Team CQA

Mr. Ewart is an attorney at law and since 1999 Chairman and CEO of The Ensign Group Inc., a privately funded Canadian controlled corporation with investments and advisory activities in Canada and Europe.

Previously, a Senior Partner at Stikeman, Elliott, including as Managing Partner, C&E Europe. Mr. Ewart was recognized by the International Financial Law Review (UK) as one of the world’s leading privatization lawyers. Of note, Jean Philippe was President and CEO from age 26 of his first operating company with unionized manufacturing plants in Canada and the US. His biography may also be found in Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in Finance and Industry.

A Cannabis enthusiast and market researcher, Brad writes for two cannabis analysis websites for the Canadian cannabis market: Cann Standard (of which he is a Co-founder and Director) is a Calgary-based market pricing and data research company focused on the cannabis industry in Canada, while Pancakenap (as a Principal) provides reviews of retail cannabis in North America.

Brad has led the CQA Standards drafting as well as the development of all CQA operational protocols.

Both a designated and personal grower, Brad holds a B.Sc., Biochemistry (Dalhousie University and Mount Royal University) and one of his interests lies in cannabis genetics, and how they impact trends in the traditional cannabis market.

Philippe is a cannabis researcher and former professor of evolutionary genetics; his broad interests in biodiversity and conservation have led to numerous scientific initiatives. An expert in predictive chemotyping, he is interested in bringing transparency, consistency and traceability to the cannabis and psychedelic space. Dr. Henry is the former CTO at Digipath Labs, CSO at VSSL, VP of R&D at Flowr, the founder of British Columbia based Egret Bioscience Ltd., Shaman Distribution Inc (Vancouver, BC) and Ch4 Supply Sarl (Leysin, Switzerland). Philippe also serves as a scientific advisor to Amma Ventures LLC (New York City, NY and Medellin, CO), Propagation Station (Salmon Arm, BC), Island Genetics Inc. (Ladysmith, BC), and Lighthouse Genomics Inc. (Vancouver, BC).

Ph.D. Evolutionary genetics, University of British Columbia.
Post-doctoral, University of Calgary.

BSc Biology and MSc in Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Lausanne (Switzerland).

IB diploma, United World College, Southern Africa. Lecturer, Biology Department, University of British Columbia.

Previously, Adjunct Professor, Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia.
Also previously, CEO and Director, Egret Sciences.

Av Singh, PhD specializes in regenerative organic cannabis production and currently serves as an independent consultant at Flemming & Singh Cannabis Inc. Av is also the Commercial Science Specialist at Greenstar Plant Products, the Chief Agricultural Scientist at BetraLif; the Chief Science Officer with Green Gorilla; the Chief Soil Scientist at CaliCann (Colombia) and formerly served as the Chief Agronomist with the American Cannabis Company, helping to develop the High Times Magazine’s STASH Award-winning super soil.

Av is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and was identified as one of the Top 50 Heroes shaping the Canadian Cannabis sector by High! Canada Magazine and a Cannabis Hero by Cannabis Amnesty in 2020. Av is a frequent speaker and advisory board member at MJBizCon, LIFT, O’Cannabiz, and the Grow Up Conferences, and is the co-founder of Wildwood Flowr (micro-cultivation) in Atlantic Canada.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) (Livestock production),

University of Manitoba.

Post-doctoral, University of Minnesota.

Faculty member at Earth University, India,

Pr of agroecology and organic farming.

Dr. Earl Oliver is a Ph.D. in Computer Science turned cannabis entrepreneur. As an expert in cannabis operations, Dr. Oliver has made his mark within the cannabis industry by turning around distressed cannabis assets and companies, most notably Gnomestar Craft Cannabis. In so doing, Dr. Oliver has become highly versed in the end-to-end cannabis supply chain, has helped many craft producers get to market, and is a vocal advocate for the craft cannabis community.

Prior to entering the cannabis industry Dr. Oliver served as Chief Technical Officer to VoteBlast Inc.; a Silicon Valley technology start-up where he led the engineering team building high-performance systems to facilitate broadcast television-scale, real-time focus groups.

His Ph.D. work, where he created 'Censorship Tolerant Networking', focused on building decentralized mobile systems for disseminating content within countries with heavy Internet censorship. Dr. Oliver has built a career building systems for a wide-range of clients. He holds three technology patents and has many peer-reviewed publications.

Honours Bachelor of Mathematics (Computer Science), University of Waterloo, and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.

Eric Boone has advised on data strategy for the CQA Team since joining in 2018 with a particular focus on AI and acts as liaison between CQA and multiple, US-based cannabis industry associations, in helping to insure broader industry cooperation across North America.

Eric is also the CEO of Meristematix, which provides predictive and prescriptive analytics for the cannabis industry and management dashboards and platforms under an interactive centralized portal. He sits on the Board of Directors for Seattle Hempfest (est. 1991).

Eric has held senior executive roles in the cannabis industry since 2009, including at the helm of one of the first publicly-traded, cannabis-focused companies and has participated in multiple North American and Indian (hemp) markets, and currently resides in Lisbon, Portugal.

Eric holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Graeme is a passionate cannabis advocate with a personal and professional history in medical and retail cannabis, including legacy High Times awards and the creation of legal products in international markets. As a patient, he developed multiple extraction technologies and products and has always stayed true to his purist roots promoting safe and premium quality benchmarks.

Graeme currently operates a hemp farm in the Okanagan appellation and is the Founder and CEO of Entheopharm Industries a bio-ethical pipeline development in the cannabis and psychedelic sectors.

He has been focusing on developing the cannabissery sensory experience based on his expertise in the wine sector from viticulture to winery design, build and management.

Dip. Technology Programmer Analyst -

Internet Solutions Developer, CDI College.

CEO, Zen Labs, Cannabis Testing, and Environmental and food testing services.

Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp (CSE; OTCQX)

(Non-Independent Director).

Previously, Founder and CEO of Purefarma Solutions, Inc.

Barinder is a cannabis advocate with a great appreciation for the plant’s therapeutic benefits. Barinder served two terms as an elected Councillor for the City of Surrey, BC and served on the Board of British Columbia’s largest health authority, Fraser Health, where she was responsible for a budget of $3 billion.

She is a co-founder of a number of cannabis ventures including Grow Tech Labs, an IT and services incubator. Barinder was the Co-Founder of Havn Life (CSE: HAVN), a biotechnology company focused on the extraction of psychoactive compounds.

Barinder has been instrumental since joining the CQA Team in 2019 in several of the CQA initiatives.

Barinder also co-founded the National Institute for Cannabis Health & Education (NICHE), an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides evidence-based research about cannabis, where she was formerly the CEO and became the Editor-in-Chief for BotaniQ Magazine, a cannabis print magazine. CQA has undertaken to support the NICHE activities.

Jeff was the first national individual license holder under the Cannabis Act, and the co-founder of the first company to be issued a Health Canada license dedicated to the secure storage and distribution of cannabis, Novem Pharmaceuticals. Specifically experienced in cannabis regulatory compliance and international relations, he is familiar with licensing requirements and both AML and POCA legislative objectives. Jeff has experience in these fields also in Europe, USA, Central and South America.

Jeff co-founded and was COO of Spire Secure Logistics Inc., an international security consulting firm focusing on organized crime prevention and black-market diversion that was acquired by a publicly-traded US cannabis company.

A former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he has advised companies and governments, most recently on the expert working group with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Graduate, Justice Institute of British Columbia.

Degree in Criminal Justice Studies and Diploma in Criminology, Douglas College, British Columbia.

Awarded the BC Lieutenant Governor Valorous Service Medal.

Pete Shearer has had over 17 years of career experience in the cannabis industry. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Shearer Consulting.

Earlier in his career, Pete consulted on the design, construction, and operation of numerous MMAR medical cannabis facilities acting from 2013 as principal consultant at Shearer Consulting which advised cannabis companies on cultivation and genetics strategies.

In January of 2018, Pete took the role of Director of Product Development and Planning at The Supreme Cannabis Company where he developed a system to evaluate and grade the quality of dried cannabis flower based on sensory evaluation called The Shearer Grading Scale™ and led the product innovation strategies in addition to authoring, ideating and presenting consumer and trade education initiatives.

In January 2020, Pete was recruited by the Ontario Cannabis Store to join the merchandising team as Senior Category Manager for Dried Flower and was also responsible for authoring the Ontario Craft Cannabis Designation.

In November 2021, Pete joined Blaise Brand Partners as VP Product Development and in May 2022, Pete resumed his position as Principal Consultant at Shearer Consulting with a focus on CCAA restructurings to the Canadian cannabis industry.

Previously, Director of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment, Hexo Corp.

Lori began her career in laboratory research and development in the biofuels industry before transitioning to quality, health, safety, security and environmental (QHSSE) management systems.

With a B.Sc. Honors, Biochemistry and Biotechnology (Carleton University), Lori has more than 20 years in QHSSE, including as an Integrated Management System Lead Auditor holding leadership roles in engineering, enzyme manufacturing and biofuels firms.

Her expertise in ISO Standards including as a Lead Auditor ISO 9001:2008 is a great addition to the CQA Team.

Ivan is an ethnobotanist, analytical phytochemist, and plant geneticist, with over 15 years’ experience working in the cannabis industry on a global scale. His experience in the development of herbal formulations, authentication, and quality control gives him insight into the development of cannabis infused products across a wide variety of commercial applications.

Dr. Casselman is Chief Psychedelic Officer, HavnLife, a listed biotechnology company improving cognitive performance by standardized extraction of psychoactive compounds and Cannabis Science Advisor, Phytoconfluence Inc.

Doctor of Philosophy, Plant Sciences, Southern Cross University, Australia

M. Sc. Ethnobotany, University of Kent, Canterbury, England.

B.A., Anthropology, University of Victoria, British Columbia

Ethnobotanist, analytical phytochemist, and plant geneticist.

Now CEO and founder, Blaise Ventures, a full-service consulting firm in the cannabis space. Previously, President, founder & director, The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc.

John is an attorney (Doctor of Law, Summa Cum Laude, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa) and is a pioneer in the Canadian cannabis industry, and a seasoned Cannabis senior executive having amongst others initiatives founded 7ACRES as early as 2013 after leaving his law practice.

John was also Vice Chair, Adult Use, and a Director of the Cannabis Council of Canada.

John and his team are currently providing advice to several well-known Cannabis publicly-listed and private groups, and is also pursuing an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, Western University.

Dr. Abiola is the Medical Director, Four20 Premium.

Ife has become a recognized authority in the scientific and medical applications of cannabis, and has recently consulted and presented for such groups as Alberta Health Services, Peter Lougheed Hospital, Canadian Orthopedic Nurses Association and to several others.

Ife is also a contributing author on various cannabis subjects.

After attending the University of Lethbridge (major in Biological Science, with Behavioral Ecology in the laboratory of University president Dr. Bill Cade), he transitioned into medicine at the Spartan Health University School of Medicine (topical medicine and infectious disease observerships) and clinical rotations at the Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago.

He also assisted in the ‘Access at Madison Clinic’ suboxone program for patients suffering from opiate dependency in 2014 before completing his degree in 2015 with a focus in Internal Medicine and Pain Management.

Deepak has a significant experience in the global pharmaceutical and cannabis industries. He is a public speaker, regularly engaged with Canadian and International media on all subjects related to the Cannabis industry and brings 15 years of leadership experience in the health, charitable/non-profit, and private sectors both in North America as well as Europe and Asia.

Within the global cannabis sector, Mr. Anand has worked with senior government officials, policy makers, health professionals and patients, investors and producers and served on the boards of pharmaceutical associations across Canada, the USA and Europe. Currently, Mr. Anand serves on a variety of boards within the international cannabis space.

M.B.A., Vancouver Island University.

Vice Chairman, Medical Cannabis Canada.

Advisory Board Member:

ASTM International (USA).

The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (U.K.).

Global Cannabis Network Collective (USA).

Previously, in the Cannabis industry include:

Founder & C.E.O, Materia Ventures –

Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and Malta.

The Valens Company (NASDAQ: VLNS), (Independent Director).

Vice President of Business Development and Government Relations at Deloitte, Canada.

Vice President, HEXO - Canada and Malta.

Adjunct Professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) and author of Canada’s first Cannabis course titled ‘Cannabis Professional Series’.

Executive Director for the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association (CNMMA), the first and only industry association that factored in all facets of the nascent Cannabis industry in Canada.

Adine has over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications in the private sector and was Chief Marketing Officer at Tilray and High Park Company, where she was focused on developing, producing, and distributing a broad-based portfolio of cannabis brands and products.

Adine has also taught Marketing in the MCM program at McMaster. She was previously National Marketing Director for VQA Wines at Andrew Peller Limited, one of Canada's largest winery.

Adine has an undergraduate degree in English Literature, University of Guelph and a Master’s Degree in Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster University (Ontario)/SI Newhouse School of Public Communication (Syracuse, NY).

Lana is Vice President of Innovation and Consumer Preference at Aurora Cannabis Inc. with responsibility for product innovation, cultivar development, and sensory and consumer preference research. Previously, as Vice President, Business Development at Anandia Laboratories, one of Canada’s first cannabis-focused analytical testing labs and cannabis science companies, she was responsible for Anandia's sales and marketing activities. Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Lana worked the agricultural and horticultural space, commercializing plant varieties and other agricultural technologies. At Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, her role included managing an extensive portfolio of fruit, vegetable and ornamental cultivars, and working with partners bring other technologies to market in the areas of genomics, post-harvest and automation technologies. Lana holds a B.Sc. Science & Business (University of Waterloo).

President CEO, and founder of A & L Canada Laboratories, Greg, a Professional agrologist (agronomist) runs one of Canada's largest Agricultural and Environmental Laboratories with operations from coast to coast. Greg obtained is B.Sc. Agriculture from University of Guelph in 1978 and was one of the first in Canada to be designate as a Certified Crop Consultant. His focus is in achieving the most environmentally sound and efficient use of fertilizers and crop protection products. In addition to being a Certified Crop Advisor since 1995 (Michigan State), he’s an expert in the areas of microbiology, food safety, bio assay and complete pest residue and disease diagnostics.

Dr. Ptito is a Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital and Director of the Department of Psychology, McGill University Health Centre, and a recognized expert on traumatic brain injury. His research investigates, amongst other interests, the mechanisms involved in cerebral reorganization and plasticity in patient populations. In the past several years Alain has explored new methods of using MRI for examining brain trauma and finds cannabis of interest for same. Author of several publications, his recent book Sports Concussions: A Complete Guide to Recovery and Management (CRC Press, Nov. 2017, 471p.) is a reference on the subject.

Angel Investor in relatively early stage technology companies, currently mostly based in Montreal, Canada. Prior thereto, 30+ years in private equity, venture capital, project finance, and strategy consulting in the USA, UK, France, Switzerland, and Emerging Europe (CEE).

Currently involved with companies in MedTech, FinTech, Manufacturing 4.0, FoodTech, AdTech and MarTech.

Gyuri is also Managing Director, Courtfield Associates (London, UK) and member, Board of Directors, Anges Québec (Montreal, Qc).

Dr Karady is an Expert-in-Residence at the Harvard Innovation Labs (Cambridge, USA), and a semi-finals judge of the McGill Dobson Cup (Montreal, Canada). In addition, he is a long-standing member of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Alumni Council.

Honours BSc, Physics (1972 – 1975), McGill University.

Received the 1975 Horace Watson Gold Medal for highest First Class standing in the Honours Physics Program.

PhD, Engineering (Decision Analysis), Harvard University.

(Masters and PhD: 1975 – 1980).

- PhD thesis topic: Decision making under uncertainty - the impact of risk aversion.

- Masters in operations research and applied statistics.

Previously:

Director, Astorg Partners (€800M LBO Fund) (Paris).

Managing Director, Julius Baer Capital (Private Equity, C&EE).

Managing Partner, Baring Corilius Private Equity (London).

Senior Banker and Country Head, EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, London).

Mercer, Price Waterhouse, and Cresap-Telesis (US and France).

A former portfolio manager of a London UK based global macro hedge fund with investments in public and private equity,

Jon spent the prior decade involved with the Canadian government in senior political roles. Previously he was a partner in a groundbreaking dotcom, published author and producer of television, film and online content.

In 2018, he was featured on the covers of both Grow Opportunity & CannaBiz magazines.

Jon Watson is a co-founder of CQA, and Managing Partner of Gold Leaf Capital, a global cannabis equities fund.

Jon is a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal.

Chairman & CEO, The Ensign Group Inc. (2000).
President (2004) and Board of Directors (1982), Revere Realties Ltd.
Founder, Evotion Inc. (2010), including for Evotion Sports, inc., EvoFun inc., and EvotionTech inc.

Attorney at law, Member, Québec Bar (1981).
Acted as lead counsel on transactions in Canada, USA, UK, Japan, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Panama, Argentina.

Who’s Who in the World

(1997, First selection).
Who’s Who in Finance and Industry

(2001, First selection).

Guide to the World’s Leading Privatization Lawyers, published by International Financial Law Review (London, UK) (1996).

Our Team