To be the premier global cannabis company through an unrelenting commitment to our people, the planet, product quality, and innovation.
Our Vision
Aphria Inc.’s vision is to be the best performing cannabis company globally, providing investors with access to the most accretive cannabis opportunities around the world.
Our Story
Our Team
Governance
Our Story
Aphria Inc. was founded in 2013 with a vision to produce high-quality cannabis in the most natural growing conditions.
We saw a future in cannabis and decided to apply more than 60 years of commercial agriculture and greenhouse expertise to grow a few medical cannabis plants.
Those initial plants grew into a few million, and we have since become a premier global cannabis company with a presence in 10 countries across five continents.
With a focus on sustainability, our state-of-the art greenhouses and cultivation operations, processing and distribution facilities and first-class laboratories make Aphria one of the world’s leading fully-integrated cannabis companies.
Our Team
Irwin D. Simon
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Read More
Irwin D. Simon
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Irwin Simon is a business executive who founded The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) a leading organic and natural products company in 1993. As Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Irwin Simon led Hain Celestial for more than 25 years and grew the business to $3 billion in net sales with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East providing consumers with A Healthier Way of Life™.
Irwin Simon has more than 30 years of business experience spanning many domestic and international leadership and operating roles. Prior to Hain Celestial, Irwin Simon was employed in various marketing and sales positions at Slim-Fast Foods Company, a dietary supplement foods company, and The Häagen-Dazs Company, a frozen dessert company, then a division of Grand Metropolitan, a multi-national luxury brands company.
Jakob Ripshtein
President
Read More
Jakob Ripshtein
President
Jakob Ripshtein is President of Aphria Inc., a leading global cannabis company.
As President, Mr. Ripshtein oversees Aphria's strategic direction including partnerships, international expansion and global operations in 10 countries. Prior to his appointment as President, Mr. Ripshtein served as the Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for the company’s sales, marketing and commercial strategy.
Mr. Ripshtein brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at Diageo North America, the world’s leading premium beverage organization. He started his career as the VP Finance for Diageo Canada and worked in several markets before becoming the President of Diageo Canada. Most recently, he served as the CFO of Diageo North America. In addition to his career with Diageo, Mr. Ripshtein held a variety of roles in finance, sales and strategy in various global companies and has been based in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
In his earlier career Mr. Ripshtein oversaw business, sales and tax functions in the Canadian spirits, pharmaceutical and financial sectors.
Mr. Ripshtein holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University, as well as a CPA and International Tax designation from Schulich School of Business.
Carl Merton
Chief Financial Officer
Read More
Carl Merton
Chief Financial Officer
Carl Merton, Chief Financial Officer, has over 20 years of financial and business experience, having spent almost 12 years combined with Ernst & Young LLP and KPMG LLP prior to serving as Vice-President, Special Projects at Atlas Tube Canada ULC, Chief Financial Officer of Reko International Group Inc. (TSXV: REK) and Chief Financial Officer of Aphria Inc. Mr. Merton is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators (the “CICBV”). As the Chief Financial Officer of Aphria Inc., Mr. Merton is responsible for leading strategic discussions, acquisitions and divestitures, budgeting, financing, financial reporting and internal controls. Mr. Merton holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration from Laurentian University. In addition, Mr. Merton, is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Motor City Community Credit Union, is the Chair of their Audit Committee, serves as an external member of the Audit Committee of the Greater Windsor & Essex County District School Board and has served as a past Chair of both the CICBV and the International Association of Professional Business Valuators.
Christelle Gedeon
Chief Legal Officer
Read More
Christelle Gedeon
Chief Legal Officer
Dr. Christelle Gedeon, Chief Legal Officer has spent her entire career in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry which has positioned her as a leader in the cannabis industry. Prior to joining Aphria Inc., Dr. Gedeon was a Partner at Fasken, a pre-eminent bay street firm in Toronto, where her practice focused on all aspects of regulated health products such drugs, devices, food, cosmetics and cannabis. She is sought after for her expertise in navigating product approvals and licensing, designing and implementing international clinical trials, facilitating national product launches and overall intellectual property portfolio management. Dr. Gedeon received her LL.B./B.C.L. from McGill University and holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Toronto. She is also a licensed trademark agent and is currently the Chair of the Canadian Association of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs.
Christelle is an integral part of operations and corporate strategy, managing the legal needs of Aphria across 10 countries, including M&A, advertising and promotions, regulatory compliance and corporate governance.
Tim Purdie
Chief Information Officer & Chief Information Security Officer
Read More
Tim Purdie
Chief Information Officer & Chief Information Security Officer
Tim Purdie joined Aphria in December 2018, and is responsible for the company’s overall vision and leadership of technology services that drive rapid business value, scale, information security, and business orchestration. With over 30 years of professional experience prior to joining Aphria Inc., he held successive executive leadership positions as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Director, as well as other senior management positions in well-known international companies such as Xede Consulting Group, Sandvine, Research In Motion (Blackberry) and OpenText. In addition, Mr. Purdie has extensive experience as a Management Consultant to ASCAP, Ally Bank, Bosch, Delphi, Priority Health, DTE Energy, Aristocrat, Magnetrol, The State of Michigan, General Motors and many others. Mr. Purdie is an award-winning author for The Process Improvement Handbook | A Blueprint for Managing Change and Increasing Organizational Performance and is recognized as a global thought leader who designed The Process Oriented Architecture framework. Mr. Purdie holds designations as Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Supply Chain Professional, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Project Manager, Certified Scrum Master, and Certified Rummler-Brache Process Improvement consultant.
Brett Marchand
SVP, Operations
Read More
Brett Marchand
SVP, Operations
Bringing over 35 years experience to his role at Aphria, Brett is responsible for all growing and manufacturing operations, as well as all supply chain functions, while commercializing Aphria’s aggressive growth strategy. Previously, Mr. Marchand was Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics Canada at The Northwest Company where he was responsible for overseeing a supply network that supported 140 remote access retail grocery and general merchandise stores across Canada’s North.
Brett set out on his career in logistics as a military transportation officer, was cross trained as a quarter master and over his 20-year career, served in a number of locations both in Canada and abroad, including Trenton, Kingston, Lahr Germany, Montreal, and Petawawa. Upon retirement from the Army, Brett moved on to work in strategic leadership positions across a variety of industries including Civilian Transportation, Oil and Gas and Food and Beverages.
Randy Daigneau
VP of Manufacturing
Read More
Randy Daigneau
VP of Manufacturing
Randy Daigneau, Vice President of Manufacturing, is a business transformation leader who has spent the last 15 years building start-ups and improving organizational performance for national brands. With deep roots in constraint management, operational excellence and strategic planning, Randy employs a customer centric focus to manufacturing at Aphria Inc., where he is responsible for ensuring end-to-end processes flow smoothly. Randy’s educational background includes a business diploma from St.Clair College where he taught Strategic Planning for 10 years and served on St.Clair College’s curriculum advisory board. In the past, he was a board member for Bridges to Community Canada, where he played an active role fundraising, building homes and improving living conditions in Nicaragua.
Tamara Macgregor
VP of Communications & Public Affairs
Read More
Tamara Macgregor
VP of Communications & Public Affairs
Tamara Macgregor brings more than 12 years of experience in strategic communications planning, media relations, content creation and management, public affairs, and issues, stakeholder, and brand management. She leads Aphria’s Communications and Public Affairs team and is responsible for the execution of global corporate and brand public relations strategies and activities, government relations, and crisis management. Tamara also spearheads Aphria’s global social purpose strategy, furthering the Company’s commitment to be a good corporate citizen.
Prior to joining Aphria, Tamara was Vice-President at a public relations firm that specialized in financial communications. She also spent seven years in the Health & Pharmaceutical sector, leading teams in the execution of public relations and consumer marketing programs. In addition to providing strategic communications counsel to national and global not-for-profit, consumer and pharmaceutical clients, Tamara has also led a number of drug reimbursement and health advocacy programs. Over the last 20 years, Tamara worked within all three levels of Canadian government and has extensive experience working with and managing political campaigns in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Megan McCrae
VP of Marketing
Read More
Megan McCrae
VP of Marketing
Megan McCrae is an experienced marketing professional with over 15 years of retail and CPG experience with a focus on marketing in highly regulated environments. Ms. McCrae currently leads the Marketing function at Aphria Inc., covering all aspects of brand, portfolio, and marketing strategy across the medical, recreational, and wellness verticals. Prior to joining Aphria Inc., Ms. McCrae spent ten years working for global tobacco giant, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in various marketing and sales management roles in Canada, the USA, and Switzerland. Ms. McCrae holds an Honors Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a B.A. from Western University. Ms. McCrae currently sits on the Board of Directors for two of the largest cannabis industry associations; the Cannabis Canada Council and the Global Cannabis Partnership.
Bob Ondejko
VP of Operations
Read More
Bob Ondejko
VP of Operations
Bob Ondejko is Vice President of Operations at Aphria Inc. where he oversees crop production and greenhouse and automation operations. An entrepreneur and former owner of award-winning business Seacliff Farms LTD, Bob brings a wealth of experience in harvesting and cultivation of vegetable and potted flower plants. Previously, Bob was a Head Grower consultant at One Floral for the company's operations in Leamington, St. Catharines and South Carolina and, he serves as a Consultant for an Arizona-based medical cannabis company, Copperstate Farms.
Joel Toguri
VP of Sales
Read More
Joel Toguri
VP of Sales
Joel Toguri joined Aphria in June 2018 with more than 20 years’ experience in the Canadian beverage alcohol industry. Previously he was Vice President of Sales and Operations at Southern Glazer’s of Canada. As Southern Glazer’s first employee in Canada, he was charged with establishing the company’s footprint throughout the country. He led a national sales team of more than 90 people and drove the company to become the #3 Agent/Broker in Canada in just three years. Prior to Southern Glazer’s, Mr. Toguri held leadership roles at MolsonCoors, Maxxium Wine & Spirits, and Beam Global Spirits & Wine.
Governance
At Aphria Inc., we strongly believe that effective governance is essential to our long-term growth and success as a publicly traded cannabis company with partnerships and investments around the world. Our Board of Directors is focused on promoting a strong culture of integrity and ethical behaviour throughout the organization.
The Board of Directors equally serves as a prudent fiduciary for shareholders and provides oversight of management in the conduct of Aphria’s business. The obligations of the Board of Directors and of Aphria Inc.’s management are codified in the documents available in this section and reinforced regularly at all levels of the Company.
Board of Directors
Irwin Simon
Chair of the Board of Directors
Read More
Irwin Simon
Chair of the Board of Directors
Irwin Simon is a business executive who founded The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) a leading organic and natural products company in 1993. As Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Irwin Simon led Hain Celestial for more than 25 years and grew the business to $3 billion in net sales with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East providing consumers with A Healthier Way of Life™.
Irwin Simon has more than 30 years of business experience spanning many domestic and international leadership and operating roles. Prior to Hain Celestial, Irwin Simon was employed in various marketing and sales positions at Slim-Fast Foods Company, a dietary supplement foods company, and The Häagen-Dazs Company, a frozen dessert company, then a division of Grand Metropolitan, a multi-national luxury brands company.
John M. Herhalt
Director & Chair of the Audit Committee
Read More
John M. Herhalt
Director & Chair of the Audit Committee
John is a FCPA (FCA) and a retired partner from KPMG and has over 39 years of experience providing a wide variety of advisory and audit services to a range of clients. He has worked across several industry sectors including automotive manufacturing, consumer products, infrastructure, power and utilities and the public sector. During his time with KPMG, John served as Canada’s national advisory leader, national public sector leader, and KPMG International’s global head of infrastructure, government and health care sectors – providing subject matter advice and support to various KPMG member firms and their clients on a variety of projects in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia. After retiring from KPMG LLP, John has continued to provide management consulting services on a part-time basis and serves as a director on several boards.
Renah Persofsky
Director and Chair of the Compensation, Nominating, and Governance Committee
Read More
Renah Persofsky
Director and Chair of the Compensation, Nominating, and Governance Committee
Renah Persofsky is a widely-respected entrepreneur, strategist, innovator and change agent with a distinguished track record of success in creating 27 start-up companies. She has a rich history of investing in early stage companies where she helps mentor CEOs in the art of bringing MVP products to market, and growing their business exponentially. She serves as Board Chair for mobile on-demand senior care and child care start-up BookJane, advises award winning payment card and platform technology firm Dynamics Inc., and is a board member for retail/QSR automation software specialty firm MeazureUp Inc. She is presently an executive consultant in the Innovation Group at CIBC.
Shlomo Bibas
Director
Read More
Shlomo Bibas
Director
On September 2018, Shlomo joined Celestica’s executive team, as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer with the mandate to drive the Digital agenda of the company.
Prior to joining Celestica, Shlomo served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Information Officer for the Apotex Group of Companies since 2012. In this capacity, Shlomo had global accountability for all IT operations, risk management, customer care, innovation, business enablement, legal services, business services, and indirect procurement functions. As Corporate Officer and member of Apotex’ Executive Committee, Shlomo was part of the senior leadership team responsible for strategy development, governance, and global execution of the company.
Prior to joining Apotex, Shlomo was a Partner at Accenture, where he spent 18 years of his career providing IT and management consulting services to Fortune 500 companies. During his tenure at Accenture, Shlomo took several international assignments. He developed strong business skills and gained deep cross-industry experience, serving as part of the Global Business Solutions Leadership Team; and later leading the High-Tech practice in Canada.
Shlomo has extensive experience in the Pharmaceutical industry; and a proven track record identifying, qualifying, defining, planning, and successfully delivering transformation programs that drive business growth, expansion, cost management, and regulatory compliance. Shlomo has also participated in several business start-ups, where he created an immediate impact through innovation, intellect, and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Shlomo has been involved in board work with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations since 2007. He served on the board of Indigena Solutions from 2013 to 2017; and recently joined the board of Cayuse Technologies. Over the years, he was involved in CEO succession planning and recruitment, executive compensation, acquisitions, independent audits, financing negotiations, ownership changes, land acquisition, building construction, investment divestures, and management restructuring. He has also led several technology-centric initiatives for the board, including social media and cybersecurity.
Shlomo is a Mechanical Engineering alumnus from the University of Toronto; and a graduate from the joint Rotman School of Management and Institute of Corporate Directors’ Education Program, where he obtained his ICD.D designation.
Shawn Dym
Director
Read More
Shawn Dym
Director
Shawn Dym is a managing director at York Plains Investment Corp. a private investment vehicle focused on maximizing absolute returns by investing in a wide array of asset classes, including successful cannabis related investments. He currently serves on the board of advisors for Green Acre Capital, Canada’s first private Independent investment fund focused on the cannabis industry. He has extensive experience managing companies with high growth both at York Plains and as an entrepreneur. Since 2014 he has been president of Eddy Smart Home Solutions Inc. a leading smart home water monitoring venture based out of Toronto. Mr. Dym has more than a decade of experience in the energy industry, most recently co-founding National Home Services (NHS) and serving as its chief operating officer from 2008 to 2011. He currently serves on the board of directors at Wellpoint Health and Totally Green. He graduated from York University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
David Hopkinson
Director
Read More
David Hopkinson
Director
David Hopkinson serves as Real Madrid Club de Futbol's ("Real Madrid") Global Head of Partnerships. He joined Real Madrid in August 2018 and brings his 25 years of professional sports sales, marketing and leadership experience to Aphria Inc.. Mr. Hopkinson began his career in professional sports in Toronto, Canada where he ascended from an entry-level day one employee with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors to Chief Commercial Officer of MLSE, who are owners of the Raptors as well as the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS’s Toronto FC, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and the NBA2K league’s Raptors Uprising Esports team. He also serves on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for McGill University in Montreal. In 2012, David was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada.
Tom Looney
Director
Read More
Tom Looney
Director
Tom Looney is the former President of Diageo US Spirits & Canada. In this position Tom had full responsibility for the growth and development of the company’s spirits business in the United States & Canada including brands such as Smirnoff, Crown Royal, Baileys, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan and Ketel One. Tom was also a member of Diageo’s North American Executive Team.
Tom’s career spans 30 plus years in the beverage alcohol industry. Previously, Tom held the position of President, Diageo Beer Company overseeing US sales, finance, marketing and innovation teams. Prior to that, Tom was Chief Commercial Officer where he oversaw the pricing strategy, business analytics and commercial marketing functions across spirits, beer and wine for North America. Tom has also held a variety of roles in finance, customer marketing and strategy roles, including SVP of global business support. He also had responsibility for new business development in North America where his responsibilities included M&A work and route to consumer strategy development.
During his time with Diageo, Tom delivered sustainable growth; through delivery of innovation brands; resourced top talent; built organizational capability; led several reorganizations to successful integration; developed and enhanced long-standing relationships with distributor and retail customers and helped to build Diageo’s brands with consumers.
Tom graduated from University of Florida Warrington School of Business and subsequently attended executive training courses at Wharton School of Business for Finance and Marketing.
Walter Robb
Director
Read More
Walter Robb
Director
An investor, mentor and advisor to the next generation of American food companies, former co-CEO of Whole Foods Market Walter Robb has a long and varied entrepreneurial history, ranging from natural food retailer to farmer to consultant. Robb joined Whole Foods Market in 1991 and in 2010 was named co-CEO along with John Mackey, at which time he joined the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors. In 2017, Robb transitioned his leadership focus to his role as a passionate advocate for greater food access in underserved communities, serving as Chairman of the Board for Whole Kids Foundation and Whole Cities Foundation. Robb also serves on the Board of Directors for Union Square Hospitality Group, The Container Store, FoodMaven, HeatGenie and Apeel Sciences.
Robb is an ardent organic advocate; he works his own organic garden and has served on the Board of Directors of the Organic Trade Association and the Organic Center for Education and Promotion. In 2013 he received the Culinary Institute of America “Augie” Award for Sustainability and Food Ethics, and in 2018, he was inducted into the Expo West Natural Products Expo Hall of Legends.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University in 1976 and is a proud father and grandfather with two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.
Michael Serruya
Director
Read More
Michael Serruya
Director
Michael Serruya serves as Managing Director of Serruya Private Equity Inc. (“SPE”). Mr. Serruya began his career at age twenty, as one of the co-founders of Yogen Früz®. Mr. Serruya co-founded CoolBrands International Inc., where he served as Chairman and CEO. CoolBrands was a leading consumer packaged goods company, which included brands such as Weight Watchers, Eskimo Pie, Tropicana and Godiva Ice Cream. More recently, Mr. Serruya was Chairman and CEO of Kahala Brands, a multinational Franchisor to global QSR brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Taco Time and Blimpie Subs. Mr. Serruya has also participated on the Boards of Directors of a number of both publicly and privately traded companies including Jamba Juice Inc., The Second Cup LTD., and The ONE Group Hospitality Inc. Over the years, Mr. Serruya has been recognized for his entrepreneurial vision, by receiving the Ernst and Young ® “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in Canada as well as, Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” award. Mr. Serruya previously received “Operators of the Year”, presented by FoodService and Hospitality Magazine in Canada.
Corporate Governance Documents
Mandate of the Board of Directors
Mandate of the Chair of the Board
Mandate of the Lead Director
Charter of the Audit Committee
Mandate of the Chair of Audit Committee
Mandate of the Compensation, Nominating, and Governance Committee
