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Roundtable: Women rising in the cannabis space

On International Women’s Day (March 8, 2021), Grow Opportunity magazine shines a spotlight on inspiring women executives who are creating their own space in the cannabis industry. In this virtual roundtable, Associate Editor Jean Ko Din sat down with women leaders to share their experiences on entrepreneurship and business strategies, and discuss topical issues of diversity, inclusivity, women empowerment and cannabis amnesty.

Panelists

Antuanette Gomez is the founder and CEO of Pleasure Peaks, a cannabinoid company focused on women’s sexual health. She is also the former director of the Toronto Woman Grow Market. For the past six years, she has been helping people start, buy and sell brands/companies in the cannabis industry. With an extensive background in executive work and medical cannabis education, she has a thorough understanding of the cannabis market and knows what it takes to navigate the legal framework.

Ashley Athill is the co-founder and CEO of HRVSTR Cannabis. Prior to cannabis legalization in Canada, Athill built a cannabis cultivation educational platform that provided services as an independent education and cultivation consultant. She shared her industry expertise with HR departments, small and medium organizations and various communities.

GreenPort is founded by Vivianne Wilson, the first woman of colour to run an independent cannabis-based company and cannabis retail store in Canada. Wilson is proud to bring her Jamaican culture to Canadian cannabis, using the plant as a vehicle to unite communities. GreenPort offers a voice to the people who have seen cannabis as a philosophy and a way of life, long before it became about the business. To achieve this goal, GreenPort strives to educate and advocate for fair access and representation within the Canadian cannabis industry.