Steve Allin, Intl. Hemp Building Association
Allin pioneered the International Hemp Building Association (IHBA), which he serves as director. An author, teacher and consultant on ecological building, Allin has been building with hemp and promoting hemp’s use in construction all over the world for the last 20 years. He is currently involved in projects to rebuild with hemp in the post-earthquake areas of Haiti and Nepal.
Anar Artur, HempMongolia
Artur started HempMongolia, the first and only company in Mongolia licensed and authorized to conduct hemp cultivation, production and export. He graduated from Raffles International University, Mongolia in business and marketing. Before starting HempMongolia in 2016, Artur served as marketing supervisor at leading Mongolian private companies including MCS Coca Cola LLC. and Petrovis LLC.
Paul Benhaim, Elixinol Global, Australia
One of the world’s leading experts in hemp foods and CBD, Benhaim led efforts to open the Australian market for hempseed-based food for humans — which happened last spring. Benhaim led Elixinol Global’s launch on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) last January just as national legislation was opening export possibilities for medical cannabis. Then the company launched on the OTCQX Best Market exchange in the USA.
Morris Beegle, WAFBA, USA
A veteran of 30 years in the music and entertainment industry, and as president of Hapi Skratch Entertainment, Morris founded Colorado Hemp Company in 2012, and 2015 started WAFBA (We Are For Better Alternatives) which embraces Colorado Hemp Company, TreeFreeHemp.com, NoCo Hemp Expo, the largest hemp-centric expo and tradeshow in the world, and other developing projects and brands.
Hana Gabrielova, Hempoint, Czech Republic
Gabrielova is one of Europe’s pioneering and most innovative hemp entrepreneurs and activists. She is a widely recognized expert and consultant on everything from hemp farming to patient focused certification (PFC) for medical cannabis, through her affiliation with the Prague-based International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute.
Dan Herer, Herer Hemp Inc., USA
Dan is Director of the Jack Herer Foundation, which carries on the work of Dan’s late father, hemp visionary and advocate Jack Herer, author of the landmark hemp tome, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes.” The Foundation embraces education, community and farming, emphasizing how industrial hemp can impact lives. Dan is also an industrial hemp developer who works with a team of scientists studying hemp and biomass sciences.
Riki Hiroi, Each Japan & HempToday
Riki’s Nigata-based consultancy is an adviser on the import, export and wholesale hemp markets. A long time leading Japanese cannabis advocate, Hiroi is also a mentor to Japanese cannabis entrepreneurs. He is also director of HempToday Japan.
Tim Jablonski, University of Würzburg, Germany
Tim is a graduate student studying development of hemp in a biobased economy. Currently in his last year at the University of Würzburg, Germany, he is majoring in economics and Chinese studies, after having moved to China in August 2016.
Wolf Jordan, Wolf Jordan & Co, Belgium
Wolf is one of Europe’s leading experts in eco-construction and the production of high quality natural paints, plasters and renders for the building industry. He is the founder and sole owner of Wolf Jordan & Co., which operates out of Greenbizz, a Brussels-based incubator that backs growth of startups and small firms focused on sustainability.
Daniel Kruse, Hempro Int. GmbH
& HempConsult GmbH, Germany
Daniel, who has been in the hemp industry since 1995, is a senior advisor to entrepreneurs, startups, investors and other industry stakeholders through HempConsult GmbH, an independent consulting firm. Hempro Int. is a vertically integrated Dusseldorf-based producer and wholesaler of hemp foods, bulk raw materials for food, textiles, accessories and cosmetics.
Muhammed A Qayyum
Medics Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Pakistan
Muhammed is a natural products specialist and innovator working in herbals and nutraceuticals. He has served as an officer in a number of professional groups in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and traditional medicine sectors. Muhammed served a a consultant to the World Health Organization in 2003 and 2005, advising on Good Manufacturing Practices, policy and regulatory framework for traditional medicines.
Kehrt Reyher, Editor & Publisher, HempToday
Kehrt is founder of HempToday, and co-founder of The Nako Foundation, which supports environmental protection, entrepreneurship and green industry. Kehrt is founder and past President, CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of VFP Communications, a B2B media company. A former European Bureau Chief for Smart Grid Today, he previously worked in the USA at The Providence Journal, The Detroit News and USA Today.
Carl Sheeler, Two Bears Farm USA
Carl is a 25+ year financial expert who found hemp on a holistic journey to maintain balance in life and purpose. A former United States Marine Corps combat officer, Carl is also co-founder, with his wife Sara, of Two Bears Farm, an agro-tourism destination that offers organically grown full spectrum hemp extract and CBD for cannabis connoisseurs; Two Bears Farm comprises 80 acres with 12,000 sq. feet of greenhouses in the Rocky Mountains at Durango, Colorado, USA.
Nivedita & Dhiraj Shah, SHIV, Nepal
The Shahs are founders of Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures, Nepal. The company sources hemp “wildcrop” from locals for a growing range of applications and products in health & beauty and hemp construction along with the textiles. Through “hEmpowering Bottom Up,” SHIVworks to advance economic and social development among Nepalese women. SHIV also has completed several hemp construction projects for poor villagers and for public medical facilities.
Rick Trojan, Hemp Road Trip, USA
Rick brings more than 21 years of entrepreneurial expertise, a vast global network and passion to cannabis. He created the Hemp Road Trip to promote industrial hemp in 2015. Rick serves as Vice President of Hemp Industries Association, and a board member of Vote Hemp, Industrial Hemp Research Foundation, and Colorado HIA.
Arne Verhoef, HempHub, South Africa
A trained biologist, Arne is also a horticulturist and developer of CBD health products based on hemp and other healing plants. He also manages The Stokvel Collective, a Community Supported Agriculture project that seeks to spread regenerative agriculture through grassroots action.
Phil Warner, Ecolife Science, Australia
Phil has more than 20 years hemp industry experience all over the world. His former company, Ecofibre is an internationally recognized enterprise in hemp production and market development which invested more than $15 million into research and development of new high yield commercial plant varieties, agriculture and processing. He set up the world’s biggest most diverse cannabis gene seed bank.
Heinrich Wieker, Henry’s Hemp Harvester, Germany
Wieker is helping to ease the harvesting and processing stages for small and medium-sized farms and has been doing intense research and development for the past three years. He is an electrical engineer and owner of Henry’s Hempharvester (HHH), a startup which is developing the machine. designed to replace laborious hand-harvesting methods.