TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - November 29, 2017) - Tokyo Smoke is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Polsinello as President, alongside Felicia Snyder as Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, and Odessa Paloma Parker as Head of Content, joining a strong roster of talent that has helped push Tokyo Smoke to the forefront of the Canadian cannabis industry. The company is also supported by a powerhouse Board of Advisors, with well-respected industry leaders in design, marketing, finance, M&A, cannabis, venture capital and business development. A key recent addition to the board is Victor Jerez, who has more than a decade of experience in the global alcohol industry with Pernod Ricard, and now leads William Grant & Sons as Global Director of Business Development.
"The breadth and depth of expertise of the people we've assembled is invaluable to Tokyo Smoke continuing to lead the evolution of the cannabis industry, cementing our efforts to position ourselves as a leading retailer in North America," says Alan Gertner, co-founder and CEO. "With Brian's leadership of our talented internal team, we are poised for continued success. We're extremely fortunate to have brought together such an amazing team of thoughtful, intelligent experts from the retail, cannabis, finance, design, marketing and creative fields, who will provide great guidance as Tokyo Smoke rapidly scales for growth."
The development of the internal team, guided by the Board of Advisors with expertise in the retail and regulated markets, is essential to Tokyo Smoke's positioning as Canada moves toward recreational legalization in 2018.
Brian Polsinello
Brian Polsinello joined Tokyo Smoke as president in May 2017. Prior to joining Tokyo Smoke, Brian was a Manager at Bain & Company in the firm's Toronto and London offices, where he led teams supporting strategy, performance improvement and growth efforts for a range of clients across industrial and financial services. Brian began his career at UBS Investment Bank where he worked with industrial clients on a variety of capital raising and M&A transactions. He earned an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and an Honors Business Administration (HBA) with Distinction from the Ivey Business School at Western University.
Felicia Snyder
Felicia Snyder joined Tokyo Smoke as Vice President, Strategy & Marketing in November 2017. After earning her Bachelor of Commerce at McGill (graduating with Great Distinction), she began her career as a Management Consultant and Engagement Manager at global consulting firm Oliver Wyman, advising financial services clients. Prior to receiving her MBA from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, Felicia was a Senior Market Manager at Google. Most recently, she spent several years in Korea with Samsung, leading teams advising top executives on corporate and marketing strategy before moving to a Senior Business Development and Partnership Professional role. An entrepreneur at her core, Felicia co-founded Bartaile, a lifestyle brand focused on creating well-made, stylish and functional accessories for people going places. Their initial Kickstarter campaign raised more than $90,000 to successfully fund their first product.
Odessa Paloma Parker
Odessa Paloma Parker is the the Head of Content with Tokyo Smoke and Van der Pop, joining the team in July 2017. She is also the contributing fashion editor at The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper.Odessa received an Honours BA from the University of Toronto and a Book & Magazine Publishing Certificate from Centennial College before starting her career in the fashion industry. In 2010, she co-founded Plaid, a fashion publication that was inspirational (not aspirational), championing local content as much as possible. Plaid closed in 2012, and Odessa joined top-tier artist agency Judy Inc. as a stylist, forging client relationships with a variety of national media outlets. She also founded Vintage Crawl Toronto and has worked to promote a variety of local fashion organizations and designers around the city. A tireless advocate for independent fashion and design talent, Odessa has served as a mentor for the Toronto chapter of Fashion Group International, a judge and panel moderator for events hosted by Fashion Takes Action, interviewed live panels at the Interior Design Show, and is on the nominating committee for the British Fashion Awards.
Victor Jerez
Recently appointed as the Global Director of Business Development at William Grant & Sons, Victor Jerez's wealth of international experience within the commercial alcohol market also encompasses a decade with Pernod Ricard including as the Global Head of M&A. Currently UK-based, Victor is a graduate of stateside institutions Columbia and the Harvard Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, where his architectural background formed his early career before segueing into strategic consulting.
About Tokyo Smoke:
Tokyo Smoke is an award-winning lifestyle brand that brings sophistication and design to the cannabis space. With immersive experiences and design led retail spaces selling coffee, clothing and designer products, Tokyo Smoke is developing an international reputation as the go-to destination for luxurious, creative offerings within the industry. With the completion of its Series B funding, resulting in approximately $10 million in total raised capital, the acquisition of fellow designer cannabis brand Van der Pop, partnering with Aphria Inc. (
Instagram: @tokyosmoke
Facebook: /tsmokecoffee
Twitter: @tokyo_smoke
tokyosmoke.com
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Contact Information:
For more information or interview requests:
Abigail Van Den Broek
416-799-8510
abby@abigailv.ca
