Connor Skelly

Jennifer Knaack

Dr. Jen Knaack is the Senior Director of Compliance and Science at Koi CBD, a leader in CBD topical and ingestible products. She obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Southern California and is a certified Toxicological Chemist. After serving as a Senior Service Fellow at the CDC and a university professor, Dr. Jen entered the cannabis industry as a cannabis testing laboratory director prior to joining Koi CBD. Her unique expertise in science and government regulations has made her invaluable in lobbying efforts to support cannabis and hemp from a scientific perspective. In addition to developing top-selling products for Koi CBD and keeping educated on current state and federal legislation, Dr. Jen also represents Koi CBD as an advocate for hemp and cannabinoids through the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, the California Hemp Council, the Hemp Industries Association and the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance. Dr. Jen also serves as an expert in human rights violations related to chemical terrorism and chemical exposures.

Ian McCulloch

After spending 30 years as Commercial Director of ITV, Ian decided to take his vast knowledge of branding and utilise it in his next calling in life: gin. Ian co-founded Silent Pool Distillers in 2014 with a vision of creating a truly sustainable distillery next to a fresh water source, producing handcrafted artisan spirits of uncompromising quality.

Lily Temperton

Lily is a Consultant at Hanway Associates and has worked across a multitude of cannabis consultancy projects since 2018, providing strategic support, regulatory guidance and market analysis to medical, CBD, industrial hemp and recreational clients. She has also written industry reports including the European Medical Cannabis Ecosystem (EMCE, 2020), produced in partnership with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the European Cannabis Investment Landscape (ECIL, 2021) in partnership with Crunchbase.

Hanway Associates is the leading European cannabis sector advisory firm, providing market research, new market entry support, and M&A strategy to help clients open and enter markets, build brands and grow their network. Clients include producers of cannabis medicines, pharmaceutical and FMCG companies, investment funds and innovative startups.

Warren Bobrow

Warren Bobrow, the Cocktail Whisperer, is the multi-published author of six books. Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today, Whiskey Cocktails: Rediscovered Classics and Contemporary Craft Drinks, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails: Restorative Vintage Cocktails, Mocktails & Elixirs, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks & Buzz-Worthy Libations and his celebrated, 2017 release, The Craft Cocktail Compendium.

Warren is the co-founder and CEO of Klaus Apothicaire, LLC- manufacturer of craft THC/Live Resin Mocktails in the United States.

Craig Hutchinson

Founder / CEO of CEDER'S Alt-Gin which he developed and grew to be sold in over 20 countries before the successful sale to Pernod Ricard in 2020. Has also launched CELTIC SOUL Non-Alc Dark Spirit and M&C’s CBD Botanical Spirit.

Gary Heyer

Keith Villa

Keith’s higher education began in 1986 with an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.  Upon graduation, Keith began conducting research for the Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado and, in 1988, Keith and his wife, Jodi, traveled to Belgium where Coors sponsored his education at the University of Brussels. He received a Ph.D. in brewing science in 1995. 

Keith created Blue Moon Brewing Company in 1995 as an operating unit of Coors Brewing Company. At Blue Moon, Keith created a new interpretation of the Belgian styles that he had become enamored with while studying abroad. Eventually, Keith’s Blue Moon Belgian White Ale became the number one craft beer in the U.S. and is currently sold worldwide. 

When Keith retired from MillerCoors in January 2018 after 32 years at the company, he and his wife launched CERIA Brewing Company, dedicated to brewing the finest craft non-alcoholic beers.  CERIA’s Grainwave Belgian-style White Ale was released in December 2018 and was an instant success.  A year later, CERIA added a non-alcoholic IPA called Indiewave.  Both brews are available nationwide, and,in Colorado, the beers are also available at dispensaries where they are infused with cannabis.

In his spare time, Keith plays golf, rides Harley Davidsons, and enjoys tinkering with several collectible cars. 

Victoria Putsynsky

Victoria began her career as a sales & marketing professional in the wine & spirits industry, after a decade of working in restaurants and bars. Growing up amongst the Brooklyn diaspora in a Russian immigrant family led to deep rooted interest in international travel and exploring culture through food & drink. This passion for travel led her to study and later, work abroad throughout the former Soviet Union in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev, Ukraine.

Her fluency in the Russian language gave her access to the kitchens of Moscow, cognac distilleries in Armenia, a new wave of wineries in the Republic of Georgia, and a historic vodka distillery in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. 

When she finally reached a threshold with vodka, pickled vegetables, and cured meats, she completed her MBA and went to work for a French wine & spirits importer, marketing and selling luxury spirits, champagne, and a global wine portfolio. 

After several years leading a team in beverage sales in New York City restaurants, bars, hotels, and nightclubs, she sought a lifestyle change that was more fitting for a new mother. She left NYC for Portland, Oregon to work with the state’s rapidly expanding wine industry. In 2016, wine & weed were both blossoming in Oregon and Victoria was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit and emerging recreational cannabis industries. A long time recreational cannabis user and beverage enthusiast, she was motivated to combine the two while applying refined sensibilities and savvy to elevate the category. Aurora Elixirs was created for an inspired ‘apéritif’ experience that evokes balance and restoration without intoxication. 

Victoria is mother to a 9 year old boy with an enviable imagination, a pre-Covid yoga and fitness instructor on the weekends, and a lover of fancy clothes that she finds occasion to wear while cooking, baking, and entertaining at home.

Robert Jappie

Robert Jappie is a Partner at Ince in London, specialising in Cannabis Law and Regulation. Since he led the UK's first dedicated Cannabis Law department more than 3 years ago, Robert has become a well-respected legal expert within Europe s fast-growing cannabis industries. With the legalisation of medicinal cannabis and CBD supplements rolling out across Europe, Robert has become the leading legal authority on the developing regulatory environment both here in the UK and in Europe.

He currently acts for several established CBD brands, Licensed Producers, Medicinal Cannabis companies and distributors, advising on the full range of regulatory and commercial issues facing the sector.