NIR ALONI

CEO

Renowned Internet and telecoms professional with over 20 years management experience.

Director of Upstream SA, leading mobile technology company. Clients include MTN and Vodacom in South Africa.

Former managing partner at private investment house Rhodium (focused on financing internet and new media start ups).

Former CEO of Smartrade, international Ecommerce company, operating various websites and logistics centers for selling and fulfilling a range of consumer products.

M.B.A. from INSEAD in France. Ranked as the best MBA in the world.

DAVID STOLTZ

CFO

David is a Chartered Accountant with memberships of both ICAEW (England and Wales) and SAICA (South Africa) and has over 20 years experience in corporate and entrepreneurial ventures across a number of sectors.

Cofounder of Procserve in the UK. Procserve is a UK based firm that is a leader in enabling secure transactions online and today powers one of the most trusted and secure e-commerce networks in the world.

Cofounder of SM Squared, an Accounting and Business Advisory firm based in South Africa, which focuses primarily on the needs of high growth businesses in Africa.

MELANI BOTES

Responsible Pharmacist/Qualified Person

Mel is registered at the South African Pharmacy Council. She has 35 years’ experience in entrepreneurial enterprises, retail and corporate businesses across various industries such as Pharmaceutical and Complementary Medicine, Food Flavours, Dental Implants, Regulatory, Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), Product Development, R&D, Opening of Export Markets in East and West Africa, Finance and Project Management.

The last couple of years she ventured into the Cannabis Industry focussing on implementation, qualification and validation of systems and processes, Quality Management Systems, EU GMP accreditation, research on Cannabis Flos, production up to Finished Product. She also managed an Analytical Laboratory in Maseru, Lesotho.

She holds BPharm and MSc Pharmacology degrees from NWU and a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership (MBL) from UNISA. She is currently enrolled at WITS for her PhD focussing on stress factors in Cannabis, from plant to Finished Product.

ASAVELA LENGISI

Head of QA

Asavela is a registered Healthcare Professional with extensive experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. Has worked for local and multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Canopy Growth Corporation and Fresenius Kabi.

Responsible for Regulatory compliance, development and systemic implementation of Quality Management System based on current regulatory and pharmaceutical industry standards and expectations.

MANFRED BOENSCH

Head of QC

Manfred is an experienced Quality Assurance professional with over 28 years’ experience in Quality management and Quality Control.

He has worked as a Senior Manager for a well-established Pharmaceutical Company for over 17 years and has worked as Head of Quality for a Medicinal Cannabis concern in Lesotho.

Manfred is an Experienced lead Auditor who has had the responsibility for the implementation and maintenance of Quality Management Systems which includes PIC/S and EU-Gmp.

He is an ISO 9001:2018 and ISO 2200:2005 Quality Management Systems Certified Auditor.

Manfred is passionate about Quality Assurance and implementing and sustaining a QMS that promotes continual improvement both within the various systems and within teams.

CHAD ESCH

Head of Production

Worked for four years in California, USA alongside leading cannabis cultivation pioneers such as Dave Thomas.

Appointed facility manager/master grower of one of the largest medicinal farms at the time Mattole CC, started in Humboldt county, known for their ability to produce quality product, unmatched within the emerald triangle, the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States.

Responsible for over 8000 plants in production and 3.5 tonnes of product per annum. Responsibilities included process management, phenotype screening, trimming, packaging, soil development, and all pre and post-harvest processes as well as quality control.

LUVUYO KOYANA

Facility Head

Luvuyo Koyana is a highly skilled and results-driven Mechanical Engineer with 7 years of diverse experience in the engineering field. He began his career as a maintenance technician and steadily climbed the ranks to become a senior leader. With a strong focus on biomedical and biosafety laboratories, Luvuyo has demonstrated expertise in this specialized area.

Early in his career, Luvuyo prioritized his interest in biomedical and biosafety laboratories. He attended courses at Eagleson Institute in the USA, which gave him the opportunity to travel extensively across Africa. His expertise spans across air filtration systems, validation of biosafety equipment, and the commissioning of biomedical laboratories at different biosafety levels (BSL 2, 3, and 4), as well as pharmaceutical clean rooms. He has also acquired several certifications in areas such as HVAC systems and laboratory designs, ASHRAE 110 testing, safety cabinet technology, and clean room testing ISO 14644-1, 2, and 3.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Luvuyo played a pivotal role in the development and deployment of modular containers for COVID-19 testing. He successfully installed and commissioned modular containerized laboratories across South Africa and neighbouring countries, such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, and eSwatini.

Luvuyo also served as a Facilities and Utilities manager for the esteemed pharmaceutical company, Cipla, where he also took on the role of an acting engineering manager. As his interests evolved, he also developed a keen focus on the cannabis industry.