The Cannabis Company Backed By Jay-Z And Joe Montana Gets New Execs, Board Members

Caliva, one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in California, announced this week it has added a new board member, Jeffry R. Allen, and three new executive team members:

• Joseph Sequenzia, as Chief Marketing Officer
• Leann Taylor, as Chief Strategy Officer
• Drew Kornreich, as Chief Mergers & Acquisitions Officer

These new team members bring impressive and extensive experience in their respective fields, along with “a passion for providing ubiquitous access to the highest standards of plant-based solutions,” a company representative told Benzinga.

Caliva also counts on the support of billionaire rapper and entrepreneur Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who serves as chief brand strategist; an investment from Joe Montana’s Liquid 2 Ventures; and Carol Bartz, former CEO of Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) and Yahoo, who serves as Chairwoman of the Board.

About The New Team Members

Allen is the former Executive Vice President of Business Operations at NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) and will be integral in guiding Caliva’s fiscal responsibility and growth in his new role.

Sequenzia founded the advertising agency milk*. His previous experience includes working for brands like Pepsi, Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX).

Taylor brings more than two decades of expertise having previously served as Head of Investor Relations at Warner Music Group.

Korneich joins the leadership team after having spent his career in large-scale consolidations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and private structured opportunistic transactions. He was also the Co-Founder, President and General Counsel of High Tower Holding, LLC, an independent wealth-management firm.

“Caliva has already established itself as a leader in this rapidly evolving legal cannabis market, with plans to enter new categories in 2020,” Sequenzia told Benzinga. “I look forward to working alongside the company’s impressive executive leadership team as we bring these unprecedented projects and partnerships to life. Together, I am confident we will continue to innovate in this ever-growing industry.”