Accessibility Policy

 

 

Phoena Inc. (“the Company”) will support the accommodation of employees and job applicants who require workplace accommodation under any of the grounds described in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Currently, discrimination in employment is prohibited on the following grounds:

  1. Age
  2. Ancestry
  3. Colour
  4. Race
  5. Citizenship
  6. Ethnic origin
  7. Place of origin
  8. Creed
  9. Disability
  10. Family status
  11. Marital status
  12. Gender identity
  13. Gender expression
  14. Record of offenses
  15. Sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
  16. Sexual orientation

The Company will work to achieve a workplace free of barriers by providing accommodation for the needs of individuals based on a protected ground, up to the point where it causes undue hardship for the Company.

The Company has adopted this policy to ensure that our employees and job applicants are provided with meaningful employment with our organization and to align with our commitment to ensuring a discrimination free workplace.

 

Principles
The approach taken by the Company in the provision of reasonable accommodation shall include:

  • Personalize plans designed to meet the specific needs of individuals
  • Collaborative practices in the creation and implementation of accommodation plans through consultation of all relevant stakeholders, the person to be accommodated and medical professionals (where applicable)\
  • Ensuring confidentiality, to the extent appropriate in the circumstances and as required by law, and the dignity of the individual seeking accommodation.
  • Employee requesting accommodation must comply with all other relevant company policies throughout their accommodation request.
  • If an employee request accommodation in the form of time-off from work, they are expected to provide as much notice as possible to their manager and a member of the HR team for this request.

 

Duty to Accommodate
The Company will work to ensure that individuals who require accommodation based on a protected ground are able to work effectively, by making adjustments or modifications to the work, or the work environment, up the point of undue hardship. The Company will work with the individual that request accommodation in an effort to ensure that the measures taken are reasonable and effective and determined based on consultation between impacted parties.

 

Accommodation
Accommodation shall be provided for individuals when they require that the work be modified or adjusted to address the needs of the individual, based on a protected grounds of discrimination under applicable human rights legislation.

The Company will provide reasonable accommodation as appropriate, using a collaborative approach that involves the Company, the individual, and as appropriate, any applicable representatives, healthcare professionals (where applicable), and other third parties that are required to assist in the accommodation process. All parties are expected to work together to determine the most appropriate form(s) of accommodation to meet the needs of the individual.

Accommodations may be temporary, or permanent, based on the requirements of the individual and his/her job.

 

Shared Obligations
The process of accommodating individuals is a shared obligation of both Phoena and the employee:

  1. It is the responsibility of the employee requiring accommodation to make the accommodation request and cooperate throughout the accommodation process.
  2. The Company will initiate the consultative accommodation analysis process promptly after receiving the employee’s request and determine what, if any, reasonable accommodation can be provided.
  3. With respect to work-related injuries and worker re-integration to regular job duties, it is the responsibility of the employee to participate in the modified duty program.

 

Creating Accommodation Plans
The Company shall create an accommodation plan and attempt to determine methods of achieving the requirement for success in the position in alternative manners.
In the creation of the accommodation plan, the Company shall:

  1. Identify the need for accommodation.
  2. Determine objectives for performance and/or job requirements, key outputs and key objectives for the role, as well as potential barriers
  3. Create a plan for achieving the objectives in an alternative manner.
  4. Examine the options for accommodation, and select the most appropriate avenue
  5. Implement the accommodation process
  6. Provide training as appropriate
  7. Review and revise based on feedback.
    Employees are encouraged to notify Human Resources at any time if they have concerns about the accommodation process or implementation of the accommodation plan.

 

Accommodating Job Applicants
The Company will meet all legislative requirements in providing accommodation to job applicants as well as employees.

Any applicant to Phoena that communicates the need to accommodation shall have the request considered in a manner that is non-discriminatory, and respectful of our human rights obligations as well as our obligations under the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disability Act.

 

Undue Hardship
The Company shall work to provide workplace accommodation up the point of undue hardship. Undue hardship may occur where it is established that no form of reasonable accommodation exists, or where accommodation cannot be provided short of undue hardship to Phoena.

If any clarification or additional information is required, please contact Human Resources or your immediate supervisor to arrange a training session.

The Company encourages individuals to make any needs for accommodation known to Human Resources, and to work cooperatively with the Company throughout the accommodation assessment and process.

To request accommodation or to discuss this policy, please contact Human Resources via email at info@phoena.com, or in person at our Langstaff office: 3280 Langstaff Road, Unit 1, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 5B6.

Corné Melissen

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Corné Melissen is the Interim CEO of Phoena. In March 2021 Corné founded Kenzoll, a Netherlands-based investment firm. Kenzoll in 2022 acquired a 90% equity interest in Phoena Holdings.

Corné has been in the private equity industry since 1991 when he started working for Dutch private equity firm Alpinvest. In parallel to his business career, he served as a reserve-officer in the Netherlands Army. He was mobilized as active-duty officer in various domestic and overseas deployments.

Since 2006 until 2021 he was a partner at Dutch private equity firm Ramphastos Investments. In 2021 Kenzoll carved out part of the Ramphastos portfolio (mostly energy and technology assets) in a buy-out.  Corné still serves as a non-executive director on the board of some Ramphastos owned investee companies, like US biometrics firm Lumenvox and upstream oil firm Mazarine Energy.

Corné has been involved in an extensive list of mostly special situation acquisitions across the globe, ranging from technology, energy, mining and retail (HEMA). Mr. Melissen holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

DAN HOGAN

Dan Hogan is a seasoned executive with over 40 years of experience in consumer products companies. Hogan has strong operations, finance and executive leadership skills, as well as extensive experience in restructuring, remediation, continuous improvement, and strategic development.

Hogan is the former Head of Strategic Priorities at Phoena. His career spans multiple senior roles, including CEO of eBags Inc., COO and CFO of the Coleman Company, as well as senior international roles at Georgia-Pacific and World Kitchen.

GREG GUYATT

Greg Guyatt has more than 20 years of experience leading high-performing teams across the cannabis, CPG, retail, pharmaceutical and private equity sectors.

Guyatt is the current CEO of Phoena, following roles as our CFO, CFO of GreenSpace Brands Inc. and increasingly senior roles at Sears Canada.

Guyatt has extensive knowledge across governance, strategic planning, risk management, financial reporting and treasury, as well as a wealth of M&A and capital markets expertise, having begun his career at Deloitte, before spending several years as an investment banker with UBS in the United Kingdom.

DAVID BLAIR, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

David Blair is the Chief Financial Officer of Phoena. Mr. Blair joined the business in October 2019 as the VP of Finance and leads all areas of the company’s financial planning, risk management, record-keeping, and reporting.

An accomplished executive, Mr. Blair has extensive public company controllership, operational and financial strategy experience. Prior to Phoena, Mr. Blair spent 18 years at Wajax, a Canadian distributor of equipment, power systems and industrial machinery, as a corporate controller, following 7 years as a financial analyst with companies including JD Edwards, Apple Inc. and Marion Merrell Dow.

Mr. Blair has a Bachelors in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and also holds a CPA, CA designation.

SHAWNA PAGE

Director

Ms. Page brings years of experience in both the capital markets, as well as the consumer retail markets.

Ms. Page spent 10 years working at Merrill Lynch Canada, followed by 10 years at TD Securities where she was Managing Director and Chief of Staff.

In 2007, Shawna launched a unique mass-channel brand of gender-specific and condition-specific products into the highly regulated nutraceutical industry across Canada, and later in various international markets, which she successfully exited in November 2016.

MARK DAWBER, FCPA, FCA

Director

Mr. Dawber is a FCPA with significant public accounting experience having been an Audit Partner at Moore Stephens Hyde Houghton from 1971 until 1998 and BDO Canada LLP from 1999 to 2000.

He has extensive public company experience having served on public company boards for many years as an independent director, chair of audit committees and as a member of governance and compensation committees.

He has conducted numerous assignments for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario’s Professional Conduct Committee.

MITCHELL SANDERS

Director

Senior Partner at Goldman, Spring, Kichler & Sanders LLP, an established boutique commercial law firm in Toronto.

Specializes in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and securities law to mid-market clients in Canada and the US.

Serves on the board of numerous companies and not-for-profit entities.

Former member of the Small Business Advisory Committee to the Ontario Securities Commission and TEC, an international organization of CEO’s.

ROBERT MARCOVITCH

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Marcovitch is a seasoned chief executive with substantial business experience, managing companies with in excess of $1 billion dollars in revenue.

Until recently, he was the President and CEO of K2 Sports, an international developer, manufacturer, marketer and distributor of winter sports equipment (and was previously with K2 from 1999 to 2011). His responsibilities included managing factories in Europe, the USA and Asia.

He was previously the Chief Executive Officer at The Coleman Outdoor Company from 2011 until 2015, and prior to that, was Chief Executive Officer and President of Ride, Inc. from 1994 to 1999, which prior to its acquisition by K2 was a large publicly traded company.

ANNA JAKOBSMEIER

Senior Director, Production

Anna Jakobsmeier is the Senior Director of Production, leading Phoena’s Vaughan Manufacturing Facility.

She began her tenure with Phoena in 2016, overseeing the extraction department and was responsible for launching our award-winning cannabis oils and capsules. In her time with the business, Anna has taken on increasingly more senior roles within the business and currently manages all production and manufacturing projects in our Vaughan facility. Anna has simultaneously led a number of special projects for the business, notably leading the redesign and renovation of Phoena’s GPP facility, while successfully maintaining operations.

Ms. Jakobsmeier brings significant international experience to the Phoena team having worked in numerous Countries in the beverage alcohol and agriculture industries, across operations and logistics roles.

When she isn’t travelling or exploring music and arts festivals, Anna enjoys spending time at home with her puppy Ralphie.

DAVID HAMBY

Chief Operating Officer

As an experienced farmer, David Hamby oversees the growing operation at Phoena’s greenhouse facility in Pelham, ON. Prior to joining the business, David was the President of Operations at the Cambridge Towel Companies where he was responsible for the oversight of manufacturing operations in Ontario, North Carolina and South Carolina.

He is also an inventor and holds the US and Canadian patent for an institutional towel format.

David obtained the rank of Sergeant First Class in the US Armed Forces and a Vietnam veteran, having spent five years in active duty and eight years in the Reserve.

CHARL VAN RENSBURG

VP, Sales and Business Development

Charl van Rensburg is the Vice President of Sales and Business Development. In his role, he will be responsible for managing all recreational, medical, and international sales, as well as driving existing and new product growth. He is a passionate and collaborative senior sales leader with 20+ years of international sales and business development experience in various sectors and regulated industries – including Consumer Packaged Goods and Beverage Alcohol.

Prior to joining Phoena, Charl gained vast experience working his way up in multinational organizations (including British American Tobacco, MolsonCoors Canada and Brown – Foreman) where he contributed strategically, operational and tactically to help drive and achieve corporate objectives. Brands he has managed include Jack Daniel’s, Heineken, Miller, Corona, Coors Light, Molson Canadian as well as du Maurier, Dunhill, Marlboro, Lucky Strike and Vogue.

Charl’s educational background lies in Business Administration and Marketing Management.

JEFFERY ZIETLOW, MBA

SVP & Chief Commercial Officer

Jeffrey Zietlow is the Chief Commercial Officer at Phoena where he leads the company’s marketing, sales, and innovation strategy. He began his tenure with Phoena as the Vice President of Marketing during which the company was recognized at the 2018 Licensed Producer of the Year.

Jeffery’s has vast experience as a senior marketing executive with broad operational expertise in corporate strategy, business development, supply chain and operations. Prior to joining Phoena, Jeffery provided executive leadership at Mill Street Brewery as the Vice President of Marketing. Prior to that, Jeffery was the Director of Marketing at Mother Parkers Tea and Coffee where he developed the vision, led the creation and launch of the new single serve beverage business, RealCup™, compatible with Keurig brewing systems, which grew exponentially over the first 24 months. It was during this time he developed a talent for building cross-functional teams and lead new product innovations.

His career began at Kraft Foods Canada where he excelled through a variety of positions in manufacturing, supply chain, strategy and growth before taking the reigns as director of marketing where he led strategy and business leadership of Premium and Super Premium Coffee Categories, including Nabob, Starbucks and Tassimo.

Jeffery earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from McGill University and later went on to earn his MBA from the Rotman school of Management at the University of Toronto.

DR. ILANA PLATT, PhD

SVP & Chief Regulatory Officer - RP & A/QAP

Dr. Ilana Platt is the Chief Regulatory Officer at Phoena.

She began her tenure with Phoena in 2013, overseeing all aspects of Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Analytical Sciences, and R&D.  Dr. Platt was instrumental in obtaining numerous key licenses for the company including the original licenses to grow, manufacture, and sell dried cannabis; to manufacture and sell cannabis oil; and the rarely issued Controlled Drugs and Substances licence, which permitted the company to conduct research on cannabis at a time when research activities were not permitted under the governing cannabis regulations.

Dr. Platt’s illustrious career includes more than 12 years as a regulatory science, regulatory affairs and quality assurance professional.  Her 18 years of research experience is vast, and covers clinical, animal, cell research and R&D.

Dr. Platt earned her BSc. At McMaster University in biochemistry and her PhD at the University of Toronto in medical sciences.  Following her PhD studies, Dr. Platt completed a Fellowship at Harvard Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine.  Dr. Platt is the recipient of 13 national and international awards, including a post-graduate scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

GREG GUYATT, CPA, CA

Chief Executive Officer

Greg Guyatt is the Chief Executive Officer of Phoena. He joined the business in February 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. Previously, he served as the CFO of GreenSpace Brands. Inc., a Canadian-based premium natural food product company, and brings more than 20 years of experience leading high-performing finance teams from the CPG, pharmaceutical and private equity sectors.

From 2009 through 2016, he held increasingly senior finance roles at Sears Canada, and prior to that spent seven years in the pharmaceutical industry. In these roles, he had responsibility for a broad portfolio of financial operations including governance, audit and risk management, financial reporting, treasury and strategic planning, and has a wealth of M&A and capital markets expertise.

He began his career at Deloitte, followed by several years as an investment banker with UBS in the United Kingdom. Mr. Guyatt holds a B.Comm from Mount Allison University, and a CPA, CA designation.