Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2022) - SLANG Worldwide Inc. (CSE: SLNG) (OTCQB: SLGWF) ("SLANG" or the "Company"), a leading global cannabis consumer packaged goods (CPG) company with a diversified portfolio of popular brands, today announced the results from its annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on June 16, 2022 (the "Meeting").
The Company put forward the following resolutions to be voted on by shareholders at the Meeting, all of which were approved: (1) the appointment of Baker Tilly LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditor to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders at a remuneration to be fixed by the Board; (2) the adoption of a 15% rolling equity incentive plan which will replace the existing stock option plan and restricted share unit plan; and (3) the election of Drew McManigle, Felicia Snyder, Kevin Albert, Sandra Levy, Ruth Chun, Todd Boudreau and Adam Crocker as directors to hold office until the next annual general meeting of SLANG or until their earlier resignation.
The following are brief profiles of each of the directors.
Drew McManigle, Chairman of the Board, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director
Drew McManigle is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MACCO. He brings both wide-ranging experience, derived from a variety of industries, as well as a solutions-driven leadership style that has led to successful outcomes in numerous complex situations. As interim CEO and Chairman, Mr. McManigle will have oversight over key strategic, operational and financial functions. In addition to existing SLANG management, Mr. McManigle will also have the added support of members of MACCO who will provide senior level operating and financial expertise to enable rapid strategic reviews and business plan implementation. While at MACCO, Drew has held several leadership and fiduciary roles, including interim CEO and CRO. He has also served as an independent director. Prior to MACCO, Mr. McManigle was a principal of his own firm for 22 years. He had previously been employed by a Fortune 500 healthcare services company and had established the Houston office for a California-based advisory firm.
Felicia Snyder, Independent Director
Felicia Snyder was a Founding Executive at Tokyo Smoke, one of Canada's most recognized cannabis brands and a leading Canadian cannabis retailer. Felicia led the company through its merger with Doja Cannabis and its eventual sale to Canopy Growth. Post-acquisition, Felicia was Vice President at Canopy Growth, managing Canopy's portfolio of premium cannabis brands. Prior to Tokyo Smoke, Felicia worked for several years in South Korea at Samsung Electronics in its Global Strategy Group and Smart TV Services Group where she led a variety of projects related to business strategy, acquisitions, investments, and developing new partnerships, products and services.
Kevin Albert, Independent Director
Kevin Albert worked in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch & Co. for 24 years. Now retired, he is currently managing a portfolio of private investments, the majority of which are in the legal cannabis industry. From September 2010 through December 2019, Mr. Albert was a Senior Partner of Pantheon Ventures LLC ("Pantheon") and a member of its six-person Partnership Board. For most of his nine-year tenure there, he was responsible for the firm's global business development, and during this time Pantheon's assets under management increased from approximately US$25 billion to approximately US$50 billion. He currently serves as an independent director on the boards of Harborside Inc., Osiris Ventures, Inc. dba, NorCal Cannabis Company, Octavius Holdings Inc dba, Flow Cannabis Company, and Achari Venture Holding Corp I, a special purpose acquisition company targeting a merger with a non-plant touching cannabis company. Mr. Albert has a BA and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles where he continues to be involved as the Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Economics Department.
Sandra Levy, Independent Director
Sandra Levy is currently the Chief People & Culture Officer at the Canadian Olympic Committee where she oversees all aspects of human resources, health and safety and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Sandra is a senior human resources executive with over 25 years' experience in human resources and legal roles. She is a lawyer by training and brings proven management expertise from both national and global organizations including, Magna International Inc., PlyGem Inc. and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust. Sandra has strong corporate board and volunteer board experience. Currently she sits on the Create TO (City of Toronto) Board of Directors and chairs its Human Resources Committee. She also sits on the board of Trustees of Sir Corp Investment Trust and chairs its Governance Committee.
Ruth Chun, Independent Director
Ruth Chun is a lawyer focused on advising regulated businesses in the cannabis, psychedelics, CPG and energy industries. Prior to founding Chun Law Professional Corporation, she was the general counsel and corporate secretary for Newstrike Brands Ltd. / Up Cannabis Inc. and senior legal counsel at HEXO Corp. through its acquisition of Newstrike in an all share deal valued at $346 million. Ms. Chun joined Newstrike in February 2017 and was involved in all significant corporate activity including a successful TSXV listing, debt and equity financings (exceeding $140 million), M&A, regulatory matters and government relations. She is regularly called upon as a speaker, industry expert and guest lecturer at various colleges and universities and is on the advisory board of the Osgoode Professional Development Certificate in Cannabis Law and Regulation. Ms. Chun currently serves on several boards and is the chairperson of SAVIS of Halton. She served as the first female executive at a leading insurer in southern Africa as the head of legal and compliance and was a partner at Africa's largest law firm. She received an Hon BA (Trinity College), MA from the University of Toronto and Juris Doctor from Queens University. She is called to the bar in Ontario, New York and Namibia.
Todd Boudreau, Independent Director
Todd Boudreau is an attorney and the Founding Partner at ACL Capital Partners. Todd Boudreau brings over 20 years of legal and business experience assisting global companies and investment managers on a wide range of matters including venture, growth, and control capital partnerships, business sale and acquisition transactions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and US expansion. Mr. Boudreau is highly experienced in assisting family offices, sovereign wealth funds, pensions and endowments with direct and co-mingled investments and fund managers with direct investment transactions, fund formation, and US partnerships. He represents companies in industries such as technology (including software and fintech), life sciences, health services, medical devices, consumer, and aerospace and defense. Prior to founding ACL Capital Partners, Mr. Boudreau was the Co-Chair of the Private Equity Investments & Buyout Group with Morrison & Forester and the Chair of the Investments & Buyout Group with Foley & Lardner. Mr. Boudreau is also an active member of the legal and business community. He is the current Chair of the American Bar Association's Institutional Investment Committee and has consistently received the highest Martindale-Hubbell AV Ranking of "Preeminent" by his legal industry peers. He serves on various committees of the Institutional Limited Partners Association ("ILPA") and as the founding sponsor for the ILPA's emerging managers conference. Mr. Boudreau is also a board member for the non-profit CareerSpring and serves as an advisor for the non-profit CareQuest Innovation Partners incubator program.
Adam Crocker, Independent Director
Adam Crocker, CFA is Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Logbook Investments, a value fund with research on core positions enhanced by insights from books. Logbook launched in 2016 and is seeded by his former employer. Prior to Logbook, Adam was a co-manager at Metropolitan Capital Advisors. Before joining Metropolitan, he was an analyst at Morgan Stanley Investment Management conducting research on behalf of growth and value investment teams. He began his career in Leveraged Finance investment banking at JPMorgan. Adam is a graduate of the Value Investing Program at Columbia Business School and has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Columbia University.
About SLANG Worldwide Inc.
SLANG Worldwide Inc. is a global leader in the cannabis CPG sector with a diversified portfolio of popular brands distributed across the United States. SLANG specializes in acquiring and developing market-proven regional brands as well as launching innovative new brands to seize global market opportunities. For more information, please visit www.slangww.com.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of SLANG at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to regulatory risks, risks related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, changes in laws, resolutions and guidelines, market risks, concentration risks, operating history, competition, the risks associated with international and foreign operations and the other risks identified under the headings "Risk Factors" in SLANG's annual information form for the year ended December 31 ,2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SLANG is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.
Third Party Information
This press release includes market and industry data that has been obtained from third party sources, including industry publications. The Company believes that the industry data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this press release or ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon by such sources.
