Future Cannabis Strategies North America 2021
Virtual Event
18th August 2021
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Future Cannabis Strategies North America 2021
Forming part of a global series of bespoke, senior-level, strategic conferences, we will welcome leaders within the space for 2 days of insight, discussion and debate into how manufacturers can:
- Capitalize on the premiumization of cannabis products
- Spotlight growth in international markets including the UK, Mainland Europe & South America
- Understand consumer trends & demands from across North America
- Identify opportunities to introduce Cannabis infused products into existing Consumer Packaged Goods
- Review recent product innovation to understand how market trends are adapting to consumer demands
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2021?
Delving into key issues to be considered when building and developing a Cannabis derived product, the 2021 conference agenda attracts senior executives responsible for New Product Development, Consumer Insights, Research & Development and Commercial Strategy
250+
ATTENDEES TO MEET EACH YEAR
20+
EXHIBITORS TO MEET EACH YEAR
20+
KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
80%
ATTENDEES AT
DIRECTOR+ LEVEL
Why Attend?
NETWORK
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The conference brings together strategic business leaders from across the West Coast (USA & Canada) Consumer-Facing Cannabis products category; this includes CBD/ Cannabis Products & Devices, Beverages, Food, Tobacco, Cosmetics & Nutraceuticals, together with solution providers for 2 days of insight, discussion and debate.
LEARN
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Join like-minded peers to learn new perspectives and case studies on complying with regulation, increase sales across global markets and to position your business as a leader in the industry.
ACTION
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The conference focuses on identifying opportunities within Local and the European & North American markets and spotlights regulation to ensure producers and retailers of cannabinoid products operate successfully.

Dennis O’Malley
Chief Operating Officer,The Parent Company
Biography:
Session Details: Q&A Session: Building out an Omni Channel – Direct to Market & Consumer Relationship In this session we look at the California consumer: 18-08-2021, 1:50 pm View In Agenda

Mark Reinders
CEO,Hemp Fla
Biography:
Session Details: Interview Session: How Green are European Pastures & Whole Plant Benefits: A Wasted Opportunity? 18-08-2021, 9:00 am View In Agenda

Steven George
Alliance Manager – Europe, Middle East & Africa,Tilray
Biography:
Session Details: Overcoming Industry Barriers for a Golden & Green Cannabis Industry 18-08-2021, 9:30 am View In Agenda

Paul Gurney
Managing Director, Equity Sales Europe & Asia Pacific,BMO Capital Markets
Biography: Paul Gurney is a Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets in London, UK, leading BMO’s coverage of large institutional equity clients in Europe and Asia Pacific. Paul has 15 years of capital markets experience, researching companies, syndicating transactions, structuring deals, and providing value-added advice to institutional and corporate clients across multiple sectors. In early 2018, Bank of Montreal (BMO) became the first major bank to underwrite the cannabis sector, leading a US$175m equity financing for the world’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth. Paul has been closely involved in the sector in Europe ever since, helping raise US$153m for Tilray, the first ever NASDAQ listed cannabis company, and the third best performing IPO in the US in 2018. Paul spearheads BMO’s investment efforts for cannabis companies in Europe, and Australia, introducing investors to sector heavyweights like Aphria, Aurora, Canopy Growth and Tilray, while actively developing the next generation of pre-IPO cannabis companies. Paul’s early involvement in the sector has helped him develop a deep network of industry and client contacts, making him one of the thought leaders for the sector in Europe.
Session Details: Back to the Green Rush: Navigating the highs and lows of the cannabis sector 18-08-2021, 8:00 am View In Agenda

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Jenn Larry
Chief Commercial Officer,MTL Cannabis
Biography:
Session Details: Consumer Focused CBD: What do they really want and are we able to deliver? 18-08-2021, 2:20 pm View In Agenda

Tim Phillips
Managing Director,ECigIntelligence
Biography: Tim Phillips is the Managing Director of Tamarind Intelligence, publisher of leading business intelligence services ECigIntelligence, CBD-Intel and TobaccoIntelligence. These independent market data and regulatory tracking and analysis services for the vape, CBD and tobacco-alternatives industries provide market-leading insights into the sectors they cover for clients ranging from governments and academic institutions to multinational companies and professional service providers. Tim Phillips is a UK-qualified attorney, having worked at the European Commission, international law firm Herbert Smith, media companies BSkyB and AOL, and Betfair, where he worked in various legal and government relations roles as the company went through its IPO. He was also a partner in a New York venture capital-funded start-up in the diamond sector. Tim holds a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the University of Law, London and a masters degree in geology from Oxford University. He has run for Tamarind Intelligence for the past 6 years.
Session Details: View In Agenda

Morgan Fox
Media Relations Director & Committee Manager,National Cannabis Industry Association
Biography:
Session Details: PANEL: Social Equity: The Global Challenge for Cannabis 18-08-2021, 12:40 pm View In Agenda

Catherine Wilson
UK Representative & Member of the Board of Advisors,European Industrial Hemp Association
Biography: Catherine is UK Representative & Member of the Board of Advisors of the European Industrial Hemp Association. EIHA was formed 19 years ago and is the only pan-European membership organization in the industrial hemp sector. Our secretariat offices in Brussels and the UK representation protect and support our membership of 200+, primarily farmers, processors and manufacturers; representing the entire chain from seed to shelf. Our primary objective is to monitor EU/UK hemp related policies and to provide the decision makers with accurate and reliable information across different spheres of competencies. Currently we monitor the following policies: CAP reform, Hemp extracts/Novel Food regulation, THC limits in feed and food, Life Cycle Assessment of hemp materials, CO2 impacts, environmental concerns and cosmetics. In addition, EIHA formed the largest novel food consortium and pending a successful outcome, EIHA consortium member company's products will be allowed to be marketed in the UK/EU with an exclusivity on the study that will last 5 years.
Session Details: Interview Session: How Green are European Pastures & Whole Plant Benefits: A Wasted Opportunity? 18-08-2021, 9:00 am View In Agenda

Joy Beckerman
Principal,Hemp Ace International
Biography: Joy Beckerman is an internationally renowned hemp law and policy expert involved in the hemp industries for over 30 years, and her extraordinary passion for this versatile, valuable crop is contagious! Joy is the Founder & Principal at Hemp Ace International, a Seattle-based consulting, legal support, and expert witness firm serving the global community; as well as Director of Regulatory & Legal Affairs of Zilis, an international leader in hemp extract dietary supplements and cosmetics; Co-Founder and Senior Advisor to Colorado Hemp Works, America's first post-prohibition hemp grain processing facility; and host of the popular podcast Hemp Barons. Among multiple non-profit leadership roles, Joy President of the Center of the Study of Cannabis & Social Policy, a leading Director of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, consultant to the U.S. Hemp Building Association, and The Seminar Group’s National Hemp Continuing Legal Education Program Chair. After joining the hemp movement in 1990, Joy opened the first hemp store in New York state in 1994; and when the inaugural Vermont Hemp Bill passed in 1996, Joy relocated there with her family to serve as Secretary to the Vermont Hemp Council. After an extensive and successful dual career in compliance and complex civil litigation in Seattle, Joy founded Hemp Ace International in 2014. Joy works directly with lawmakers and regulators as a grassroots activist, both proactively and upon request.
Session Details: The Delta-8 phenomenon and the impact of regulatory loopholes on the North American cannabis sector 18-08-2021, 7:30 am Hemp Extract – A Federal and State Regulatory Overview 18-08-2021, 2:50 pm View In Agenda

Hannah Skingle
Operations Director,South West
Biography:
Session Details: Consumer Focused CBD: What do they really want and are we able to deliver? 18-08-2021, 2:20 pm View In Agenda

Patricia I. Kovacevic
Founder and Principal, Regulation Strategy & General Counsel,Andina Gold Corp
Biography: An experienced legal, regulatory and compliance department leader, Patricia I. Kovacevic’s career comprises leading senior legal and regulatory positions with FDA-regulated multinationals, including Philip Morris International and Lorillard, as well as partner roles with premier global law firms. At present she is General Counsel and Head of External Affairs for Andina Gold Corp (corporate name change to Cryomass Technologies Inc pending), a U.S. listed company providing adjacent services to the cannabis industry, which has recently acquired patented technology (the CryomMass Refinement System) to fully separate trichomes from biomass. Her expertise includes senior management roles and leading multinational, cross-disciplinary teams, with focus on corporate law, FDA and EU regulatory, compliance, M&A, US and global food, drug, nicotine and consumer goods regulation, cannabis/CBD regulation, external affairs and the legal framework applicable to marketing, media communications, investigations, FCPA, trade sanctions, privacy, intellectual property, product development and launch. She also led cross-disciplinary teams engaged in scientific research efforts. Kovacevic served on various trade association bodies and conference advisory boards. She authored several articles on nicotine regulation, co-authored an academic treatise, “The Regulation of E-Cigarettes”, as well as various other papers, and is often invited as a keynote speaker or panelist before global conferences and government agencies public hearings. Kovacevic is an attorney admitted to practice in New York, before the U.S. Tax Court, before the U.S. Court of International Trade and before the Supreme Court of the United States. She holds a Juris Doctor (doctor of law) degree from Columbia Law School in New York and completed the Harvard Business School “Corporate Leader” executive education program. Kovacevic speaks several languages fluently, including French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian and Croatian.
Session Details: Leveraging tobacco and nicotine regulatory and litigation expertise: learnings and opportunities 18-08-2021, 11:00 am View In Agenda

Amber Littlejohn
Executive Director,Minority Cannabis Business Association
Biography:
Session Details: PANEL: Social Equity: The Global Challenge for Cannabis 18-08-2021, 12:40 pm View In Agenda

Petri Nyländen
Co-Founder, Head of Sales and Marketing,YSUB Drinks
Biography: Co-founder of the first CBD beverage brand from the Nordics - YSUB. Passionate about brand building and marketing. Ex-Red Bull & ex-Tesla.
Session Details: Consumer Focused CBD: What do they really want and are we able to deliver? 18-08-2021, 2:20 pm View In Agenda

Eric Heyer
Partner,Thompson Hine
Biography: Eric is a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation practice group and leads the firm’s extensive and multi-disciplinary E-Cigarette and Vaping Industry practice. Eric started with Thompson Hine as a summer associate and has spent all but two years of his career at the firm. Eric is a trial attorney who has extensive experience advising clients and litigating cases relating to actions by federal government agencies under the Administrative Procedure Act. Eric’s litigation experience encompasses a broad range of matters, including constitutional challenges to state legislation and administrative actions, contract disputes, business torts, employment and non-compete matters, qui tam claims, unfair trade practices and consumer protection act claims, insurance claims, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and patent litigation, and representation of federal government employees in disciplinary proceedings. He has extensive experience trying claims in jury and bench trials in federal and state courts around the country, as well as in private arbitrations. Eric has conducted jury trials and arbitrations on fraud claims; breach of contract claims, including those arising out of breaches of noncompetition and confidentiality agreements; veil-piercing claims; claims regarding the fiduciary obligations of current and former employees and agents; warranty claims; and age and race discrimination claims. As the leader of the firm’s E-Cigarette and Vaping Industry practice, Eric advises clients on FDA and state regulatory compliance and enforcement issues, contractual and transactional matters, and intellectual property issues.
Session Details: Legal and Regulations: CBD 18-08-2021, 11:40 am View In Agenda

Joe Smith
Associate,Thompson Hine
Biography: Joe, an experienced litigator, is an associate in Thompson Hine’s Business Litigation practice group. Joe counsels clients with respect to federal and state regulation related to the cannabis industry, including marijuana, hemp, and CBD products. Clients have included businesses and individuals directly in the industry as well as businesses working alongside and with the industry, including retailers, packagers, and equipment, parts, and ingredient suppliers. Joe has advised clients on regulatory compliance as well as potential challenges and defenses to state and federal laws and regulations, and responding to regulatory agencies such as the FDA. In addition to his work with the cannabis industry, Joe represents clients in state and federal courts in a broad range of commercial and civil matters including challenges to state and federal laws, patent and trademark litigation, contractual disputes, and product liability claims.
Session Details: Legal and Regulations: CBD 18-08-2021, 11:40 am View In Agenda

David Curry
VP of Public Relations,Instadose Pharma
Biography: David Curry has had a varied career that has taken him around the world. He has been involved in a number of tech businesses with his serial entrepreneur wife, working on everything from tech infrastructure to fund raising seed capital in a range of applications. Starting out as an Officer in the Canadian Navy he left that to pursue a career in Opera and Musical Theatre which as a principal has appeared in over 2000 performances in 27 countries. The world of Opera provided access at a very high level to a unique group of people which include business leaders and policy makers which has offered invaluable insight and perspective. Covid19 provided an impetus to merge and apply his unique talents to tell the story of the evolution of the burgeoning world of the global cannabis trade.
Session Details: Ever Green & Ever Evolving: The promising nature of the cannabis landscape 18-08-2021, 12:10 pm View In Agenda

Paul Tossell
Team Leader, Radiological, GM, Novel Foods and Feed Additives Team, Food Standards Agency,Food Policy, FSA
Biography:
Paul has been Head of the Radiological, GM, Novel Foods and Feed Additives Team since Jan 2019. He has been with the FSA since its formation in 2000, having previously been in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). He has led on several policy areas of food safety including leading on food defence then Allergy & Intolerance team
Session Details: Going Global with Cannabis: Regulations UK Side 18-08-2021, View In Agenda

Silke Hilmer
Director Global Marketing Pharma Projects,Symrise
Biography: Silke Hilmer drives and implements innovative products within her role as Global Marketing Director at Symrise AG. Her responsibilities include the most promising cannabinoids with CBD, Canapure® as flagship product. Silke´s career started in the food ingredients industry with various roles in application, sales, business development and marketing. Her passion for creative as well as hands-on marketing led her to the flavor and fragrance ingredients business. This very specific industry is known for its high end research capabilities being able to give birth to proprietary product concepts. Cannabinoids constitute a fascinating cutting-edge product category with totally new market requirements and overwhelming possibilities for human and animal health.
Session Details: Canapure® - Identical to natural - Cannabidiol by Symrise 18-08-2021, 10:30 am View In Agenda

Stefan Lambrecht
Senior Vice President Global Marketing Aroma Molecules,Sy
Biography: Stefan leads the marketing of Aroma Molecules Division at Symrise. The Aroma Molecules portfolio consists of market-leading products of the fragrance and flavor industry like Menthol and Terpenes. Stefan is a chemist by training. In his career he hold different positions in R&D, Production and Marketing. He also was responsible in M&A projects and in integration processes after acquisitions. Together with his team he brings new products to the market and looks for projects which extend the portfolio into new areas.
Session Details: Canapure® - Identical to natural - Cannabidiol by Symrise 18-08-2021, 10:30 am View In Agenda
Partners




ACM Global Laboratories
SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES
Future Cannabis Strategies offers multiple sponsorship opportunities, including thought leadership, exhibition space, networking packages and more. For more information contact our commercial partnerships team at the address below:
Francesco Magli
T: +44 (0) 207 936 6728
E: francesco.magli@arena-international.com
SPEAKER OPPORTUNITIES
The program for Future Cannabis Strategies is available upon request. If you would like to get involved contact our production team at the address below:
Amy Avanzato
Portfolio Manager
T: +44 (0) 161 359 5349
E: Amy.Avanzato@arena-international.com