Board of Directors
Sammy Dorf
Executive Chairman
Mr. Dorf is Co-Founder and former Chief Growth Officer of Verano Holdings Corp. – one of the largest and most successful vertically integrated cannabis companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $925 million. He was instrumental in Verano’s rise as a cannabis industry leader; his achievements include raising significant capital, securing more than 40 licenses across 14 states, and building its operations in key markets such as Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. A criminal defense attorney turned cannabis entrepreneur; he has architected some of the most impactful deals in the cannabis space. Mr. Dorf is widely recognized as one of industry’s most successful merit-based cannabis license application strategists.
Clifford Starke
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Starke was previously the Company’s President and a Director beginning in December 2022. Prior to that, Mr. Starke served as the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Franchise Global Health Inc. Since May 2018, Mr. Starke has served as the Chairman of Hampstead Private Capital Ltd., a Bermuda based merchant bank investing in small to mid-cap, high growth companies in various sectors and primarily focused on the medical cannabis industry. Mr. Starke has 18 years of investing and public markets experience and, over the last 10 years, has acted as a financier, investor, and operator of cannabis companies. Mr. Starke holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Queen’s University.
Edward Woo
Board of Directors
Edward Woo, Starting in August 2021, he served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Franchise Global Health. Mr. Woo is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Over the past 20 years, Mr. Woo focused his efforts on the tobacco industry in the areas of sales, trade marketing, business strategy, political mobilization and government affairs. As a former executive at Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. and Philip Morris International, Mr. Woo held several leadership roles which included serving as Head of Regulatory & External Affairs at the Global Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and as Regional Communications Director Latin America and Canada. Mr. Woo holds a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.
Manfred Leventhal
Board of Directors
Mr. Leventhal is a highly accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience driving growth, strategy, and governance in small to mid-cap companies. He is a seasoned board member having a proven track record of success in corporate finance, strategy, and leadership. As the Canadian Director, from 2015 to 2022, for the real estate investment company, Hagshama Fund Ltd., Mr. Leventhal oversaw the company’s project acquisition and development in Canada. He was the Chairman and a director, from 2017 to 2022 of the oil exploration company, Genesis Petrocorp Ltd. Where he oversaw the company's growth and expansion initiatives. Mr. Leventhal holds a CPA & CGA (Ontario, Canada) designation and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa where he majored in applied economics.
Harold Wolkin
Board of Directors
Mr. Wolkin brings over 30 years of progressive experience in the finance sector, having held significant roles in investment banking, including positions at BMO Capital Markets and Dundee Capital Markets. He is the Audit Committee Chair and Vice Chair of the Board at Baylin Technologies Inc. (TSX: BYL), the Lead Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair at Cipher Pharmaceuticals (TSX: CPH), and a Director at BYND Cannasoft Enterprises Inc. (CSE: BYND). Mr. Wolkin holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from York University and a Master of Arts in Economics and Finance from the University of Toronto. He is also a graduate and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.