Board of Advisors
The Company is also in the midst of finalizing a new Board of Advisors that combines expert leadership in retail, finance, cannabis and branding. The first such appointment is Canadian retail maven Joe Mimran. Mr. Mimran, a fashion designer and entrepreneur, has launched and ran numerous iconic fashion brands including Club Monaco and Joe Fresh.
"I strongly believe that Hiku will be the market leader in recreational cannabis, at the critical intersection of brand and retail," commented Mr. Mimran. "Their focus on quality and customer experience matched with a keen eye for aesthetic has long been the hallmark of successful retail in Canada."
Joe Mimran:
Joe is among Canada's leading fashion pioneers, known for founding and building industry-defining brands including Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, Alfred Sung and Caban. With an intuitive design vision and a keen business sense, Joe has been at the forefront of fashion and retail for over thirty years.
Joe founded Club Monaco in 1985, which instantly became a cult brand that grew to over 150 stores around the world. In 1999, Club Monaco and Caban (it's home products lifestyle concept) were purchased by Ralph Lauren, marking Ralph Lauren's first-ever acquisition.
In 2006, Joe created the Joe Fresh concept for Loblaws with a vision of well-designed, well-priced clothes for a broad audience, which quickly became Canada's second largest apparel brand in dollars and units. It was launched in 40 supermarket locations and today, Joe Fresh is sold in over 350 Loblaw stores in Canada and abroad. Joe retired from his role as Creative Director of Joe Fresh and Loblaws General Merchandise in 2015. He currently stars on popular CBC show Dragons' Den, and is Chairman of Gibraltar & Co Inc., a Toronto-based private investment company.
Lacey Norton:
Lacey Norton joins Hiku as Vice President of Retail, as the company embarks on an aggressive growth plan to open multiple retail locations across Canada.. Lacey's experience at Kit and Ace as a founding team member of the luxury technical clothing brand, includes opening more than 50 locations across North America in just over two years. Prior to heading up North American retail at Kit and Ace, she spent 10 years with lululemon, helping grow the company from seven stores in 2005, to an global brand with a large international retail footprint. Lacey also headed up The Lab at lululemon, a customer-facing design and ideas incubator, a passion that has influenced her most recent role as an advisor to disruptive consumer brands in the retail space.
Will Stewart:
Will Stewart joins Hiku as Vice-President, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs. Stewart brings 20 years of experience to Hiku, having most recently served as Managing Principal of one of Canada's leading high-stakes communications and lobbying consulting firms, earning the trust and respect of leaders in corporations, government and non-for-profit organizations as one of Canada's leading public affairs advisors.
Over the past few years, Will has developed significant expertise in Canada's legal cannabis space, a heavily regulated sector with different legislative requirements in each jurisdiction, working with a variety of large ACMPR Licensed Producers and other leading companies in the sector. He is a regular speaker at industry events, the creator of polling and podcasts focused on cannabis, and has also been named as one of Canada's top lobbyists for seven consecutive years under both the Federal Conservative and Liberal governments. Will was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to Canadian Public Policy. Prior to his time as a consultant, he was Chief of Staff to an Ontario cabinet minister serving in portfolios in both ministries and legislative branches.