ECS Botanics (ASX:ECS) has filled senior roles across Australia, Oceania and Europe.

As it pursues a global distribution strategy, cannabis producer ECS Botanics (ASX:ECS) has put a focus through the middle part of this year on bolstering the strength of its management team.

And this morning the company provided an important update on the hiring front, with the announcement of four new staff in senior management roles.

ECS Managing Director Alex Keach said the new executive additions will strengthen the company’s expertise in two key areas – business development and R&D.

“The pieces continue to come together to support ECS being a leading cannabis cultivator and manufacturer with considerable pharmaceutical expertise,” Keach said.

 

Key hires

In line with the company’s global growth opportunity, the new staff will fill roles in business operations across the Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Pharmaceutical and cannabis industry executive Angela Macquarie has joined the team as General Manager of Operations.

With more than 30 years’ career experience in the pharmaceutical sector in both Australia and the UK, Macquarie will play a key role in ensuring the ECS product set meets the highest level of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) specifications.

“Her considerable expertise in pharmaceutical GMP will be pivotal in ensuring ECS achieves one of its primary objectives, to build a highly respected medicinal cannabis pharmaceutical company that doctors, and patients trust,” ECS said.

The company has also recruited pharma executive Michael Clark, who will head up its European operations.

Along with direct experience working for leading Australian medicinal cannabis company in Europe, Clark also head senior management roles with British multinational pharma company GSK.

From his base in Switzerland, Clark will play a key role in building distribution channels for ECS’ premium Australian products into the European marketplace.

Closer to home, Blaise Bratter will join the company as business development manager for the Oceania region

Based in Melbourne, Bratter previously held the role of global sales and operations manager for an international medicinal cannabis company.

“Blaise’s network and understanding of the industry’s commercial operations will be invaluable in achieving ECS’s sales objectives across Australia and New Zealand,” ECS said.

Rounding out the new staff hires is Nikita Soukhov, who joined the ECS team as a farm manager in Victoria.

Soukhov has overseen “commercial greenhouse and outdoor farm production operations in Australia, Israel and Canada”, ECS said.

Soukhov brings key skills to the table in regenerative farming, cannabis cultivation, and plant genetics – all core focus areas for the company as it executes on its strategy to become a high-quality cannabis producer.

The new additions to ECS executive team are indicative of the company’s standing as a market leader in Australia’s cannabis sector.

They also follow the recently announced plans for a major scale-up of ECS’ cultivation operations in Tasmania, as it looks to capitalise on the competitive advantages unique to the Tasmanian environment.

“Building bench strength is critical for the success of the organisation. Our ability to attract such talented and experienced individuals is indicative of the growing confidence in ECS’ strategy,” ECS Director, Nan-Maree Schoerie said.

This article was developed in collaboration with ECS Botanics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.