inspirational Keynote Events at Conferences around the world.
Tony Chapman’s blog on Linked In earns up to 100,000 views a week, and you can see him weekly on National Television, on Financial Post’s Video Blog, or hear him across Bell Media Radio Stations.
Hilary Black is the Director of Patient Education and Advocacy at Canopy Growth, Canada’s largest legal producer of medical cannabis. Prior to this, Hilary was Canada’s first out of the closet cannabis dealer. She founded the BC Compassion Club Society in 1997 and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award, acknowledging her significant contribution to Canadian society for her work with medical cannabis.
Harrison Jordan is the Founder and Managing Lawyer at Substance Law, a distinguished Canadian law firm specializing in regulated substances and industries. His knowledge covers a vast range of sectors including cannabis, psychedelics, liquor, tobacco, vaping, natural health products, and food and drugs law. Harrison’s academic credentials are impressive, having earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he engaged in a wide array of public and private law courses. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice & Public Policy from the University of Guelph.
Experienced
In the early stages of his career, Harrison worked under renowned cannabis lawyers Alan Young and Paul Lewin at Lewin & Sagara LLP. Upon completing his articles, he established his own practice to provide strategic legal advice to individuals and businesses, helping them to navigate the complexities of compliance and resolve legal challenges.
As a recognized authority in the field, Harrison has also contributed as a freelance writer to prominent industry publications such as Leafly, Civilized, and Lift News, sharing insights on regulatory strategies and market trends.
Harrison is not only versed in legal affairs but also in the digital and fintech realms, focusing on areas such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs, anti-money laundering (AML), money services businesses (MSBs), and FINTRAC compliance. He co-founded Alan Aldous, the world’s first public relations firm dedicated to the psychedelics sector, taking charge of digital marketing and business operations.
Benoît P. Séguin is the Associate Director of Operations within the Office of Medical Cannabis at Health Canada. His scientific experience within the government over the last 20 years has allowed him to contribute to multiple regulatory projects with national implications. Benoit joined the cannabis for medical purposes portfolio in 2013. His experience on this file covers various aspects from licensing to compliance and enforcement.
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