Mr. Deonarine has spent the last 20 years working with leading adult brands in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. In that time he spent more than 7 years at British American Tobacco working on brand communication through ever-changing legislation around packaging and advertising. His experience has allowed him to become a trusted voice for regulatory-driven industries wishing to implement best-in-class communication practices. Furthermore, Mr. Deonarine has operated multiple liquor licenses through the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) with great success and continues to direct global music festivals where brands such as Bud Light, Grey Goose, Moet, and Johnnie Walker have entrusted him with creating experiences that engage adult consumers. His experience has been sought after in the cannabis industry where Mr. Deonarine has consulted with Ontario retailers and multiple companies that trade on the Canadian Stock Exchange.

Mr. Carley’s career spans nearly 20 years of successful experience in growing emerging organizations, with a focus on nascent regulatory-driven industries and public-private partnership formation. Notably, he was Vice President of Business Development for CO2Solutions Inc. where he was responsible for the successful commercialization of its revolutionary made-in-Canada climate change mitigation technology. Driven by the potential of the technology to economically reduce the nation’s industrial emissions in the context of carbon pollution regulation, his efforts produced public-private investments totalling more than $50 million, advancing the technology from research & development to commercial deployment to the benefit of the public as well as industry stakeholders. More recently Mr. Carley has consulted on corporate development and operations matters to the Ontario retail cannabis industry. In addition to his role at the CCRU, he remains a consultant to CO2Solutions and is an advisor to the Centre for Social Innovation, a Toronto-based incubator for businesses at the leading edge of positive social and environmental change.

Having initially sought a career in chemistry, Mr. Ferri’s experience in laboratory environments led him to the legal aspects of innovation where he combined an education in intellectual property with his technical background. The dynamic nature of trial practice then brought him to the field of Criminal Law, where he has acquired extensive courtroom experience. With the emergence of cannabis legalization, Mr. Ferri shifted his practice to develop this new and exciting frontier, hoping to help Canada become a world leader in the cannabis industry. As a founding director of the Canadian Cannabis Retailers’ Union, it is Mr. Ferri’s passion to help guide cannabis regulation in a way that is both supportive of developing Canada’s role as an industry leader while maintaining responsibility to the consumer and the community.