MIAMI,
Oct. 12, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Ayr Wellness Inc., a leading vertically
integrated multistate cannabis operator, announced that consumer packaged goods
(CPG) and retail industry veteran David Goubert has been appointed president,
joining Ayr’s leadership team to oversee the company’s operational and
commercial functions, including production, supply chain, retail, wholesale and
marketing. Goubert will report to Ayr’s founder and CEO Jonathan Sandelman.
Goubert
joins Ayr from Neiman Marcus Group (NMG), one of the largest multi-brand
retailers in the United States, where he helped lead the company through a
transformation to become one of the strongest retailers in the country. Most
recently, he served as NMG’s president and chief customer officer, where he was
responsible for the full profit and loss statement of the Neiman Marcus brand
as well as all customer touchpoints. Prior to that role, he led NMG’s digital
and in-store retail operations as chief retail officer, driving many of NMG’s
enhancements to the customer experience, creating personalized and memorable
experiences for customers at each of the company’s 36 locations, as well as
online, including style adviser matching, virtual appointments, in-store
pick-up and virtual fashion events.
“We
are excited to add an experienced CPG and retail operator to our leadership
team,” Sandelman said. “As the Board and I engaged with David over the last
several months, it became clear that he was a natural leader with a track
record of driving positive organizational change and operational excellence.
His experience at other vertically integrated, consumer-facing businesses makes
him the ideal choice to help support our company as we enter our next phase of
growth and optimization of our footprint.”
Sandelman
added, “Over the last five years, Ayr has built a foundation. We have secured
new licenses, opened cultivation facilities, and acquired and integrated new
businesses, all of which have expanded the company’s scale and enhanced the
breadth and quality of the products we offer our customers. David will be an
important part of our leadership team as we focus on sustainable, profitable
growth.”
Prior
to joining Neiman Marcus, Goubert spent 20 years at LVMH, the world’s leading
luxury consumer products company. Most recently, he served as senior vice president
of LVMH’s Starboard Cruise Services subsidiary, spearheading partner relations
and overseeing hundreds of retail outlets on Starboard cruise ships. He
previously spent 15 years at the company’s flagship Louis Vuitton brand, where
he successively led the company’s demand planning, U.S. manufacturing,
worldwide supply chain, and all retail operations in the southern U.S., the
Caribbean and Latin America.
“I’m
proud to join Ayr at this pivotal time in the company’s history as its focus
shifts to performance enhancement,” Goubert said. “After more than two decades
of operating large consumer-facing businesses, I am excited to apply my
experience to Ayr’s strong foundation. I look forward to working with Jonathan,
the Board of Directors and Ayr’s talented team as we collectively build on the
work that has been done to develop Ayr into one of the few scaled companies in
the cannabis industry. We will drive operational excellence throughout the company
through world-class practices and capitalize on our broad footprint and strong
foundation.”
Goubert
will join Ayr on Nov. 1, 2022, and will be based out of the company’s Miami
headquarters.
Co-Chief
Operating Officer Jason Griffith, who has helped integrate Ayr’s operating
footprint over the last several years, will transition out of the company. Griffith
has agreed to remain with the company through a transitionary period to ensure
continuity.
Co-Chief
Operating Officer Jennifer Drake will serve as Ayr’s sole COO.
Sandelman
said, “On behalf of the entire Ayr team, I would like to thank Jason for his
contributions to the company. Jason has helped lead Ayr through its formative
years and was instrumental in developing the foundation that Ayr sits on today,
poised for profitable growth and further success. We are grateful for his hard
work and extraordinary contributions to our company.”
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