NEWS
TORONTO, May 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newstrike Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:HIP) ("Newstrike" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Up Cannabis Inc. (Up Cannabis), has strengthened its senior management ranks with the appointments of industry veterans Liesbeth Teerink as Vice President, Marketing and Peter Kirkwood as Vice President, Sales. The additions of Teerink and Kirkwood, both of whom bring decades worth of leadership and experience in their respective fields, point to the companys continued focus on building a recognizable, consumer-driven brand and a sales strategy designed with varying provincial supply and distribution models foremost in mind. Growing the Best Adult-Use Cannabis Brand in Canada Jay Wilgar, CEO of Newstrike and Up Cannabis, said the appointments bolster a sales and marketing team that is already poised for top-of-mind awareness when the adult-use cannabis market is launched with legalization. We are thrilled to have the professional caliber that Liesbeth and Peter bring to Up Cannabis, he said. Building beloved brands and achieving significant sales targets is clearly in their respective wheelhouses. As we get closer to the launch of Canadas legalized adult-use cannabis market, Up Cannabis continues to position itself as a clear leader in sales and marketing. Teerink, who will oversee Up Cannabis creative brand strategy and execution, brings a wealth of diverse experience from past roles such as Creative and SVP at LAUNCH!, a division of CIM (now Mosaic / Acosta), one of Canadas largest experiential and promotional marketing agencies. Her clients included world class brands including PepsiCo, Microsoft, Loblaws, OLG, Revlon and Parmalat Canada. Her international experience includes having worked as an award-winning Creative Director and Partner at the Mexican-based advertising firm EINSTEIN dAdO, where she counted clients such as Ford, Absolut Vodka and Jose Cuervo. Prior to this, Teerink held the position of Regional Director of Strategic Planning for Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, working on ground-breaking campaigns for clients such as Procter & Gamble. Most recently, Teerink served as CMO and co-founder at Karma Casting, a national brand ambassador staffing and software agency. Her entrepreneurial spirit also drove her to create and market her own brand of yoga products for children under the Yogaga brand. Kirkwood joins Up Cannabis after almost two decades working in the consumer beverage alcohol industry, where he served most recently as VP Sales at Ontario-based Kirkwood Diamond Canada (KDC). His role at Up Cannabis will include oversight and execution of all sales and distribution plans, demand planning, supply chain management, go-to-market strategy, and helping drive the companys strategic sales direction in partnership with provincial regulators across the country. At KDC, Kirkwood directed a national sales force, set performance standards and benchmarks to measure sales effectiveness, and liaised frequently with provincial liquor boards to provide insight on market and category trendsall with an eye towards growing the companys bottom line sales numbers. Both Teerink and Kirkwood will report to Jean Richer, Up Cannabis SVP, Sales & Marketing. Both Peter and Liesbeth bring tremendous Sales and Marketing expertise to our team, along with unparalleled experience in continuously and successfully steering revenue growth and profits, and launching new brands and creative campaigns. We are thrilled to welcome this level of talent to Up Cannabis, said Richer Read more at https://www.stockhouse.com/news/press-releases/2018/05/01/up-cannabis-boosts-sales-and-marketing-teams-with-veteran-hires-including-vp#T2KTOwvH067q4fQB.99