NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Acreage Holdings, Inc. has announced that Peter Caldini has been appointed as the company’s chief executive officer. He officially joins Acreage on Monday, Dec. 21.
Caldini brings an ideal mix of capabilities and experience to Acreage, having served in several senior leadership positions at major healthcare and consumer packaged goods companies in the U.S. and globally. Earning a reputation as a strong and seasoned leader, Caldini has a proven track record of improving operational efficiencies, strengthening brand equity and creating shareholder value.
Caldini served as President Pfizer North America Consumer Healthcare as well as Regional President Consumer Healthcare of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) during his time with the company. Prior to Pfizer, Caldini held similar senior leadership positions in other global markets, including China and Europe, while at Bayer Consumer Health and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Caldini started his career in brand management at Unilever, where he held various roles with increasing responsibility.
Caldini also brings extensive cannabis capital markets expertise to Acreage, having served for the past 18 months as the chief executive officer of Bespoke Capital Acquisition Corp., a Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation. As the CEO of Bespoke, he helped raise $360 million on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the focus to acquire high growth cannabis companies in the US and around the globe. Additionally, Caldini has served for the past year as a Senior Advisor to Tuatara Capital, L.P., a cannabis-focused private equity fund.
“Acreage is a leader in perhaps the most exciting emerging market opportunity of our lifetime, and I am beyond excited to join the company and help position it for long-term growth and profitability,” said Caldini. “I look forward to guiding Acreage to a clear leadership position in the largest cannabis market in the world, utilizing the company’s proven award-winning brands combined with Canopy Growth’s brands and intellectual property.”
“I am pleased that Peter Caldini is taking the leadership reins at Acreage,” said Kevin Murphy, Acreage founder and Chairman of the Board. “Cannabis is in the early innings of development, and the winning organizations will be those led by executives with a strong track record of success in highly regulated industries, particularly in CPG and healthcare. As Acreage’s largest shareholder, I could not be more confident that the future of Acreage is indeed in great hands with Peter.”
Acreage Board member and Interim CEO William Van Faasen said, “Delivering on our refocused strategy, which we embarked on this summer, has put us on a clear path to profitability. Peter is uniquely qualified to lead Acreage to that important milestone and well beyond. The Board and I have every confidence that the combination of Peter’s deep expertise, the support of our incredible team, and the portfolio of Canopy Growth’s IP puts us in a great position to deliver long-term shareholder value.”
The appointment of Caldini follows a thorough recruitment process overseen by a special Hiring Committee of the Board that was chaired by Board member Douglas Maine. The Committee used the global recruitment company Heidrick & Struggles.
“We met with and vetted many viable candidates for what we believe is among the most attractive positions in cannabis, but it was clear from the moment we met Peter that he was the right executive for the job. We are thrilled to welcome him to Acreage,” said Maine.
