As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Dr. Green, a prominent cannabis company in Lisbon, Portugal, I am tasked with driving technological innovation, making strategic decisions, and developing cutting-edge solutions to ensure the company's success.As the CTO of Dr. Green, I am responsible for overseeing all technological aspects of the organization and aligning technology strategies with our business objectives. Some key responsibilities include:Technological Vision:I shape the company's technological vision, staying abreast of emerging trends and innovations to keep Dr. Green at the forefront of the cannabis industry.Product Development:I lead the development of technology-driven solutions to enhance Dr. Green's products and services, utilizing data analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence to optimize cultivation processes, improve product quality, and streamline distribution.IT Infrastructure:I oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of Dr. Green's IT infrastructure, ensuring it is secure, scalable, and capable of supporting our rapid growth. This includes managing hardware and software systems, networks, and cybersecurity protocols.Team Leadership:As the CTO, I lead and mentor a team of skilled technologists and developers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Recognizing the potential of NFTs and blockchain technology, I have spearheaded the development of a groundbreaking NFT project that aims to revolutionize various aspects of the cannabis industry:Supply Chain Transparency:Through blockchain and NFTs, I have developed a transparent supply chain solution that enables Dr. Green to track and trace the entire lifecycle of our cannabis products. This ensures authenticity, quality control, and regulatory compliance, enhancing consumer confidence.

Progressing from his previous role in the same company, Ricardo was able to step away from the sales environment and focus on key business administration. The role included: overseeing the office managers in each country through visits and conferences to assess and monitor KPI and each division´s P&L accounts, controlling the warehouse storage facility in Shenzhen China to ensure efficient movement of goods and strict food storage standards were adhered too, meeting with the board members and shareholders to present data collected every quarter on the company’s metrics and ensuring the smooth function of all technical services that the company relies on to operate.

TBL hired him for this position to grow the business internationally right from the start. It was Ricardo’s responsibility to develop a strategy that would allow the company to wholesale its own brand of Chinese grown tea (TBL owns 4 plantations) to large tea companies around the world. Ricardo implemented a project that would see TBL launch an entire B2B sales department consisting of 70 staff in 6 countries.• Designed an entire CRM system for client management that allows sales staff to follow their pipeline in the most efficient manner regarding future appointments, sales logging and note taking on each client to develop portfolios that are rich with data, giving the salesperson the advantage of approaching each client with full history and rapport in place.• Launch offices for sales including building the VOIP technology for communications in: New York, Rio De Janeiro, London, Sevilla, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Ricardo's Role for Grow Cannabis is to expand the corporate technology practices

This company was launched entirely from Ricardo’s living room in 2008. He was able to begin with a small machine that fit on a tabletop and through his expertise in marketing and design, built a website that was able to begin generating customers globally. By the time he sold the company in 2017, GH had its head office in Cyprus where Ricardo had relocated for tax efficiency. In addition, the company owned 3 physical workshops in Bolton England, Paphos Cyprus and Shenzhen China.• Ricardo learned the process of electroplating and metal finishing to an industry standard for gold, silver, platinum, and chromium. • Complete management of the offshore incorporation in the Seychelles that allowed for global trade and high tax efficiency when transacting across borders.• Design and Marketing including the Web-Application, graphics for promotional materials and attending Trade Conferences.• Establishing factory and warehouse applications for cross-border communications between the outlets and efficient inventory management. • Building the factories in line with health and safety regulations for each country and ensuring Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) compliance was met in each facility.

Ricardo successfully launched and operated a 5-seat barbershop in Nottingham. The role included sourcing premises, designing the interior shop fitting, and negotiating with suppliers, advertisers and building the client base from the ground up. Ricardo was the head barber here and was also in control of the entire administration process.• Building and Shop-Fitting the workspace.• Designing the graphics and marketing materials.• Managed 4 other staff including overseeing appointments, customer satisfaction and payroll for the team.• PAYE and TAX accountability software management.• Designing and implementing the appointment booking system via an online web-application that integrated with the EPOS system for payments.• Managing and maintaining equipment and perishables replacements. • Sourcing new suppliers and attending trade fairs to find new partners.• Business Networking through BNI.