Change MakeHERS: Spotlighting Emma Andrews
Why Women in Cannabis Matter
As the cannabis industry continues its rapid expansion, an increasing number of dynamic women are emerging as influential leaders within the field. These women not only shape the trajectory of their businesses but also pave the way for future generations of female leaders. At White Ash Group, we believe in celebrating the triumphs of women in the cannabis sector by highlighting their accomplishments. That's why we initiated the Change MakeHERs series – a collection of interviews and spotlight articles where women who embody strength, integrity, and hard work share their insights and advice on navigating the cannabis landscape.
Emma Andrews, Chief Executive Officer, Nextleaf Solutions
Explore this month's Change MakeHER featuring Emma Andrews, Chief Executive Officer, Nextleaf Solutions, a dynamic leader with proven expertise in building global lifestyle brands, bringing invaluable experience to the cannabis industry in her current role.
Andrew’s expertise lies in education, innovation, health sciences, and marketing, which she combines to create exceptional programs, products, and experiences. Throughout her career spanning various industries such as natural products, sports nutrition, and cannabis, Andrews has spearheaded the creation of successful marketing programs for both consumer packaged goods and B2B businesses, driving revenue growth for private and public companies.
She has a track record of organizing and executing numerous events across North America and has launched and revamped product lines, generating substantial revenue across diverse distribution channels including online platforms, natural retailers, big box stores, and regulated markets like adult-use cannabis. Additionally, Andrews possesses a deep understanding of consumer and category trends, enabling her to identify opportunities for innovation and best practices for retailers and brands alike.
About Nextleaf® Solutions
Nextleaf® isn't your average cannabis company. Based in Vancouver, it's rewriting the rules with its award-winning brand, Glacial Gold™. With top-tier cannabis vapes and oils distributed across Canada and internationally, Nextleaf is known for its quality and innovation. Their patented technology transforms unsold cannabis and hemp biomass into pure distillate on an industrial scale, leading the industry with 15 U.S. patents and 75 patents globally.
Direct Advice For Women In Cannabis
Q: Can you share the key milestones and experiences that have shaped your journey to becoming CEO of Nextleaf?
I am so grateful I gained a wide breadth of experience through management consulting as a subject matter expert (in marketing) from Day 1 of legalization (adult use cannabis). I was able to touch all aspects of the industry from production to harvesting, processing, product development and retail in a very short span, and gained a ton of exposure and insight. Lots of “what not to do” learnings, as well as industry-leading best practices.
Working with a variety of companies really allowed me a unique insight regarding what values, attributes or strategies keep a company relevant and thriving in a still new industry and let me test a lot of strategies in different corporate contexts.
If you’re not at a place in your career or life stage to be a consultant (the hustle and risk/reward equation may not be for everyone), consider joining a company in the earlier stages of growth to be exposed to the widest variety of responsibilities and experiences.
Key personality trait? Self-belief. You must be willing to bet on yourself and believe you are capable, resourceful, and resilient, even if you are entering uncharted waters. Trust me when I say, we are all figuring it out as we go!
Q: Are there specific instances where being a woman in a leadership position presented unique challenges, and how did you address them?
I am very fortunate in my current role to feel that I have earned my position based on merit, trust, and tenure, regardless of my gender. However, women are under-represented in leadership positions, particularly Executives and Board Members/Directors within public companies, and no exception within the Cannabis Industry.
Given the under-representation of women in pub-co leadership positions, I feel a deep sense of responsibility towards how I represent us and hold myself to a high standard in terms of integrity and emotional/social intelligence at work.
I am constantly educating myself to maintain a competitive edge, intentionally investing my time in mentoring up-and-coming female leaders to elevate the talent pool, and cheering for my peers making bold moves in their careers because we rise together.
Q: How would you describe your leadership style, and what values or principles guide your decision-making as a CEO?
I take a lot of pride in leading in alignment with my values. I’ve maintained a dedication towards personal development over the years to develop and refine my values, and have found a deep sense of purpose, fulfilment and internal confidence leading from this foundation.
In business, I lead with intention, authenticity, transparency, approachability, a solutions-oriented mindset, and advocate accountability and ownership for your actions. I have witnessed this foster a positive work culture, connection, cohesion, and trust amongst stakeholders.
Q: What strategies do you employ to build effective and diverse teams within your organization?
I believe in merit-based leadership, but also that representation matters. Two things can be true! Because women and visual minorities are under-represented in leadership positions, then we need to invest in lifting up and elevating the next generation. I take a lot of pride in the women I have the opportunity to lead, the peers I work alongside and the pals I can recommend.
When reinforcing the value of diversity in all levels of an organization, particularly decision-making and leadership, I often find myself referencing a popular Ted Talk by diversity researcher Rocío Lorenzo (a woman), about how Diversity leads to Innovation. It’s correlative! Diverse viewpoints and perspectives are essential to progress.
Q: How do you stay informed about industry trends, and how does that knowledge shape your company's strategic decisions?
I have a soft spot for education and thought leadership within the marketing mix, and I focus a lot of my time on delivering value within this niche for the brands and companies I align with.
I’d like to humbly say I’m actively at the forefront too! I regularly contribute my time as a speaker at conferences and events, guest contributor on podcasts and media segments, and as a correspondent or advocate for our industry across social platforms.
I also soak up as many insights as I can from content creators and business media, I am constantly watching clips, listening to podcasts and attending expos and events from adjacent industries. There’s a lot of inspiration cannabis can pull from natural products, food and beverage, music and art, etc.
A few of my favourite sources for business inspiration:
If you like what you learned here, let’s connect and be social. I don’t bite ;)
LinkedIn: Emma Andrews
IG @emma.exhales
Learn more about our company: www.nextleafsolutions.com
