Canopy Growth Names David Klein as Chief Executive Officer

Canopy Growth has appointed David Klein as chief executive officer, effective Jan. 14.

In his current role as executive vice president and chief financial officer at Constellation Brands, Klein oversees all aspects of the company’s finance operations, all mergers and acquisitions, as well as the company’s information technology function. He is widely respected among members of the U.S. investment community, earning recognition as a top CFO by Institutional Investor magazine the past three years. He serves as a member of Constellation Brands’ executive management committee. He has served on the Canopy Growth board of directors for over a year and is presently Canopy Growth’s board chair. This familiarity with the company’s current leadership team and strategy will allow Klein to integrate quickly, a major benefit in the fast-moving cannabis sector.

The appointment of David Klein follows a thorough recruitment process overseen by a special Hiring Committee of the Board using global recruitment company Heidrick & Struggles, which saw a wide variety of exceptional candidates vetted and interviewed. Klein will step down from all other positions he currently holds, remaining a member of the Canopy board of directors. The company intends to appoint a new chairperson upon his effective date as CEO.

Consistent with the previously announced transition plan, with a new CEO identified Mark Zekulin will be stepping down from his role as CEO and resigning his seat on the board of directors of Canopy effective Dec. 20. As a founding employee of Canopy Growth (then Tweed Marijuana Inc.), Zekulin was instrumental in building Canopy into what it is today first in the role of president, then president and co-CEO, and finally as CEO.