Leadership and Governance
Rubicon Organics ™ is made up of industry leaders with rich global experience in the consumer products, legacy cannabis cultivation and professional advisory services
Meet Our Team
Executive Management
Jesse McConnell
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jesse has a proven track record from his time as co-founder of Whistler Medical Marijuana Corp (WMMC) and has over 2 decades of experience in the cannabis industry which includes the development of proprietary, innovative growth techniques to produce high-quality, organic certified cannabis.
Margaret Brodie
Chief Financial Officer
Margaret has over 20 years of experience in finance, of which 10 were spent with KMPG working in both London, UK and Canada, on global beverage and global mining companies. Ms Brodie has also held numerous corporate development and CFO roles for listed companies.
Tim Roberts
Global President
Tim has 22 years’ experience working in luxury, CPG and food & beverage industries in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and North America. He has held multiple national, regional and global senior leadership positions at Red Bull, Diageo, P&G and Innocent drinks.
Peter Doig
Chief Scientific Officer
Peter is a professional Agrologist (P.Ag.) with over 20 years experience in the Biochemistry, Microbiology and BioResource Engineering of soils, water, nutrients and Agricultural Production. He has overseen and written standards in organic cultivation including the organic standards for the FVOPA specific to cannabis.
Melanie Ramsey
VP of Marketing & Innovation
Prior to joining Rubicon Organics™, Mel held senior leadership positions in Diageo and Beiersdorf and brings over 20 years of innovation and brand building experience from both developed and emerging markets.
Benoit Pinsonneault
VP of Sales
Ben held senior sales and marketing leadership roles in L’Oréal and Red Bull and brings Canadian retail and commercial expertise to Rubicon Organics.
Janis Risbin
VP of Finance
Janis is an experienced finance leader, with over 20 years experience in consumer goods and food & beverage industries, working across European markets for Procter & Gamble, Britvic Soft Drinks, and Nomad Foods.
Peter Dierx
VP of Operations
Peter has over 30 years at an Executive level in Operations. Having held senior Roles in Procter & Gamble, McCain Foods, and Natures Path, he brings a diverse experience having managed Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Research and Development.
The Leadership Team
Monika Mascitti
Director of People
Monika has 20+ years experience in both recruitment & HR in CPG and Tech start up companies. Formerly with Starbucks Coffee as National Recruitment Manager, then moving to work in start up environments, she has helped companies to scale quickly while maintaining strong company culture.
Mark Holman
Director Engineering & Operations
Mark has over 35 years experience in Senior Engineering and Operations roles in the CPG industry. He has worked throughout North America for companies such as Coca-Cola Canada Ltd., SC Johnson & Son and Nestle USA.
Kimberley Knook
Market Strategy & Planning Director
Kim brings with her a wealth of global commercial experience from Red Bull where she had proven success in establishing and leading national commercial field teams, setting up and implementing trade essentials and developing commercial and management trainings that were implemented globally.
Claudio Claps
Supply Chain Director
Claudio is a Supply Chain professional with over 14 years experience at EMEA Nike and DIAGEO, in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. His experience ranges across multiple functions including Customer Service, Planning, Inventory Management, Manufacturing, Logistics and Procurement.
Richard Denton
Supply Innovation Director
Richard has over 30 years of international CPG experience working with some of the worlds most celebrated brands. His specialization is product change having held senior marketing, supply and technical innovation roles across diverse markets and geographies.
Mikky Hasch
Director of Cannabis
Mikky has 20 years experience in the Cannabis space, helping see the industry evolve through legalization and consulting with top brands in both the Canadian and US markets while becoming an innovator in the solventless extraction space.
David Colleran
Director of Finance Projects
David brings over 11 years of professional accounting and cannabis-industry specific finance experience to the Rubicon Organics™ team, having previously served clients across an assortment of business sectors with Ernst & Young.
Andrew Lau
Corporate Finance Director
Andrew is a finance professional with over 12 years of experience working in both Vancouver and Hong Kong. Andrew was previously in investment banking at RBC Capital Markets and also earned his CPA designation with Deloitte LLP.
Andrew von Hirschberg
Marketing Director
Andy has over 14 years of experience in brand marketing both in the CPG world at Procter & Gamble as well as fast-growing tech start-ups.
Valerie Presolly
Senior Sustainability Manager
Valerie joins Rubicon Organics with 15 years of experience in sustainability and business. Most recently, she led sustainability at MEC, a Canadian outdoor retailer and brand voted Canada’s most trusted brand 5 years running under her sustainability leadership.
Rachel Goss
Head of International Business and Global Partnerships
Having spearheaded global sustainable development initiatives with partners like Shell and the United Nations Sustainable Development Committee, Rachel uses her expertise in international market development, government relations and complex supply chains to lead Rubicon Organics’ international business and global partnerships.
Board of Directors
Bryan Disher
Independent Director
Mr. Disher is a retired partner from PwC Canada and has 37 years of experience with the firm’s practices in Canada, Australia and Ukraine. He has assisted companies with public offerings in Canada and the United States, acquisitions, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and governance. He served on the Board of Directors of PwC Canada for eight years, including a term as Chairman.
David Donnan
Independent Director
Mr. Donnan is a leader in the global food and agricultural sector with over 35 years of experience working in consumer products, technology and retail industries. He is currently a Partner Emeritus at A.T. Kearney and was previously a Senior Partner at the firm where he led their global food and beverage team.
John Pigott
Independent Director
Mr Pigott serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Morrison Lamothe Inc. and the Chief Executive Officer of Coffee Club. Mr. Pigott’s has extension experience in strategic planning, sales and product development in manufacturing frozen food products for many national and retailer owned brands.
Jesse McConnell
Director
Mr McConnell has a proven track record from his time as co-founder of Whistler Medical Marijuana Corp (WMMC) and has over 2 decades of experience in the cannabis industry which includes the development of proprietary, innovative growth techniques to produce high-quality, organic certified cannabis.
Margaret Brodie; CPA, CA
Director
Ms Brodie has over 20 years of experience in finance, of which 10 were spent with KMPG working in both London, UK and Canada, on global beverage and global mining companies. Ms Brodie has also held numerous corporate development and CFO roles for listed companies.