Hollister Biosciences Inc. (CSE: HOLL) (OTC: HSTRF) (FRANKFURT: HOB) (the “Company“, “Hollister Cannabis Co.” or “Hollister“) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Mr. Kevin Harrington and Mr. Jakob Ripshtein.
Mr. Kevin Harrington is a veteran CEO, bestselling author and platform-building entrepreneur known to millions as one of the original “sharks” on the 4x Emmy-winning ABC series Shark Tank. His many landmark achievements include inventing the infomercial, pioneering the As Seen on TV brand, co-founding the Electronic Retailers Association (ERA), serving as a co-founding board member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and creating HSN Direct as a joint venture with the Home Shopping Network. Twenty of his companies have each topped $100 million in revenue, and his behind-the-scenes work has helped produce billions more in global sales. He’s launched massively successful products like The Food Saver, Ginsu Knives, The Great Wok of China, The Flying Lure, and many more. He has worked with amazing celebrities like Billie Mays, Tony Little, Jack Lalanne, and George Foreman to name a few. Kevin then built on that success to help pioneer the As Seen on TV brand.
In 2012 after divesting of the As Seen on TV brand, Kevin joined the Board of Directors of an emerging startup in the functional beverage space Celsius Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CELH) (“Celsius“), which at the time had a share value of $0.22and a total market cap of less than $10 million. Since then, Celsius grew into a leading brand in the functional and energy beverage categories, and Kevin served as a member of the Board of Directors until August 19th, 2021. Today, Celsius is valued at greater than $5.4 billion, and the share price is greater than $72 per share.
“The cannabis industry is growing quickly. I’ve had many operators ask for my participation and support, Hollister is the one I chose due to its fundamentals, people, growth, and platform approach to success. I’m excited to play a role in the next evolution and expansion of both the industry and the Company. There is an opportunity to make a large impact — that’s the fun part,” said Kevin Harrington
Mr. Harrington will serve as Chairman of the Company’s Advisory Board as well as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors.
Mr. Jakob Ripshtein, CPA served as the President of Aphria Inc. (“Aphria“), which was acquired by Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY), one of the largest cannabis companies in the world, and played an instrumental role in its growth throughout Canada, global product innovation and the integration of global supply networks. He joined Aphria after spending years as the Chief Financial Officer of Diageo North America Inc. (“Diageo“) and President of Diageo Canada, the multinational beverage giant behind such global brands as Johnnie Walker, Don Julio, Guinness, Baileys, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan. Prior to Diageo, Mr. Ripshtein held a variety of roles in finance, sales and strategy in various global companies and has been based in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Earlier in his career Mr. Ripshtein oversaw business, sales and tax functions in the Canadian spirits, pharmaceutical and financial sectors. Mr. Ripshtein holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University, as well as a CPA and International Tax designation. Mr. Ripshtein is currently CEO of Perennial Brands Inc, a full life-cycle brand strategy organization.
“From a practical perspective, few companies possess the financial strength and growth prospects of Hollister and remain undervalued comparatively to their peers. It is highly uncommon in this industry to see a company with such low operating costs, no debt, and scalable platform and prospects. I enjoyed working with Aphria in its transformative stage, and now look forward to leading the Board of Directors of Hollister as Chairman in its exciting transformation to become a formidable global competitor,” adds Jakob Ripshtein.
Mr. Ripshtein will serve as Non-Executive Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Company’s audit committee.
Advisory Board Formation
The Company is proud to share that, in addition to being a member of the Board of Directors, Kevin Harrington will be the Chairman of the newly formed Advisory Board. In his role as Chairman, Kevin will support the recruitment and development of the advisory board and play an active role supporting strategic growth of the Company in its next phase of development.
“Transforming our platform into a global leader requires enhancing our founding team with visionary operating, financial and brand leaders. Building the best possible team requires ongoing effort, our team took another major step forward with the addition of these world class forward-thinking innovators on our Board of Directors. Both Jakob and Kevin offer invaluable perspective and expertise in pursuit of our Company’s goals,” stated Carl Saling, Co-Founder, CEO and Director of Hollister.
In connection with the appointment of Mr. Harrington and Mr. Ripshtein, the Company issued 6,000,000 stock options to acquire common shares with an exercise price equal to C$0.27 expiring on August 30, 2026.
In connection with the appointment of Mr. Harrington and Mr. Ripshtein to the Board of Directors, the Company also announces the resignation of Mr. Patrick Morris from the Company’s Board of Directors and wishes to thank Mr. Morris for his service.
