Executive Team

Tyler Robson, B.A. & Sc.

Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Board

Mr. Robson has worked extensively over the last decade in cannabis science, focusing on research and development, proprietary extraction processing and medical application. He attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree specializing in biology, before returning to Kelowna to pursue his passion for the cannabis industry. Since joining the company in 2012 and moving from the role of COO to CEO in 2017, he has demonstrated his expertise in plant genetics and extraction processes, bringing the competitive advantage to develop and operate proprietary technologies exclusive to Valens. Mr. Robson has significantly scaled operations and increased profitability at The Valens Company since taking on the role of CEO, leading to the Company’s ability to capture market share and lead the industry as a major player in the supply chain of leading Canadian and international brands.

Chris Buysen, MPAcc, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Buysen has over 15 years of diverse financial experience working as a senior financial executive with many public and private organizations in a wide range of industries including retail, pharmacy and consumer packaged goods. During this time, he was responsible for internal and external financial reporting, strategic planning, treasury, tax, information technology, human resources, financial controls and corporate governance. Mr. Buysen’s experience enables him to manage the Company’s expected growth in the near term as the Company explores opportunities into international financial and retail markets.

Jeff Fallows, LLB/MBA, CFA

President

Mr. Fallows is an accomplished finance professional with over 18 years of experience working on a wide range of financial transactions in the cannabis, consumer products and industrial products industries including mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, private placements, and strategic reviews both domestically and internationally. He spent the last 10 years working with a number of cannabis companies to raise capital and has advised on some of the largest transactions in the sector. Prior to joining The Valens Company, Mr. Fallows was a Managing Director at AltaCorp Capital Inc. where he was the Head of Life Sciences and Diversified Industries investment banking teams. Mr. Fallows focuses on executing on domestic and international growth opportunities, capital markets strategy and assisting with the overall corporate strategy of the Company.

Chantel Popoff

Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Popoff was appointed Director of Operations in 2007, then Director of Marketing, for a fast-growing Western Canadian retail pharmacy chain. She was responsible for overseeing operations, financial performance, and marketing for 21 locations. The pharmacy chain’s success led to an acquisition in 2012 by Shoppers Drug Mart. In January 2013, Chantel took the opportunity to join a Canadian natural health food company for a more fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, leading the operations and marketing of a national product launch. By late 2015, Chantel and her team had gained shelf placement in over 8,000 stores, while implementing standard operating procedures, financial reporting structure and national consumer and trade marketing programs to grow the brand and prepare the company for further growth, which led to her promotion to President in 2016. In 2018, Chantel was hired at Valens as Vice President of Valens Agritech, it’s cannabis processing and product development subsidiary. Through her impressive operational skills and ability to lead, Chantel was quickly promoted to COO of The Valens Company to oversee operations in all of its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Everett Knight, CFA

Executive VP, Corporate Development & Capital Markets

Mr. Knight was a Portfolio Manager at Matco Financial Inc. where he earned an impressive track record managing the Matco Cannabis Mandates and the Matco Small Cap Fund which was ranked number one in its category ending June 29, 2018 for one year Trailing Total Returns, according to Morning Star. Mr. Knight has analyzed hundreds of cannabis companies and toured countless facilities globally. His investment experience in the sector began in 2014 and he has accumulated a thorough understanding of the industry, regulations, subsectors and the companies involved in the fast-paced growing space. Mr. Knight’s previous work experience includes working at Petrominerales and Petrobank Resources. Mr. Knight graduated from the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. As Executive VP of Corporate Development and Capital Markets, Mr. Knight oversees all M&A and Investor Relations and has a heavy hand in Sales and Marketing.

Paul A. Kunynetz, J.D.

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Kunynetz practiced law at McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto prior to joining The Valens Company, where he gained extensive experience working on high-profile and complex transactions. His practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, franchise/distribution, commercial transactions and private equity with an emphasis on the automotive and cannabis industries. Mr. Kunynetz leads the legal services team at The Valens Company, and advises on all aspects of the Company’s strategic initiatives.

Board of Directors

Tyler Robson, B.A. & Sc.

Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Board

Mr. Robson first joined The Valens Company in 2012 and has been integral in the development of the Company into a global leader over the last eight years. Prior to being appointed CEO in May 2017, he served as Chief Operating Officer where he oversaw all operational functions of the business in addition to leading innovation and product development initiatives. Since taking on the role of CEO, Mr. Robson has significantly scaled operations and increased profitability, leading to the Company’s ability to capture market share and lead the industry as a major player in the supply chain of leading Canadian and international brands. Mr. Robson’s passion for the industry began when he discovered the wide spectrum of benefits created by the plant and began assisting medically licensed patients across Western Canada with his expertise in cultivation and extraction. He attended the University of Saskatchewan on a football scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree specializing in biology. He returned to Kelowna upon completing his degree to pursue a career in research and development, plant innovation and life sciences, with an emphasis on medical cannabis and its applications in the treatment of seizures, chronic diseases, pain control, and neurological symptoms. Mr. Robson holds expertise in plant genetics and extraction processes, bringing the competitive advantage to develop and operate proprietary technologies exclusive to The Valens Company. Mr. Robson was included in the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare’s Top 100 Leaders in Healthcare and was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce in 2019. In 2020, he has been included in the Top 40 under 40 by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and Marijuana Venture Magazine.

Ashley McGrath

Lead Independent Director

Mr. McGrath has been involved in real estate development for 14 years as the President and Owner of Glencoe Developments Inc. He has overseen all aspects of the development business including land acquisition, finance and sales of over 850,000 square feet of development space. He oversees the management of a large rental portfolio of residential and commercial real estate across Western Canada and is a major shareholder in an agribusiness operating over 400,000 square feet of indoor livestock production as well as a 23,000 acre grain farm.

Deepak Anand

Independent Director

Mr. Anand serves as co-founder and CEO of Materia Ventures, a European focused supply and distribution company for medical cannabis and CBD products. He is a recognized thought leader in the global cannabis space, and holds expertise in government relations and an in-depth knowledge of the cannabis regulatory environment both in Canada and internationally. With over 15 years of experience in the health, charitable/non-profit, and private sectors in the country, Mr. Anand has worked with senior government officials, policy makers, health professional organizations, clinical practitioners, educators, patients and producers. Previously, Mr. Anand held the role of Vice President of Business Development and Government Relations at Cannabis Compliance, Inc., and Vice President of Business Development at Zenabis. He has served on the boards of various pharmaceutical associations across Canada, the United States and Europe, and currently is a Director of the National Association of Cannabis Professionals and Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana.

Andrew Cockwell, LL.B.

Independent Director

Mr. Cockwell is the Managing Partner of Ursataur Capital Management, a private equity firm he founded in 2009 that strategically invests in Canadian mid-market companies across various industries. He holds a track record of fostering value creation for both private and public companies, advising on issues such as strategic realignment, operational improvement, capital allocation, and governance. Previously, Mr. Cockwell was a Founding Partner of ReichmannHauer Capital Partners in 2006, a Toronto-based private equity firm targeting both domestic and international investments. He also served in the Private Equity and Corporate Finance practices at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which he joined in 2003 and where he advised businesses, private equity firms, and hedge funds in North America and Europe. Earlier in his career, he practiced M&A and securities law as an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York and London. Mr. Cockwell holds a breadth of experience providing financial and legal advisory services in a variety of complex business contexts across a wide range of industries, including industrial coatings, ground support, financial services, and food and retail. Mr. Cockwell holds a Bachelor of Art (Hons.) from Queen’s University and a LL.B. with Great Distinction from the Faculty of Law at McGill University.

Nitin Kaushal, CPA, CA

Independent Director

Mr. Kaushal is President of Anik Capital Corp. and previously served as Managing Director, Corporate Finance at PwC Canada. He has over 30 years of finance and investment expertise including having held a number of senior roles with Canadian investment banks, as well as various roles within the private equity/venture capital industry. Mr. Kaushal also holds significant knowledge in the life sciences, cannabis, consumer healthcare, healthcare services and medical device industries. Mr. Kaushal sits on the boards of numerous public and private companies, including Delta 9 Cannabis Inc., High Tide Inc., 3|Sixty Secure Corp, Starton Therapeutics and VieMed Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) degree from the University of Toronto and holds the CPA, CA designations.

Karin A. McCaskill, LL.B.

Independent Director

Ms. McCaskill held the role of Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. until 2018. In her fifteen-year career at Empire and Sobeys, Ms. McCaskill was responsible for a full scope of legal activities focused on corporate governance and regulatory and advisory functions, in addition to growing and leading a national legal services team. She provided legal leadership and coordination on various complex, high-profile transactions that were instrumental to the company’s restructuring, including Empire’s $1 billion deal to take Sobeys private and Sobeys’ $260 million purchase of Thrifty Foods in 2007, as well as Sobeys’ acquisition of Canada Safeway for $5.8 billion. Ms. McCaskill has been recognized for her various achievements and mentorship within the legal community, including receiving the award for General Counsel of the Year in 2014, and most recently, the BLG Stephen Sigurdson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, both presented by The Canadian General Counsel Awards. Ms. McCaskill has sat on several non-profit boards across various industries, including serving as Chair of the Halifax Adult Services Society (Prescott Group), the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, and the Canadian Employers Council, and is currently a member of the Georgian Peaks Ski Club Board of Directors and Chair of the Governance Committee. She holds a HBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Ms. McCaskill co-owns a Toronto-based retail clothing business called Tuck Shop Trading Co. Limited.

Renee Merrifield, MBA

Independent Director

Ms. Merrifield is Chief Executive Officer at Troika Management Corp., and currently leads a Western Canadian group of companies, encompassing land, real estate development, construction, service and consulting. She founded Troika twenty years ago and has strategically grown it from a development and property management consulting business to a progressive, future-focused land and real-estate development company involved from start to finish in the creation of living spaces and communities. Ms. Merrifield has been awarded various honors, including being named WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada from 2017-2019, EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Pacific) in Real Estate and Business in Vancouver’s Most Influential Woman in Business in 2015, among others. She is Chair of the Breakfast Club of Canada’s National Board, and serves on various private company boards including First West Credit Union, the First West Foundation, the Junior Achievement BC Board, and on the External Advisory Committee for University of British Columbia Okanagan. Ms. Merrifield’s entrepreneurial mindset and determination led to Troika not only being recognized as a community leader but also an industry trailblazer with its differentiated and holistic approach to producing and fostering communities and living environments. Ms. Merrifield holds two Master’s Degrees, including a MBA from the University of Liverpool.