MJBizMag August 2021 - 71

branded products can be found in
more than 70 million U.S. households,
according to Canopy Growth.
In the advisory role, Stewart will
leverage her business knowledge and
expertise to assist Canopy Growth
with product innovation, format
development, strategic partnerships
and other initiatives.
Blake
Schroeder
advancements. He will also oversee an
organization-wide innovation plan.
Before 2018, Hollingshead founded
companies in the digital advertising
and software development industries.
Chief Strategy Officer
Joins Santa Fe Farms
Santa Fe Farms, a hemp and hempderived
products company in New
Mexico, appointed Kimberly Kovacs to
the role of chief strategy officer. Kovacs
previously was CEO and chair of the
Arcview Group, a cannabis industry
research and investment company.
Kovacs will drive acquisitions, global
CBD Firm Medical Marijuana Inc.
Hires New CEO
Medical Marijuana Inc., a publicly
traded CBD holdings company based in
San Diego, appointed Blake Schroeder
as chair of the board and CEO and
president. He replaces Stuart Titus,
who will continue in a consulting role
under a multiyear contract.
Schroeder joined Medical Marijuana
Inc. in March 2016. His contributions
include international market
development, financial performance
management, product development,
rebranding efforts and operational
development. He has extensive
experience in the nutrition industry.
Hifyre President to Innovate
at Fire & Flower
Edmonton, Alberta-based Fire &
Flower Holdings appointed Matthew
Hollingshead to the role of chief
innovation officer. He will continue to
serve as president of the company's
indirect subsidiary, Hifyre.
Hollingshead joined the company
in 2018, when Hifyre was acquirexd
as part of Fire & Flower's focus as
a technology-enabled retailer. In his
new role, he will continue to work
closely with CEO Trevor Fencott and
co-lead the company's technological
expansion and impact investment
opportunities within the Santa Fe
Farms portfolio. She will remain on
the board of directors of the Arcview
Group.
Decibel Installs Paul Wilson
as CEO
Decibel Cannabis of Calgary, Alberta,
appointed Paul Wilson as its chief
executive officer. He brings executivelevel
experience from some of Canada's
top consumer brands and is a member
of Decibel's board of directors.
Previously, Wilson served as CEO,
president and other executive positions
for consumer businesses including
Canadian Tire, Mark's, Princess Auto,
Spence Diamonds and Alcanna Nova
Cannabis.
Ascend Wellness Appoints
Debiase Chief People Officer
Ascend Wellness Holdings, a
multistate, vertically integrated
cannabis operator, selected Robin
Debiase as its first chief people officer.
She will oversee the company's talent
acquisition and development program,
diversity and inclusion initiatives and
human capital strategy.
Debiase is a seasoned human
resources executive with more than
24 years of multinational leadership
experience. Most recently, she was
vice president of HR at WW (formerly
Weight Watchers), responsible
for managing more than 12,000
employees throughout North America
and Brazil.
Simplifya
Welcomes
General Counsel
and Chief
Banking Officer
Simplifya, a
provider of
regulatory and
operational
compliance
software for the cannabis industry,
appointed financial services and
cannabis banking industry expert
Katrina Skinner to the role of general
counsel and chief banking officer.
Skinner will provide legal expertise
to guide Simplifya's entry into the
payment-processing space and will
drive relationship-building and product
development.
Before joining Simplifya, Skinner was
Katrina
Skinner
a partner in the Cannabis Business
and Law Advisory Group at Burns
& Levinson, where she represented
institutions that provide financial
services to cannabis-related businesses
and licensed marijuana operators.
Skinner previously served as general
counsel and later president of Safe
Harbor Services.
Columbia Care Adds
New Director to Board
New York-based multistate cannabis
company Columbia Care appointed
Julie Hill to its group of directors,
expanding the board to eight members.
Hill has served for more than
two decades on a range of private
and public corporate boards. She is
currently a member of the board of
directors for the Lord Abbett Family
of Funds, a $225 billion mutual fund
management firm, and has recently
been a member of the board of
directors for health insurance giant
Anthem, a Fortune 500 company.
August 2021 | mjbizdaily.com 71
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MJBizMag August 2021

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