Investor Presentation
Meet a Few
Members of
Leadership.
Luis Merchan
Chairman & CEO
Luis Merchan is a proven executive with over
10 years of experience in enterprise sales
management, corporate strategy,
merchandising and expense management
and customer experience. He previously
served as Vice President of Workforce
Strategy and Operations for Macy's Inc.
where he managed the enterprise's P&L
expense line for its 540-store portfolio.
Throughout his tenure at Macy's, prior to his
most recent role, Mr. Merchan held various
executive-level roles at Macy's as well as
managerial roles at Target. Mr. Merchan
obtained his Bachelor of Industrial
Engineering from Pontifical Xaverian
University in Bogotá, Colombia and his MBA
from McNeese State University. Mr. Merchan
also holds a Graduate Certificate in Marketing
Management from Harvard University and is
NACD Directorship Certified.
James Choe
Chief Strategy Officer
James Choe joins Flora's team as Chief
Strategy Officer. Choe was the founder and
CEO of Vessel that was acquired in
November 2021 by Flora Growth. Choe got
his first taste of startups in 1999 with
broadband pioneer Softnet Systems in
Mountain View, CA. After building the
business to prominence and growing to more
than 400 employees, Choe left to pursue his
heart's passion - a career in the sports
industry where he would represent athletes in
the Olympics, NFL, MLB, NHL, Lacrosse and
Action Sports for over 12 years.. Throughout
his 20-year career, Choe has mentored and
consulted over 100 brands to date, while he
has also led the design, development and
successful launch of more than 400 products
across nearly all CPG categories. Originally
from Saratoga, CA, Choe graduated from
San Diego State University.
Jessie Casner
Chief Marketing Officer
Jessie Casner joins Flora as Chief Marketing
Officer and was previously the Vice President
of Marketing for Vessel Brand, the recently
acquired ancillary accessory brand based in
Carlsbad, California. An experienced
omnichannel marketer and storyteller, Casner
previously operated her own agency,
Junction Marketing, where she developed
and executed bespoke go-to-market
strategies. An early team member of The
Active Network during its rapid growth phase
(pre-IPO and acquisition), MOGL (now
EMPYR, during series A/B funding), 2XU, and
Total Gym, Casner brings a strong
knowledge and background in the startup,
CPG, cannabis, sports and apparel
industries. Casner in her role with the
company, will lead the communications and
narrative building for Flora and all subsidiary
brands as well as craft the plan for Flora
brand awareness activities in both the
consumer and investor markets.
Elshad Garayev
Chief Financial Officer
Garayev brings over 25 years of experience in
finance supporting successful organizations
through the development and implementation
of accounting and reporting policies as well
as building high-performance finance teams.
Garayev has served in a variety of financial
leadership roles at companies such as
Amazon, Boeing BP and RPK Capital,
managing a diverse array of initiatives at
various companies. As CFO, Garayev will
focus on financial controls and governance,
management of cash position to optimize the
utilization of resources across the
organization and continued evolution of
systems and processes as Flora moves
towards quarterly financial reporting. Garayev
will also play a critical role in assisting in the
execution of Flora's strategy to drive
profitable growth and enhance shareholder
value.
Dr. Annabelle Manalo-Morgan
Director and Lead Scientist
Dr. Annabelle is a scientist, educator, author,
mother of five, and a respected key opinion
leader.
She is a cell and developmental biologist
from Vanderbilt University in Nashville,
Tennessee, with a background in
neuroscience from Georgetown University.
She earned her Ph.D. in Cell and
Developmental Biology with a focus in
Cardio-Oncology and has since become a
philanthropist and entrepreneur focused on
pharmaceutical innovation and clinical trial
research in medical cannabis.
FLORA GROWTH
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