Leadership
Discover 40 inspirational women in the cannabis industry
Cannabis Wealth looks at trailblazing women who are impacting the growing sector.
For International Women’s Day, Cannabis Wealth is highlighting some of the women that have spearheaded, shaped and shook up the cannabis industry.
From business and industry leaders to campaigners, patients and parents – the cannabis industry features a wealth of women who are cultivating success through this humble yet powerful plant.
For cannabis in the UK, it has been women who have paved the way for policy change, women who feature in boardrooms, women who are helping to spearhead research and women who are speaking up and taking control of their own and their family’s health with cannabis.
Here we celebrate just some of the females that are making their mark on the nascent cannabis industry.
The industry leaders
Dr Annabelle Manalo-Morgan, lead scientific advisor, Flora Growth
Dr Manalo-Morgan is a scientist, educator, author, mother of five, and a respected key opinion leader. She is a cell and developmental biologist from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, with a background in neuroscience from Georgetown University. She earned her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology with a focus in Cardio-Oncology and has since become a philanthropist and entrepreneur focused on pharmaceutical innovation and clinical trial research in medical cannabis.
As the lead scientific advisor at Flora Growth Corp, Dr Manalo-Morgan consults on medical cannabis legalisation, standards, and protocols for a variety of countries and markets. More specifically, Manalo-Morgan has dived into a diversity of research initiatives in hopes of encouraging a more embodied approach to precision medicine, where communication between scientists, doctors, and everyone in between can be better implemented.
She is leading what could be the UK’s first NHS trial on cannabinoids for fibromyalgia and chronic pain, in partnership with the University of Manchester, which hopes to start this year, currently subject to ethics committee approval.
Leadership
Cellular Goods makes changes to board, welcoming author as NED
The company is welcoming new non-executive directors (NED) to the board.
Leadership
Former Clinton administration advisor joins cannabis board
FoliuMed has announced a new appointment to its advisory board.
FoliuMed has announced the appointment of former advisor to the Clinton administration Howard Glicken to its advisory board.
Glicken will be Brigit a waltz of experience to the FoliuMed advisory board. Having served as a private sector advisor to the Clinton administration on Latin American affairs, Glicken was also the President´s private sector delegate to the Inaugurations of Presidents of Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador.
Additionally, he testified before the US Congress on the Free Trade Area of the Americas and is a member of the US/Brazil Business Development Council.
In his role at FoliuMed, Glicken will expand institutional and business relationships in the Americas.
Read more: Cannabis Trades Association now under new leadership
Glicken commented: “What impresses me most about FoliuMed is its leadership team led by founder Oliver Zugel.
“Since 2018 it has built the company with its own capital and is selling innovative products in eight countries. By sourcing cannabis ingredients from its farm in Colombia, it offers German pharma-quality at affordable prices.”
Oliver Zugel, founder of FoliuMed, a medical cannabis company with manufacturing and R&D in Germany and cultivation in South America, commented: “We are honoured to be able to count on Howard’s advice and mentorship, including his views on the upcoming German adult-use regulations.
Read more: Discover 40 inspirational women in the cannabis industry
“His over 40 years of experience in business and politics and background as a successful entrepreneur make him a valued member of our advisory board.”
Oliver Zugel
During his political career, Glicken also has been national vice chairman of finance of the Democratic Party, a member of the national finance board of directors and a managing trustee of the party.
He also was state finance chair for Al Gore for President 1988, state finance chair for Senator Bob Kerrey for President in 1992, state co-finance chair for President Clinton and a trustee of the Vice President’s Residence Foundation.
Leadership
Former GSK director joins cannabis company
Bill Purves has joined Brains Bioceutical as chief commercial officer.
Former GlaxoSmithKline executive director, Bill Purves, has joined global manufacturer of naturally-sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients, Brains Bioceutical, as its chief commercial officer.
Bill Purves will now be at the forefront of a new frontier in the research and development of cannabinoids for health and wellness sectors, says Brains Bioceutical.
Purves will be responsible for the company’s global sales and marketing operations, and the company says he will diversify its product offerings while playing a pivotal role in the evolution of cannabinoid science.
“After many years in the pharmaceutical industry, combined with time spent working in the cannabis industry, I have the utmost confidence in what we’re doing at Brains Bioceutical,” commented Purves.
“I’m excited to see the potential of cannabinoid pharmaceuticals come to life and the positive impacts this will have in pharmacological advancements.
“We are looking at the future of disease treatment and prevention here at Brains Bioceutical.”
Read more: Brains Bioceuticals announce FSA validation for its CBD as a novel food
Ricky Brar, CEO of Brains Bioceutical, commented: “Brains is in a unique position to rapidly capitalise on our industry-leading Cannabinoids API via the pharmaceutical industry, and now with Novel Foods Validation in both the EU and UK, Brains will emerge as the industry leader in nutraceuticals.
“Bill Purves, in his role as chief commercial officer of Brains Bio, is ideally positioned to lead these categories, within an emerging global leader.
“His experience will be an asset as we continue to innovate and lead in the cannabinoid space.”
With experience in the pharmaceutical and phytocannabinoid industries, Purves will lead Brains Bio’s business development strategy, explore new revenue streams and solidify relationships with existing and prospective customers.
Starting his pharmaceutical career with GlaxoSmithKline in 1994 as senior financial analyst, he then moved into the role of chief financial officer of the company’s business operations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Five years later, Purves was promoted to executive director of GlaxoSmithKline’s international business development, providing strategic planning and market development support across the company’s international business unit.
In 2007, where Purves was responsible for establishing the Iroko Pharmaceuticals’ global sales and distribution networks for branded generic and specialty prescription products. He later co-founded and acted as managing member of Windhoek Healthcare, a US-based healthcare investment firm, which launched three specialty pharmaceutical companies.
Purves entered the medical cannabis space in 2018 when he was hired by Jacana, a Jamaican medical cannabis company, as its CCO and CFO, where he helped transform the startup into a fully, vertically integrated medical cannabis company with business arms that included research and development, cultivation, production and extraction.
Bill Purves, CCO, Brains Bioceutical
