Our Team

Vanessa is a director of Wesfarmers (appointed July 2010), SEEK Limited (appointed March 2017) and Palladium Holdings (appointed January 2021), former Chairman of AMP Capital Holdings Limited (resigned June 2018) and a former director of AMP Limited (resigned May 2018). She has also established her own advisory company MF Advisory that provides executive coaching and advisory services to executives in Asia and Australia.

Vanessa retired as a Senior Partner and Executive Chairman of Strategy& Japan in July 2015. Over her almost 30 year career as a strategy management consultant, she held a number of leadership and governance roles, including leader of Booz & Company’s financial services practice in Global Markets, member of Booz & Company’s global Board and director of Booz & Company entities in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Indonesia (with varied tenure through to February 2013). She was also actively involved in the firm’s customer, channels and markets activities which focused on areas such as customer experience, offer design and channels to market across a number of industries. Vanessa has hands on experience in mergers and acquisitions and post-merger integration.

Eric joined Ecofibre as the CFO and Director in December 2015. He was appointed CEO and Managing Director in December 2017.

Eric has over 25 years of leadership and executive management experience, both as an officer in the United States Army and as a financial services executive in Australia.

Prior to joining Ecofibre, Eric served as Captain and Apache pilot in the US Army for eight years in a range of roles, including Troop Commander, Operations Officer, Executive Officer and Personnel Officer in the United States and Europe.

After leaving the military, Eric moved to Australia to work for the global management consulting firm, Bain & Company, where he specialized in the financial services industry in Australia and Asia. More recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Perpetual Limited and Director of the APO for AMP Limited.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Science from West Point and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Jon is a Brisbane-based commercial partner of law firm, Colin Biggers & Paisley. Jon was named in Doyle’s Guide 2016 and 2017 as a leading commercial lawyer in Brisbane.

Jon is also listed in the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions of The Best Lawyers in Australia in the field of commercial law.

Jon holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) in addition to his law degree.

Ms Woolrych has over 20 years’ experience in brand strategy, acquisition, retention, customer experience, eCommerce and retail marketing.

She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer for KFC in Australia and New Zealand with accountability for sales growth, eCommerce and overall brand performance.

Her achievements include consistently delivering record sales grow that KFC across the last two years and strong brand performance, resulting in APAC Effie Awards for Brand of the Year and Marketing Team of the Year in 2020. She has also helped drive KFC’s business vision and strategy for digital transformation, resulting in step-change eCommerce performance and expanded delivery offering.

Prior to KFC, Ms Woolrych worked at Suncorp for over a decade, where she was promoted to the position of Executive General Manager, Brand and Marketing with a team of over 120 people.

Professor Robinson has over 25 years leadership experience as a board director, academic physician and scientist across research, healthcare and medicine, and tertiary education. He has extensive experience covering academia, government, public and private health providers, research institutes and philanthropic organisations.

He is currently a director of Cochlear, an ASX listed global hearing implants business; MaynePharma, an ASX listed pharmaceutical manufacturer; and QBiotics, a drug development company.

Since 2015 Prof. Robinson has also chaired the Australian Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Medical Benefits Schedule Review Task Force.

His prior professional experience includes Dean of University of Sydney’s Sydney Medical School, Head of Medicine at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital and Head of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the Kolling Institute for Medical Research.

In 2020, Prof. Robinson was one of only five people to be appointed Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest honour, for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large. He received his award for service to medical research, and to national healthcare, through policy development and reform, and to tertiary education.

Eric joined Ecofibre as the CFO and Director in December 2015. He was appointed CEO and Managing Director in December 2017.

Eric has over 25 years of leadership and executive management experience, both as an officer in the United States Army and as a financial services executive in Australia.

Prior to joining Ecofibre, Eric served as Captain and Apache pilot in the US Army for eight years in a range of roles, including Troop Commander, Operations Officer, Executive Officer and Personnel Officer in the United States and Europe.

After leaving the military, Eric moved to Australia to work for the global management consulting firm, Bain & Company, where he specialized in the financial services industry in Australia and Asia. More recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Perpetual Limited and Director of the APO for AMP Limited.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Science from West Point and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Alastair joined Ecofibre in July 2018 to drive scale, automation and technical capability across Ecofibre.

Alastair is an experienced executive, with a long track record of delivering innovation in both large private and public sector organizations. Alastair oversees both operational and information technology across Ecofibre.

Alastair has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth and previously worked at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Perpetual Ltd and Transport for NSW in various senior executive technology and delivery roles.

Jonathan is a Chartered Accountant with 25 years’ commercial experience. Jonathan is responsible for Ecofibre’s financial strategy and corporate affairs.

Prior to joining Ecofibre in 2016 Jonathan worked for AMP, the London Stock Exchange and Ferrier Hodgson in a variety of roles including corporate strategy, M&A, senior finance roles and insolvency and reconstruction.

Jonathan has a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment from FINSIA.

Alex Capano, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, is the Chief Science Officer of Ecofibre Limited, the global leader in hemp technologies that provides innovation solutions to address emerging health and resource sustainability issues.

At Ecofibre, Dr. Capano champions the company’s $40 million commitment to research to advance the clinical evidence of hemp extract. Ecofibre was the first hemp company to receive IND authorization from the FDA for research. Partnering with leading healthcare and academic institutions, Dr. Capano is currently researching CBD’s effects on CIPN, sleep, anxiety, addiction, endometriosis, certain cancers, and cognitive decline.

Dr. Capano’s recent clinical trial concluded that CBD hemp extract could reduce opioid use and improve quality of life indicators in chronic pain patients. The full manuscript is published in Postgraduate Medicine.

Dr. Capano earned her DNP at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the Sandra Festa Ryan award for Outstanding Creativity and Innovation. She was the first doctoral candidate of any discipline who focused on cannabinoid science under the guidance of the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp. Dr. Capano also holds a BSN and an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in neuroscience from the University of Miami.

John joined Ecofibre in 2015 and is responsible for developing the Company’s product range and establishing its market presence in the United States. His focus also includes the regulatory compliance aspects for Ananda Health.

John is also responsible for direct-to-consumer, retail and non-pharmacy wholesale sales.

Prior to joining Ecofibre, John ran his own venture capital investment and advisory firm which focused on the biotech sector. John holds Series 7 and 63 licenses and is a graduate of Arizona State University.

Ms Sheldon has 29 years experience in corporate law. Prior to joining Ecofibre, Ms. Sheldon was employed by Thomas Jefferson University as Sr, VP of Jefferson Strategic Ventures, VP of its Innovation Pillar and Associate Counsel.

Prior to Jefferson, Robin was a partner at Fox Rothschild, LP, where she specialized in mergers & acquisitions, private equity and intellectual property issues, especially in the biotech area. She was the General Counsel of Half.com, Inc. (acquired by eBay, Inc.), Associate Counsel for Sanchez Computers, and Counsel for SEI Investments. Robin has been an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, and frequent lecturer on the ethics of Intellectual Property. She has served on the board of directors, and has been secretary, of Global Links – a nonprofit dedicated to putting US medical surplus to productive use around the world-for over 25 years.

Senior Healthcare Executive and Co-Founder of the Neu Center for Supportive Medicine and Cancer Survivorship

David Neu is the former president of AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation and Good Neighbor Pharmacy, one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution services companies helping both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to products and enhance patient care.

Mr. Neu has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and is the former chairman of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA). Mr. Neu is a board member of the People’s Portfolio, a national organization committed to fighting discrimination and human rights. Additionally, Mr. Neu is a member of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Advisory Council and Co-Founder of the Neu Center for Supportive Medicine and Cancer Survivorship at SKCC. He also serves as chair of the executive committee at the USC School of Pharmacy and is a patient advocate on the PULA board for the National Cancer Institute.

In 2010, David and his wife, Esperanza, co-founded the Neu Family Foundation to support causes related to health and education to include establishing scholarships for students in need. In the last three years, together they were recognized as Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater Philadelphia, were the recipients of Jefferson Health’s Presidents Award, and were honored with an Honorary Doctorate by Wingate University. Mr. Neu has a passion for collaborating with high-impact agencies to affect change in the community.

In 2013, Mr. Neu received the Alumni of the Year Award from Pepperdine University where he earned a Masters of Business Administration Degree.

Chuck is responsible for managing sales of the Ananda Health business in the United States, with a specific focus on the independent pharmacy segment.

Chuck has 26 years’ experience in the healthcare sector and has served in senior leadership positions in sales, marketing and business development with companies such as AbbVie, Allergan and Kos Pharmaceuticals.

Chuck has focused on serving the independent pharmacy sector, first as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for American Pharmaceutical Ingredients and as Chief Revenue Officer at Pharmacy Development Services (PDS).

Chuck holds a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Georgie is a highly driven and passionate Dietitian and business professional, with over 15 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. From working as a clinical dietitian, in research, running her own consultancy practice through to business development, sales, marketing and media communications for both start-up companies and Australia’s leading health and wellness brands, Swisse and Blackmores, domestically and internationally.

Georgie has worked closely with Australia’s leading health retailers, pharmacies and wholesalers, to implement nutritional genomic testing, health services, education and sales initiatives for consumer and practitioner-only nutraceutical brands.

Georgie’s recent sales role within the Blackmores Group as National Account Manager, was instrumental to the success of their practitioner-only brand, BioCeuticals, driving significant growth in the pharmacy channel, resulting in becoming the fastest growing brand in the Australian vitamin and dietary supplement category. Georgie also managed and championed international expansion of Australia’s #1 practitioner-only brand into the United States as Country Manager, becoming the face of BioCeuticals USA, working across all areas of the business from warehouse logistics, operations, sales, events, wholesale distribution and managing healthcare practitioner relationships.

Georgie has also worked as Media Spokesperson for the Dietitian’s Association of Australia (DAA), with a Biotechnology start-up company launching Australia’s first dedicated Nutritional Genomic dietetic clinic and held dual roles as vitamin brand manager in addition to heading up national education and training for Swisse Wellness.

Georgie completed Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics from Monash University, Australia.

Alex joined Ananda Health in September of 2017 and is responsible for the overall management and delivery of the Ananda product range. He helped to develop the current facility and is also responsible for all aspects of quality control and planning.

Alex’s background is in toxicology and chemical production. Prior to joining Ananda he worked at Ethos Laboratories as Laboratory Production Manager and Dubois Chemicals as a chemist. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Ohio State University.

Samantha is the Ananda Health Senior Marketing Director responsible for crafting the brand identity and go-to-market strategies across the group’s brands. She is fiercely committed to helping consumers and retailers navigate the CBD marketplace and positioning Ananda Health as the trusted voice and resource for evidence-based education and world-class hemp products.

As a cross-functional team, Samantha’s department also contributes to product development and crafts tools to support sales enablement, including the AnandaMine Knowledge Base, Ananda University eLearning, and annual CBD360 events.

Her passion for accessible, high-quality healthcare can be traced back to her youth where she worked in her family-owned pharmacy and witnessed the power of educating consumers and providing innovative solutions to help them live their fullest lives.

Prior to joining Ecofibre in 2018, Samantha built the marketing department at Pharmacy Development Services where she spent significant time creating training programs and strategies to help independent pharmacies increase profits and maximize patient outcomes.

Samantha holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in management and marketing with an emphasis on communications from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Chris is a skilled brand leader who has a proven track record in growing brands across various consumer-focused channels. Prior to joining Ecofibre Chris rebuilt the brand image and consumer perception of Attends, a brand with a 40 year legacy in the healthcare channel. This transformation was accomplished through a focus on winning within independent pharmacy and ecommerce, improved product mix, in-store and online activation, and education.

Prior to healthcare, Chris led a variety of brands in the Sporting Goods, Fitness and Toy industries; taking brands like Mitre (soccer), BOSU (fitness) and Hedstrom (toy) into National retailers like Target, Walmart, Dicks Sporting Goods and other leading ecommerce platforms.

Chris has a passion for brand strategy, enabling growth within young marketers and understanding the consumer at every stage of the purchase process. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Eastern Kentucky University. Chris lives in the Lexington area with his family.

Stephanie posses more than 27 years of experience in health care and independent pharmacy.

For 20+ years, Stephanie served as Human Resource Manager, Marketing Director and Wellness Centre Manager for a four-store independent pharmacy group. As Wellness Centre Manager, Stephanie focused on diabetic patients and starting a weight loss program for the community which were successful in improving patient outcomes.

For three years Stephanie was a Business Coach at Pharmacy Development Services (PDS) where she coached 80+ pharmacies in ways to improve their profitability.

By creating systems, setting goals and getting your employees on board, Stephanie will work with pharmacy owners and staff to maximise profitability while enhancing the lives of your community.

Lora is responsible for the development and innovation of our topical product range that includes Ananda’s Health and Beauty range. She has spent over 20 years handling all aspects of professional prestige product development.

Lora joined Ecofibre in April 2020 and has been responsible for the development of over 15 topical SKU’s that provides Ananda with one of the most versatile high quality CBD product ranges in the market.

Prior to joining Ananda Health, Lora’s niche skills in technical research were instrumental in the development of Dermalogica skin care formulas. Joining when Dermalogica was a relatively young company, Lora wore many hats and navigated the complexities of launching products in 90+ international markets, including Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Israel, South Korea, Thailand and Europe.

She managed all aspects of safety testing and product compliance. She also worked closely with the Unilever R&D team to develop clinical protocols for marketing materials by scientific measurements and photography.

Lora earned her degree in biology at SFSU and has completed the ULCA extension program for advances in cosmetic science by Rebecca Gadberry.

Kieren became the MD of Ananda Food in March 2018 with a remit to grow the newly established Australian food business.

Kieren is an experienced executive with over 23 years’ experience within the UK, Spanish and Australian food industries, specialising in the operational and technical disciplines in short shelf-life fresh produce.

Kieren’s last role was with Australia’s largest supplier of pre-packaged salads. As the GM of National Operations, he oversaw several hundred staff across four sites in four states, with turnover of over $230 million per annum. Prior to that, Kieren worked overseas for Heinz and has deep experience with some of the largest retailers – including Woolworths, Coles and Marks and Spencer.

Kieren holds a BSC (Hons) in Microbiology from University of Wales Aberystwyth.

Adam has been with Ecofibre since 2009 and has over 20 years of experience in the project management of construction and agricultural operations.

Adam has deep experience in the growing, processing and harvesting techniques required to successfully produce industrial hemp.

Adam is responsible for providing operational oversight and project management support across all functions and geographies of Ecofibre’s business with a specific focus on hemp production and processing.

Kalie joined Ecofibre in 2017 as US Financial Controller, relocating to Kentucky before moving into her current role as Sales Operations Director. Kalie is responsible for optimising the sales process through systems integration and deployment, supporting sales enablement across the Ananda Health group. Growing up on a banana farm in regional Far North Queensland, Kalie brings a passion for sustainability in the agriculture industry.

Before joining Ecofibre, Kalie worked as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG Sydney in both Corporate Audit and Transaction Services with a focus on the technology, media and telecommunications sector. Prior to this, Kalie lived and worked throughout the Middle East with prominent International brand development agency, Avantgarde specialising in brand activation.

Kalie holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration as well as a Masters Degree in Commerce, majoring in Finance and Accounting.

Peter serves as Chairman Asia Pacific for US probiotic company Seed Health Inc., is an External Advisor for Bain & Company, sits on the Advisory Board of the Australia-China Research Institute and is a Director of the Dorji Lingpa Foundation in Bhutan.

From 2009 to February 2020 Peter was Managing Director Asia for Blackmores Limited, Australia’s leading ASX listed natural healthcare company. Peter was responsible for growing Blackmores’ Asia business to over A$ 200 million, and employing 1,000 staff in subsidiary companies in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and China, joint venture in Indonesia, distribution partnerships in Japan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Pakistan and overall strategy for Blackmores’ growth objectives in Asia.

Prior to working for Blackmores, Peter was Australia’s most senior trade diplomat in China as the Minister (Commercial) in the Australian Embassy Beijing. Peter also previously held Australia’s Senior Trade Commissioner positions in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei, was the Trade & Investment Director of the South Pacific Forum Secretariat in Fiji and also served as the South Pacific Expert Adviser on trade development to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the UN Commission for Sustainable Development.

In June 2017 Peter was appointed as Vice Chairman of the China Association for Quality Inspection (CAQI) Advisory Committee – the first and only foreign citizen to hold a CAQI committee position. CAQI is a high-level non-profit Chinese organisation with responsibility for product quality inspection under the supervision of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.

Peter currently lives in Taipei.

Jeff founded The Quantum Group, Inc. in 1985 later transitioned into Quantum Materials, LLC in 2017 and then founded TexInnovate, Inc. in 2017 which was later sold to Ecofibre.

At Quantum Materials Jeff was responsible for the development and innovation of a wide range of high-performance textile applications across a range of industries to include office furniture, automotive seating, truck tires, road construction fabrics, filtration, composite yarns & fabrics, medical implants, outdoor furniture and many other highly engineered yarns and fabrics.

Jeff is a leading textile engineer and inventor of solutions to meet industry needs for high specification applications.

Mark is the Robert J. Reichlin High-Performance Apparel Chair, Director of M.S. Global Fashion Enterprise and Director of B.S in Textile Material Technology at Thomas Jefferson University. Mark holds a BS and MS from Philadelphia University.

He is responsible for the leadership and development of commercial technologies related to the hemp-derived textiles industry. A leading textile engineer, strategist and entrepreneur in high performance materials and product development, Mark has over 30 years of experience in the field of engineered advance textile materials and apparel products.

Mark was COO/partner of a textile manufacturing company with a facility in Philadelphia and contracted manufacturers globally, producing fabrics and apparel for the advanced fabric performance and fashion apparel retail market. His specialties include technical fabrics, warp knits, weft knits, seamless, full and integrated knitting, weaving, soft composites and non-wovens.

Tom has a 20 year history in the retail industry covering men’s, women’s, kid’s, accessories, and home merchandising, product development, sourcing, design, and business management.

He has held senior merchandising roles at Brooks Brothers, Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, Aéropostale, and Lands’ End. He began his career at Gap, Inc. in the Retail Management Program.

Tom has a B.A. from Yale University in Architecture and Urban Studies, and an M.B.A. from Thomas Jefferson University.

Lee B. Williams holds a Doctoral Degree in Nanomaterials with a research concentration in polymer chain alignment. He has been driving research and development on twin screw extrusion at Triad Polymers, LLC since 2010. His research interests include performance polymers, high-speed twin-screw extrusion, direct extrusion, biomimetics, metamaterials, and crystallography.

During his tenure at Triad Polymers, he has developed novel performance polymer composites. These include magnetic materials, low coefficient of friction materials, hydrophobic materials, and thermally stabilized volatiles in thermoplastic melt. He excels at extrusion line design and optimization.

Mac comes to Hemp Black with over 30 years of experience as a senior international sales and management executive. He has extensive experience in sales and product development across many geographies including Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and in the United States.

He has spent the majority of his career in the fibre, textile, and apparel business. His experience has primarily revolved around performance and textile fibres in new and high-growth oriented markets.

Mac is responsible for the business development of Hemp Black across a range of supply chain and commercial partners primarily in the business to business segment.