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.

Dr. Oberg received his MD degree from the University of Alberta in 1983. Dr. Oberg was a member of the Alberta Legislature from 1993 to 2008, and was the former Alberta Minister of Finance. Dr. Oberg was also formerly a medical doctor practising in Alberta.

Mr. Miller has been the General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer of Apple Core Holdings since its founding over 20 years ago. Apple Core is a private investment firm that invests in a broad spectrum of asset classes including real estate (hotels and event spaces), venture capital and private equity. An affiliate of Apple Core was the seed investor in The Flowr Corporation and remains its largest shareholder. Prior to joining Apple Core, Mr. Miller practiced law at the firm of Ware and Friedenrich in Palo Alto, Ca and left there to become a founding partner of JED Broadcasting Co., an owner and operator of radio stations in the pacific northwest of the U.S. Mr. Miller studied accounting and marketing at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and received his law degree from Duke University.

Ms. Basian is also the Audit Committee Chair, a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. She has over 25 years’ in the consumer products, financial services and technology sectors. Karen is President of KB Capital Management Inc. (Strategy and Advisory Services). Karen also serves on the Board of Directors of goeasy (TSE:GSY) where she chairs the HR and Compensation Committee; BookJane (on-demand healthcare staffing software) where she Chairs the Audit Committee; Kognitiv (collaborative commerce) and was Managing Director of Newtopia, an innovative personalised health company. Previously, Karen was Chief Global Strategy and Business Development Officer for McCain Foods Ltd. An innovative thinker with deep financial acumen, Karen was recognized, in 2000 as one of Canada’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’ for her work as the CFO & SVP, Corporate Services for 724 Solutions (NASDAQ/TSX). Prior roles include SVP Strategy for Frito-Lay North America; Manager with Bain and Company; and International Tax Specialist with Deloitte’s. Karen’s community and philanthropic efforts include her advisory work with Baycrest, UHN, Robarts Research Institute and FINCA Canada; and the founding of the Jewish Womens Venture Philanthropy Fund. Karen is a CPA,CA; an MBA from IMEDE, Lausanne, Switzerland and Honors Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

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. Duffy is the founder and was the sole initial private investor in Holigen. He is a recognised and respected entrepreneur who combines an extensive and complex construction background to design state of the art facilities for cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis. He has a track record of building successful businesses in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

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.

An experienced and dynamic leader, prior to The Flowr Corporation 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.

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.

A leader in operations, technology, finance and intellectual property, Lance Emanuel previously co-founded QuarterSpot, Inc., an online lending platform. As President and COO, Mr. Emanuel built the company into an industry leader. He concurrently led LASO, Inc., the company’s successful intellectual property arm. Prior to that, Mr. Emanuel served as General Counsel and COO at GotCoders, Inc, a software development consultancy. 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.

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.

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.

A successful sales leader in regulated industries and consumer goods, Bill York is the SVP of Sales for The Flowr Corporation. He is responsible for the company’s customer and trade marketing strategy and execution in Canada. Bill has a breadth of experience in top tier consumer focused CPG companies with businesses built on strong trade partnerships and execution. He has experience working in regulated industries. His most recent experience was leading Sales and Marketing for Six Pints Specialty Beer Company, Molson Coors Canada’s craft beer division, where he was responsible for changing the growth trajectory of mature craft brands and integrating and scaling new acquisitions in the portfolio. Bill spent time at both P&G and PepsiCo Foods Canada as a finance leader with experiences across multiple areas of each company.

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.