Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> April 3, 2020

Interview with the President and CEO and the Chief Strategy Officer: Flower One Holdings Inc. (OTCMKTS:FLOOF)

Villazor, Ken
Ken Villazor is President and CEO of Flower One Holdings Inc. At the helm of Flower One, Mr. Villazor has more than 20 years of experience in corporate affairs including communications, public relations, business development, regulatory affairs, government relations, philanthropy and public policy. He has held numerous senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry, working extensively in government-regulated aspects of commercial operations including formulary/market access, pricing compliance, price controls, manufacturing grants, regulatory approvals, and shaping federal and provincial government policies. Mr. Villazor has been a director of Organic Garage Ltd. (CVE:OG) since 2016 and serves on its audit committee, governance committee and compensation committee. He has worked for a number of large pharmaceutical companies including SmithKline Beecham, GlaxoSmithKline and Biovail Corporation as well as with the industry’s national trade association based in Ottawa. In addition, Mr. Villazor spent more than a decade in the sports and entertainment industry, including having served as an Alternate Governor and adviser to a National Hockey League franchise. His board experience spans the academic sector, not-for-profit sector and publicly traded companies. Profile
O'Keefe, Kellen
Kellen O'Keefe is Chief Strategy Officer at Flower One Holdings Inc. Leveraging over a decade of cannabis industry experience and a demonstrated history of success in the realms of strategic partnerships and brand development, Mr. O'Keefe is responsible for the oversight and execution of Flower One’s market strategies, including ongoing investor relations and the growth and development of the company’s Brand Partner portfolio. Prior to joining Flower One, Mr. O’Keefe was an early partner and the Senior Vice President of Business Development at MedMen — one of America’s leading cannabis retailers and premium brands. Here he played an instrumental role in growing the business, securing over $250 million in investment capital and sourcing over $250 million in M&A transactions. Over the course of his career, Mr. O’Keefe has worked closely with some of North America’s leading cannabis brands, including Cookies, Old Pal, GPen, Nature’s Lab Extracts, QOA and more. As one of the nation’s most steadfast proponents of marijuana legalization efforts at local, state and federal levels, Mr. O’Keefe regularly contributes both strategy, time and capital to the country’s leading advocacy groups. His interests lie in addressing issues pertaining to the reform of the criminal justice system to reduce mass incarceration and creating equal opportunity to those disproportionately displaced by drug laws in the United States. Profile
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TWST: What is Flower One, and can you talk about your company roots briefly?

Mr. Villazor: We are a U.S. cannabis company. First and foremost,