Leadership & Board

A multi-faceted strategist, senior leader and legal practitioner, Steve Klein is currently the CEO of Apple Core Holdings, which owns and operates hotels and event spaces, and provides seed capital to hedge funds, venture capital funds, and private equity funds. Previously, Mr. Klein was an attorney at Skadden Arps, and Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He received his Bachelor of Science in business from the State University of New York in Albany, his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Boston University Law School and a Master’s Degree in tax law from New York University Law School.

An experienced and dynamic leader, prior to FlowrCorp Vinay Tolia was the managing member of Bengal Capital Trading LLC, a derivatives trading firm. He previously held senior roles with investment banking firms Peter J. Solomon Company and hedge fund Midtown Capital. Mr. Tolia attended the University of Michigan where he earned a BA in economics and BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering.

CEO. Pioneer. Entrepreneur. Visionary. Those are just a few of the words that have been used to describe Jörg Cieslok. When it comes to the world of out-of-home media, Cieslok has few peers. Known for his industry foresight, out-of-the-box thinking, and sales and marketing strategy, Mr. Cieslok has changed the landscape of out-of-home media in Canada over the course of a 30 year career. By embracing creativity and innovation, he takes advertising campaigns from conceptual ideas to award-winning experiential media placements. Recipient of the prestigious 2017 CVCA Private Equity deal of the year award for the sale of Cieslok Media to Bell Media.

An executive, lawyer, and corporate director with extensive M&A and corporate finance experience. Mr. Galego is currently CEO of Apolo Capital Advisory Corp. and sits on the board of directors of several public and private companies. Mr. Galego was a co-founder and director of ICC Labs Inc. and was integral in its sale to Aurora Cannabis Inc. in November 2018. Mr. Galego was a co-founder, director, and Chief Legal Officer of Terrace Global. Mr. Galego is a lawyer by training with more than fourteen years of M&A and corporate finance experience. Mr. Galego is a member of the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) Ontario Advisory Committee providing advice and recommendations to the TSXV on policy, operational and strategic issues likely to have a significant impact on the public venture capital market. In 2013, he was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” leading lawyers. In 2015, Mr. Galego attended Harvard Business School’s High Potentials Leadership Program after being nominated by Pacific E&P.

A seasoned business executive with strong Operations, Logistics, and Procurement expertise, underpinned by extensive financial and M&A experience. She has held key roles in the Healthcare, Consumer Packaging, Polymer, and Chemical sectors. As a proven organizational change leader, Ms. Lee has led teams through challenging turnarounds as well as significant business enhancements that have led to increased profitability. Ms. Lee joined Premier Candle Corporation (PCC) in 2009 as General Manager leading the corporation’s largest division. Today, as the company’s CEO, Ms. Lee oversees all company functions and divisions, providing both operational and strategic leadership. Her guidance has led to sustained top and bottom-line growth and has positioned PCC as a North American industry leader known for its quality and progressive capabilities. Prior to joining Premier Candle Corporation, Joanne spent several years with Bayer Inc, where she progressed through roles of increasing responsibility including VP, Head of Controlling, VP Business Partnering & Operations, VP Corporate Controlling, Business Planning & Analysis. Ms. Lee has demonstrated the ability to achieve results, resolve complex issues, seek and develop business opportunities. Ms. Lee also held an excellent track record for leading numerous M&A projects. Ms. Lee is recognized as a creative and outstanding leader in organizational development. She has been recognized with many leadership awards and has been twice nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award. Ms. Lee graduated from the University of Ryerson and majored in Finance and Accounting.

Over his nearly 30-year career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Duet ran the bank’s Technology Division, helping lead investments in emerging companies including Square, Docker and Barefoot Networks. Mr. Duet currently serves as Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company and as an Advisory Board Member to Centana Growth Partners, a growth equity firm. He graduated from Marist College with a degree in Computer Science. Don is a member of the Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Human Resources and Compensation Committee of Flowr, the latter of which he is the Chair.

Mr. Gasparro is currently the Managing Director, Corporate Development & Clean Energy Finance, at Vancity Community Investment Bank. From November 2018 to March 2020, he was the Principal Secretary in the Office of the Mayor of Toronto where he had specific public policy responsibilities including matters related to Toronto Hydro, Toronto Parking Authority, Toronto Global, Toronto Community Housing, CreateTo and the Toronto Police Service. Prior to that, Mr. Gasparro had various roles in private equity with Lynx Equity Ltd. and affiliates thereof, and from 2003 to 2006, served as Special Assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. Mr. Gasparro has a BA from York University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from the Villanova School of Business in Philadelphia. He currently sits on the board of Terrace Global Inc. and has previously served on the board of directors and was Chair of the Investment Advisory Committee of Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

Globally recognized for his cannabis thought leadership, Tom Flow is an expert at building and operating cannabis cultivation facilities. Mr. Flow was previously co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at MedReleaf, and currently sits on the board and advisory committees of several cannabis-related companies.

Mr. Maurice Levesque is also the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair, a member of the Audit Committee and the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. A founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Qwest Investment Management Corp. (“QIM”). Mr. Levesque is the Chairman, CEO and Chief Compliance Officer of Qwest Investment Fund Management Ltd., and Chairman, President and director of Heritage Bancorp Ltd. (both companies a subsidiary of QIM).

Mr. Levesque has 30 years of experience in the Canadian financial industry and is recognized for his broad knowledge, skills and experience in the venture capital industry, financial services industry and for his leadership skills in new business formation and development. Mr. Levesque is a founder and/or a director of several private and publicly traded companies which operate in a variety of industries.

Mr. Levesque graduated from The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with a diploma in Administration Management.

Globally recognized for his cannabis thought leadership, Tom Flow is an expert at building and operating cannabis cultivation facilities. Mr. Flow was previously co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at MedReleaf, and currently sits on the board and advisory committees of several cannabis-related companies.

Lance has been building seed and early-stage companies into multi-million-dollar enterprises while overseeing critical aspects of business operations in highly regulated markets for more than a decade. He has a wealth of experience in the management of sales, marketing, product management, R&D, technology, legal, compliance and regulatory affairs as well as in procuring both debt and equity financing and creating large scale strategic partnerships. He holds a BBA, with distinction, from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City.

A multi-faceted strategist, senior leader and legal practitioner, Steve Klein is currently the CEO of Apple Core Holdings, which owns and operates hotels and event spaces, and provides seed capital to hedge funds, venture capital funds, and private equity funds. Previously, Mr. Klein was an attorney at Skadden Arps, and Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He received his Bachelor of Science in business from the State University of New York in Albany, his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Boston University Law School and a Master’s Degree in tax law from New York University Law School.

Angelo has extensive experience navigating operations, quality control, quality assurance, and regulatory functions across complex organizations. In his most recent role as SVP of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at LAVVAN, he developed commercialization plans for large scale cannabinoid biosynthesis. Prior to this role, Angelo was SVP, Clinical Affairs and Quality Compliance at MedReleaf Corp., where he served from 2014 to 2018. During his tenure at MedReleaf Corp., he managed multiple departments with dozens of direct reports. Under his leadership, the organization launched industry-leading product lines, executed on multiple clinical trials and publications, secured ISO 9001 and GMP certifications, and reported zero recalls. Prior to MedReleaf Corp., Angelo worked at Mount Sinai Hospital for 11 years, in multiple management positions, with a focus on human genetics and transplant medicine. Angelo completed his MBA at Athabasca University and Medical Laboratory Science diploma at St. Lawrence College. He is currently a member of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario.

A globally experienced executive with a deep understanding of consumer goods, beverage/alcohol and financial technology businesses, Irina Hossu is The Flowr Corporation CFO.She’s led finance organizations across multiple continents, working in a variety of senior roles handling finance, accounting, strategic planning, capital allocation, integration of acquisitions and multinational financial reporting and controls. Most recently Ms. Hossu was VP Finance, Corporate Payments & Emerging Markets of WEX, a global leader in financial technology solutions. Prior she was Head of Finance at Revlon Canada. She is a CPA, CMA, holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds a Commerce degree (Honours), from McMaster University.

An executive, lawyer, and corporate director with extensive M&A and corporate finance experience. Mr. Galego is currently CEO of Apolo Capital Advisory Corp. and sits on the board of directors of several public and private companies. Mr. Galego was a co-founder and director of ICC Labs Inc. and was integral in its sale to Aurora Cannabis Inc. in November 2018. Mr. Galego was a co-founder, director, and Chief Legal Officer of Terrace Global. Mr. Galego is a lawyer by training with more than fourteen years of M&A and corporate finance experience. Mr. Galego is a member of the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) Ontario Advisory Committee providing advice and recommendations to the TSXV on policy, operational and strategic issues likely to have a significant impact on the public venture capital market. In 2013, he was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” leading lawyers. In 2015, Mr. Galego attended Harvard Business School’s High Potentials Leadership Program after being nominated by Pacific E&P.

A widely-respected corporate leader, legal strategist and board director, David Aronowitz serves as Chief of Staff. He has held senior leadership and consulting positions for both public and private companies in multiple industries and markets over a thirty year career. Mr. Aronowitz was most recently head of M&A at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, where he led all M&A activities including the deployment of over $1 billion in capital while playing a key role in building Scotts’ cannabis subsidiary, the Hawthorne Gardening Company. At Scotts, he also served as EVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, where he built a reputation as one of the United States most prominent legal strategists. He was also CEO of Gnoêsis Group, LLC, a legal staffing and consulting company.

Mr. Aronowitz holds a Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude from Haverford College and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

An experienced technology professional with a history of building and maintaining effective technology and data infrastructures, Ivan Latysh serves as Chief Technology Officer. He has held senior positions in cannabis and beyond, most recently as VP Information Technology at MedReleaf. He will help deliver robust technology solutions to support both Canadian and global operations. Mr. Latysh has broad experience gained from a variety of industries, including roles as Director of Technology at Sapient Nitro; Principal Software Engineer at Infor; and Chief Technology Officer at Refined Data Solutions Inc. He holds a Master Diploma in Electronics Engineering/Computer Programming from the Dnipropetrovs’k State University.

A seasoned marketing professional with 20 years of experience in FMCG environment (tobacco, soft drinks), in complex, regulated and challenging markets (Europe, Canada). Alexandre Jalleau has ten years of successful senior management experience, with a proven track record of crafting successful brand portfolios, driving revenue growth and developing delightful consumer experiences. Insight-driven, uniquely knowledgeable of pricing best practices, product and packaging innovation techniques. Mr. Jalleau provides direction and focus to his teams with open and direct communication and depth of knowledge. Trilingual, French citizen, permanent resident of Canada.

Deeply experienced in operating agricultural businesses, Jeff Dobslaw is SVP, Finance. Throughout a twenty year career, he has held senior roles at Scotts Miracle Grow and Monsanto. Mr. Dobslaw recently led the hydropnic lighting category at the Hawthorne Gardening Company, a $120MM business. He’s managed multiple major acquisitions and their subsequent integrations, including FlowrCorp’s acquisition of Holigen Global Health. Mr. Dobslaw holds an Executive MBA from Washington University and a BS Accounting from Indiana University.

A uniquely qualified operations, engineering and project leader, Aiden Nix is the SVP Operations for Flowr. This critical role oversees production, supply chain, procurement, security, maintenance and construction, and is being handled by Mr. Nix, a 20-year veteran of construction and operations in the agriculture and energy industry. During this time, he assisted in design and development of commercial and industrial projects valued from $100k to $10B+ across North America and the UK. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng), a Professional Project Manager (PMP), a Red Seal Mechanic (RSE) and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lakehead University.

An expert in capital markets, Thierry Elmaleh brings 15 years of progressively more senior leadership experience to Flowr. Most recently, Mr. Elmaleh was a Managing Director in the Trading Products division at BMO Capital Markets, which was the first Canadian Schedule 1 Bank to provide investment banking services to the cannabis sector. Prior to joining BMO, he led the buildout of Susquehanna’s US equity and derivatives business in Canada, was a Vice President in Institutional Equity Sales at Bank of America Merrill Lynch & began his career as an investment banking analyst at TD Securities. Mr. Elmaleh has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a BA in Economics from McGill University.