We only believe in, and invest in, companies that we see as having a very solid management team comprised of individuals with a proven track record. After all, a good ship is useless without a great captain.Given the nascent nature of the cannabis industry—particularly here in Australia—it can be tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. New players are constantly emerging, and the industry itself is in a perpetual state of evolution.
The people with the best people win
David Ogilvy
That’s why we’ve decided to release the first edition of our ‘Top 5 Industry Leaders‘ to encapsulate and amplify the individuals that we see as being torchbearers for the Australian cannabis industry for years to come.
This is also the perfect time to sink your teeth into the industry, as things are finally starting to ramp up here in Australia, with the Australian Capital Territory recently legalizing cannabis for recreational use, and the medicinal industry continuing to grow exponentially.
According to FreshLeaf Analytics’ Q3 2019 report, the number of new products available to Australian consumers has skyrocketed, growing by more than 40% in just 6 months.
Prescription numbers have also started to spike rapidly, with July alone seeing a 40% month on month increase in new patient approvals. For these reasons, FreshLeaf predicts that the Australian cannabis industry will hit $50 million in annualized revenue by the end of the year.
In our inaugural edition of the ‘Top 5 Industry Leaders’ book, we cover five key players in the Australian cannabis space, starting with Rhys Cohen, the director of Cannabis Consulting Australia, and now the principal consultant for Freshleaf Analytics. Rhys has played an integral role, particularly within medicinal cannabis here in Australia, namely for his work on the first White Paper on medicinal cannabis in Australia for the University of Sydney.
The second industry leader we’ve chosen is Paul Mavor. Paul is the founder of Health House International—which is one of the major wholesalers to Australian pharmacies for medicinal cannabis—a practising pharmacist of thirty years, and the director of Medical Cannabis Research Australia.
Our third industry leader is Dr. Stewart Washer. Dr. Washer has two decades of experience across medical technology, biotechnology, and agrifood companies, all prior to his entrance into the cannabis space. He has since gone on to become the founder of Zelda Therapeutics and Emerald Clinics while sitting on the board of Orthocell, Botanix Pharma and Cynata Therapeutics.
The fourth leader we’ve chosen within the cannabis space is Dr. Sud Agarwal. Dr. Agarwal has a medical background in anaesthesia, though he has since become an internationally recognized key opinion leader in cannabinoid medicines.
Over the course of 15 years—prior to his involvement with cannabis—Dr. Agarwal developed an impressive leadership track record, commercializing several healthcare companies while also becoming a successful property developer.
For our fifth and final industry leader, we’ve chosen Matt Callahan. Matt has nearly two decades of biotech experience and has served as the Executive Director of Orthocell for the past 13 years, while also being the President, Founder and CEO of iCeutica.
For the past six years, Matt has carved out an integral role within the cannabis space, serving as Executive Director of Botanix Pharma, a cannabis biotech focused on dermatology.
We often quote Wayne Gretsky here at The Green Fund when we say that “you have to skate where the puck is going.” Well, it’s a lot easier to know where the puck will be when the hockey player hitting it knows what they’re doing.
Click on the link below to download the Green Fund’s inaugural list of the 5 Australian Cannabis Industry thought leaders.
