Board of Directors

Mike Gorenstein serves as Cronos Group’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, he also serves as Chairman of Cronos Group’s Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Gorenstein is a Co-Founder and passive Member of Gotham Green Partners. Before joining Cronos, Mike was the Vice President and General Counsel at Alphabet Partners, LP, a New York City based multi-strategy investment management firm, focused on identifying mispriced assets across various industries, asset classes and geographies. Prior to Alphabet Partners, LP, he was a corporate attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. Mike graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School with a Juris Doctor, the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania with a certificate in Business Economics and Public Policy and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science of Business in Finance.

James Rudyk is the Chief Financial Officer of Ag Growth International Inc. (“AGI”) where he is responsible for finance, accounting, business intelligence and information technology. Mr. Rudyk is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of financial and operational experience, and a track record of supporting ambitious growth plans. Prior to joining AGI, Mr. Rudyk served as the CFO of Sofina Foods Inc. from September 2019 until May 2020, and was the CFO of Roots Corporation from 2016 through August 2019, where he helped the company grow and transition from a family-led organization to a Canadian public company. He also served as the CFO of Shred-It International Inc. from 2009 to 2015, where he was instrumental in helping the company grow from approximately C$200 million to over C$700 million in revenue and expand to more than 17 countries around the world. Mr. Rudyk received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Jason Adler is the Co-founder and Managing Member of Gotham Green Partners, a private equity firm focused primarily on early-stage investing in companies in the cannabis industry. Prior to co-founding Gotham Green, Mr. Adler was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet Partners, LP, a New York City based multi-strategy investment management firm, focused on identifying mispriced assets across various industries, asset classes and geographies. Mr. Adler also founded Geronimo, LLC, a broker dealer and member of the American Stock Exchange, that made markets in equity options, and he began his career as a Market Maker at G&D Trading. Mr. Adler graduated with a B.A. from the University of Rhode Island.

Kendrick Ashton, Jr. is the Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of The St. James, a leading developer and operator of performance, wellness and lifestyle brands, experiences and destinations. Prior to founding The St. James, Mr. Ashton was a founding member and Managing Director of Perella Weinberg Partners, a boutique financial services firm. Before joining Perella Weinberg, he was an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and gained legal experience at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Mr. Ashton received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a Merit Scholar and the Earl Dickerson Public Service Scholar, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, where he was also a Merit Scholar. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) from the College of William and Mary. Mr. Ashton is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Board of Trustees of the National Urban League, the Board of Directors of Archbishop John Carroll High School and the Board of Directors of Bellwether Education Partners and is an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors and Foundation Board of the College of William & Mary.

Jody Begley currently serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for Altria Group. In his role, he oversees the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of Altria’s companies’ tobacco products and various functions supporting those operations. Previously, Mr. Begley served as Senior Vice President, Tobacco Products for Altria Group overseeing Altria's core tobacco businesses as well as Engineering, Quality and Product Development support and Consumer & Marketplace Insights. Jody also served as President and General Manager of Nu Mark. Mr. Begley joined Philip Morris USA in 1995 and has held various leadership positions at several Altria companies, including Vice President, Brand Management, PM USA; Vice President, Strategy & Business Development; Vice President, Marketing & Promotion Services; Vice President, Brand Management, Smokeless; and Vice President, Customer & Marketing Services. Mr. Begley is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville where he received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Industrial Engineering in 1993, and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in 1995. He also serves on the Board for the Boys & Girls Clubs in the metro Richmond area.

Murray Garnick serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Altria. In his role since 2017, he leads the company’s Law Department, Regulatory Affairs and Regulatory Sciences. Mr. Garnick previously served as Deputy General Counsel for Altria Client Services, a subsidiary of Altria, which provides professional services and support to Altria and its operating companies. At Altria, Mr. Garnick has led the legal support for sales, marketing, regulation, and product development and intellectual property matters. He has also supervised the management of tobacco, health and all other litigations brought against Altria and its operating companies. Prior to joining Altria in 2008 as Senior Vice President, Litigation and Associate General Counsel, Mr. Garnick served for more than two decades as a senior litigation partner at the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Newseum in Washington, D.C. Mr. Garnick received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia and his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Heather Newman serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy for Altria Group, Inc. (Altria). In her role, she oversees Altria’s Strategy & Business Development, Consumer & Marketplace Insights, Digital & Technology, Investor Relations, Corporate Communications and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Previously, Ms. Newman served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Philip Morris USA, where she led the company’s efforts to responsibly manufacture and market its brands, including Marlboro, the leading cigarette brand in all 50 U.S. states, and IQOS, to adult tobacco consumers in a financially disciplined way. Since 1999, Ms. Newman held numerous leadership roles in Sales and Brand Management including Vice President & General Manager, Marlboro. Ms. Newman received her undergraduate business degree from Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K Haub School of Business and completed her Master of Business Administration at Saint Joseph’s University with a concentration in Marketing in 2005. She serves on the Board of Directors for MENTOR Virginia, The Executive Advisory Council for the University of Richmond Robins School of Business, as well as the Board of Visitors for Saint Joseph’s University.