I grew up in Montreal, and at the high school I went to, the rule of thumb was clear: if you were good at science, you became a doctor. If you weren’t, you became a lawyer. I happened to be good at science—but I also faint at the sight of blood. I asked myself: What else can you do with a science background? 

I ended up doing a bachelor’s in chemical engineering and a master’s in food and fermentation. I started working in biotechnology research and development. One day, I was figuring out how to make use of crab shells left over from processing. Another day, I was helping a chocolate plant figure out how to extract caramel from broken candy bars to reduce waste. The work was tangible, and I liked it. You could do something and see the outcome.

A few years later, I started working at Pillsbury. The company restructured into cross-functional business units—small, integrated teams of people from different backgrounds but working toward a common goal—and I was exposed to marketing, finance and supply chain strategy. We were working on a new frozen corn product, and the marketing team asked me to run a trial for a 350-gram bag. I drove four hours to the plant in Tecumseh, ran the trial, came back, and gave them the specs. A few weeks later, they decided to try a one-kilogram version. I went back. Then they changed their minds again and settled on a 500-gram bag. After three separate trips, I asked: Why didn’t you just ask me to run all three sizes in one go? That moment made me realize I wanted to be involved earlier in the decision-making process.

Pillsbury offered me a junior marketing role, and even though it meant stepping down in title—and shrinking the size of my cubicle—I saw it as an investment in my future. From there, I advanced through progressive marketing positions at dairy company Parmalat before moving into a general manager position at pasta maker Catelli. Eventually, I joined food powerhouse Hain Celestial as a general manager of the Canadian division and worked my way to president and CEO. When I joined, the business was doing $40 million in revenue. By the time I left, it had grown to over $300 million.

After 15 years at Hain, I was ready for a new challenge. That’s when the opportunity in cannabis came along. It was a new, quickly growing industry, with lots of regulatory complexity but there wasn’t much structure in how things were run. I joined Supreme Cannabis as CEO in 2020, and the board told me up front: the company had about 12 months of runway left. That was the challenge I signed up for.

I made changes right away: cut costs, restructured, and focused on driving short-term growth. Within 15 months, we sold the company to Canopy Growth at a price above our stock value. I began reflecting on what the cannabis industry needed in order to work—not just for companies, but for consumers and communities too.

Two things stood out: cannabis needs more innovation, and it needs regulatory reform. Product innovation is essential because cannabis customers—especially those in Canada—aren’t static consumers: they constantly want new formats, new strains and new experiences. And engaging with policymakers matters because the rules this industry operates under often don’t make sense. 

Take excise tax, for example. When cannabis was legalized in 2018, the government set the excise tax at 10 per cent of the retail price or $1 per gram—whichever is greater. That might have worked when producers were selling cannabis for $10 a gram. But now that prices have dropped to $3 or less to compete with the illegal market, many producers are still paying that $1 per gram flat rate. That means they’re handing over 30 to 35 per cent of their revenue in tax—before paying staff, rent, or production costs. It’s one of the reasons so many cannabis companies have gone under.

When I had the opportunity to join Organigram, the company stood out immediately. For one thing, our senior leadership team is half women. When you bring different experiences to the table, you make better calls. I’ve often been the only woman at the table—in the grocery industry, in cannabis, and in leadership more broadly. I’ve learned that confidence and results can overpower biases about being a man or a woman. That said, I’ve also learned you can’t do it alone. I have three grown kids and a career I’m proud of, but I couldn’t have done it without a strong support system. I always tell women coming up in their careers: pick your moments. Sometimes you lean in, sometimes you step back—and that’s OK. You don’t have to be everything to everyone all the time.

Beyond that, here was a company with operational discipline, backed by British American Tobacco, and a focus not just on surviving the short term, but on shaping the long-term future of the industry. That’s what makes me so excited about Organigram. We’re pushing hard on both fronts: innovation and education.

We’ve built a dedicated research and development centre in Moncton, staffed by more than 35 scientists and developers. Instead of copying trends from California, we’re studying what Canadian consumers want and using science to make it better. Take our product Rip Strips, for example. Hash has been around forever, but it’s sticky, messy, and intimidating for newer users. We developed pre-measured strips that let people easily add hash to a joint—no fuss. Or our fast-acting emulsion technology, which speeds up how fast edibles take effect and boosts absorption. We even ran a clinical study to back the claims, because that’s the level of rigour we want to bring to product development.

We also champion smarter policies. Excise tax reform is at the top of that list. But it’s not just about taxes—it’s about access. Why can’t cannabis beverages be sold in bars that already ID customers for alcohol? Why can’t CBD products be sold in pharmacies, where people already go for health and wellness? These are the kinds of questions we’re asking on behalf of the industry and consumers. It takes time and money—resources that many cannabis companies just don’t have. But at Organigram, we have the size and stability to take that on, and we see it as a key part of building a sustainable future for the industry.

Related: How We Turned Mushroom Stems Into $15 Million in Seed Money

Last December, we acquired Motif Labs, which gave us a presence in the vape category and made us the largest cannabis company in Canada by market share. We rebranded as Organigram Global to reflect our international ambitions. We’re already supplying Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and we’re looking ahead to new markets as regulations change. It’s this evolving landscape—and the growing normalization of cannabis—that makes me optimistic about the road ahead, not just for consumers, but for the industry we’ve helped shape. As I transition into retirement later this year, I remain incredibly proud of the foundation we’ve built at Organigram Global—one grounded in innovation, advocacy, and a steadfast belief in the future of this industry.

As for me, I don’t use combustibles, but I do consume edibles and beverages. Cannabis can offer many of the same social rituals as alcohol—but without the terrible hangover. I’d love to see a future where you can walk into a bar and order a cannabis drink just as easily as a beer. 

—As told to Liza Agrba