- Nominees and proposed board members have served in critical roles at Google, SpaceX and Seagram’s International
- Bringing an intangible amount of value in helping advance the Company’s technology through innovation
- Having individuals of this pedigree join Namaste at this point in the business cycle provides immediate legitimacy to the company and will help expedite Namaste’s plans to continue on the path of revolutionizing the cannabis industry
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 28, 2018 – Namaste Technologies Inc. (“Namaste†or the “Companyâ€) (CSE:N) (FRANKFURT:M5BQ) (OTCMKTS:NXTTF) is pleased to announce that following the company’s Annual General Meeting of shareholders (“AGMâ€), which was held at the law offices of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, the Company has appointed Branden Spikes, Laurens Feenstra and Donald William Nickless (the “Board Appointeesâ€) for positions on Namaste’s 2018 board of directors. The Board Appointees mark a pivotal milestone for Namaste in solidifying the board and supporting the Company’s future growth within the cannabis industry. The Nominees and proposed board members have served in critical roles at Google, SpaceX and Seagram’s International, and bring an intangible amount of value in helping advance the Company’s technology through innovation.
Namaste has been very selective in the appointment in these directors, as it looks to expand on its already impressive list of products and services. Each appointee brings an incredible amount of expertise in their respective discipline, and Namaste believes their experience will help further differentiate Namaste within the cannabis market, as an innovator in the space. Having individuals of this pedigree join Namaste at this point in the business cycle provides immediate legitimacy to the company and will help expedite Namaste’s plans to continue on the path of revolutionizing the cannabis industry.
The Nominees’ bios and experience are outlined below:
Laurens Feenstra – Laurens Feenstra is currently Product Manager at Waymo, formerly known as Google’s self-driving car project. Prior to Waymo, he worked on some of Google’s most well-known products such as Search, Chromebooks, and Android. As a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, he has helped large media, banking and government clients become data analytics-driven companies. Mr. Feenstra holds degrees in Human-Computer Interaction and Artificial Intelligence from University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and was a visiting researcher on “Intelligent Tutoring Systems” at Carnegie Mellon University. When not working on the latest technology, he organizes small electronic music festivals and runs a Burning Man camp.
Branden Spikes – Branden Spikes, considered as “Elon Musk’s most trusted lieutenant†by Venture Beat, worked side by side with Musk for over 15 years and helped pioneer ground breaking technologies at SpaceX, Tesla, and PayPal. He was the CIO of SpaceX for ten years and was instrumental in setting up the information systems at Tesla Motors during its formative years after having served as Director of IT at PayPal. Spikes then founded Spikes Security in 2012, with a mission to solve the most pressing cybersecurity challenge, browser malware and served as its CEO until it merged with Aurionpro in 2017. Mr. Spikes is an investor, advisor and a technology evangelist.
Donald William Nickless – Mr. Nickless graduated from Macdonald College of McGill University with a BSc in Agriculture. Mr. Nickless then worked for thirty plus years working for the Seagram Company Limited, beginning as a front-line supervisor in manufacturing, progressing through various Department Head positions to the manager of the Company’s largest Canadian plant. Subsequent, Mr. Nickless held various positions that culminated in the appointment to Executive Vice President of Manufacturing, Seagram Americas with responsibility for Manufacturing Operations in the US, Canada, and South America. Mr. Nickless is now retired and living in Vermont as a “Gentleman Farmerâ€.
In connection with these nominations, Peter Simeon and Philip van den Berg have stepped down from the Company’s board of directors.
We would also like to thank Peter Simeon and Philip van den Berg for serving on the Board. Peter will continue to serve as legal counsel and corporate secretary to the Company and Philip will continue to serve as Chief Financial Officer.
Management Commentary
Sean Dollinger, President and CEO of Namaste comments, “I’ve always believed that successful companies are the direct by-product of building exceptional teams. The appointment of Branden Spikes, Laurens Feenstra and Donald William are a testament to that belief, and I am extremely excited to have them join our team. These Nominees further strengthen our corporate structure as we continue to build the foundation of our company, as we look to create a unique identity in the cannabis space through innovation. To date, Namaste has demonstrated its commitment to innovation through the adoption and implementation of many one-of-a-kind initiatives, and we fully intend on taking that philosophy to the next level with the addition of these highly experienced and well respected individuals. As the cannabis market continues to evolve at a rapid pace, we are of the opinion that Namaste must continue to come up with inventive ways to appeal to cannabis patients on a global scale.  We believe collectively that these individuals will help facilitate future growth opportunities and help set Namaste apart from others looking to capitalize on this exciting industry.â€
About Namaste Technologies Inc.
Namaste is the largest online retailer for medical cannabis delivery systems globally. Namaste distributes vaporizers and smoking accessories through 24 e-commerce sites in 20 countries and with distribution hubs located around the world. Namaste has majority market share in Europe and Australia, with operations in the UK, Canada and Germany and has opened new supply channels into emerging markets including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Namaste, through its acquisition of Cannmart Inc., is pursuing a new revenue vertical in online retail of medical cannabis in the Canadian market. Namaste intends to leverage its existing database of Canadian cannabis consumers, along with its expertise in e-commerce to create an online marketplace for medical cannabis patients, offering a larger variety of product and a better user experience.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“Sean Dollingerâ€
Chief Executive Officer
Direct: +1 (786) 389 9771
Email: [email protected]
Further information on the Company and its products can be accessed through the links below:
NamasteTechnologies.com
NamasteMD.com
NamasteVapes.ca
Everyonedoesit.ca
FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management’s reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company’s disclosure documents which can be found under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The CSE has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.
