Led all functions (Cultivation/Production, Finance, Marketing, Innovation, Retail Operations) with 150+ employees and $25M+ in revenue. Reported directly to Board of Directors, with full P&L, balance sheet and cash flow accountability for the business. ✦ Led multiple rounds of negotiations, successfully agreeing to terms at hugely positive valuation (200+% vs. external 3rd-party fairness opinion, 360+% vs. terms agreed prior to arrival) unlocking substantial return on investment and smooth exit for ownership group over 200+ members. ✦ Successfully executed reverse triangular merger of Leafline Industries and Green Thumb Industries Inc. (GTI), a leading national cannabis packaged goods company and MSOExited company as agreed per strategic integration plan.𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘴-𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘺: 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘴. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘵𝘢.

Recruited to oversee all functions (Commercial Sales, National Accounts, Operations, Finance, Marketing, Design, Innovation) with over 90 team members. Led Prestige Executive team and served on Johnson Brothers Executive team, reporting directly to the Owners and President. ✦ Over-delivered 2020 annual plan on top and bottom lines, while positioning business and brands for ongoing growth.𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 1974, 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 (𝘗𝘉𝘎) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 $3.5𝘉 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺-𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 3,500+ 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘉𝘎’𝘴 2020 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴.

As Head of Diageo North America’s (DNA) Innovation department, led team of 75+ dedicated Innovation professionals across Ideation, Liquid and Pack Development, Marketing, Finance, and Supply—the pre-eminent new-product function in the beverage-alcohol industry. Direct oversight and full accountability for management of $23M annual product development budget and $14M annual discretionary budget. ✦ Drove vast majority of topline growth for Diageo, consistently delivering 60+% of spirits industry new-product revenue (vs. market share of <25%). ✦ DNA Innovation produced a minimum of six of the top-ten, new-product launches each year from 2015 to 2019. Overdelivered annual operating plan (AOP) in every year as head of function.𝘜𝘒-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 180 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 35,000 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 $7𝘉+ 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 3,000 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴.

Led top-to-bottom leadership of Innovation Agenda across entire Spirits business. Created an in-house new-product ideation function, eliminating need for inefficient (and largely ineffective) ideation agencies ✦ Authored and executed strategic plan to establish Crown Royal as premier trademark in burgeoning flavored whiskey space. Crown Royal Regal Apple remains the most successful line extension in the history of the U.S. spirits industry. ✦ Spearheaded DNA’s push into new-to-world (NTW) brand creation including ideation and development of: Blade & Bow Bourbon, Cascade Blonde American Whiskey, Naked Turtle Rum and Orphan Barrel Trademark

Led development and management of Diageo North America’s Whiskey and Rums innovation pipeline and strategy, overseeing end-to-end product development from concept development and authorship to commercialization and in-market execution.✦ Authored critical strategy to position Diageo as premier player in North American whiskey market through thoughtful expansion of existing brands, revival of dormant production assets and creation of NTW trademarks. Expanded Bulleit trademark to include very successful Rye variant.

Developed and managed core spirits initiatives within DNA’s innovation pipeline. Spearheaded development of Captain Morgan’s innovation pipeline, with two-pronged focus on rapid deployment of short-term CAAP-driven initiatives and development.