Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

NEW HlRES & PROMOTlONS By Omar Sacirbey Same Freeway, New Lane Since co-founding cannabis seed- to-sale giant MJ Freeway with Jessica Billingsley in 2010, Amy Poinsett has led the company to numerous successes. This year, for example, the Denver company had its first million-dollar revenue month and crossed the $10 billion milestone for processed legal cannabis transactions. But Poinsett also has weathered some recent hits to MJ Freeway’s reputation, including outages and alleged hacks that affected thousands of MJ retailers across the nation. In April, Poinsett stepped down as MJ Freeway’s CEO, although she will chair the company’s board. Billingsley, who served as president, was elevated to CEO. Why step down in a year in which Denver-based MJ Freeway is experiencing new successes? Poinsett said she wanted “to focus on some of the new exciting oppor- tunities coming down the line.” “I see a tremendous amount of growth coming interna- tionally, as Canada has moved forward with a model that allows for export-import,” Poinsett said, noting that MJ Free- way is present in six countries outside the United States. “I also think the U.S. will continue to be an incredibly strong market,” she added. “California is a huge market, and I think we’ll see more states moving to adult-use models and moving away from highly restrictive states with only a small handful of licenses.” Looking ahead, Poinsett, a board member of the Cali- fornia Cannabis Industry Association, said she hopes to spend more time mentoring cannabis entrepreneurs. Wana Taps Beer Exec as COO Edibles company Wana Brands has a new chief operating officer, Dan O’Connor , who will be based in the firm’s headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and report directly to Wana founder and CEO Nancy Whiteman. O’Connor comes from Colorado Amy Poinsett Dan O'Connor A look at some recent hiring moves in the marijuana industry & Movers SHAKERS ( ) 118 • Marijuana Business Magazine • July 2018