TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Canaccord Genuity is pleased to announce the expansion of its leading Cannabis investment banking practice with the addition of Shannon Soqui as Managing Director and Head of U.S. Cannabis Investment Banking.

"We are very pleased to welcome Shannon Soqui, who brings an optimal mix of relationships and expertise to lead the establishment of our dedicated Cannabis capability in the U.S., a development that further reinforces our commitment to our exceptional life sciences practice in the region," said Jeff Barlow, U.S. President for Canaccord Genuity Inc.

"Shannon's appointment represents an important milestone for Canaccord Genuity's deeply established cannabis practice at a time when we are seeing significant cross-border expansion of the investor landscape for this sector, with exciting new companies coming to market and increasing M&A activity," said Pat Burke, President of Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets in Canada.

Canaccord Genuity has been committed to providing best-in-class origination and investment banking capabilities, coupled with ongoing equity research and aftermarket support to the cannabis sector since its emergence as a regulated industry. Since 2016, the firm has helped to raise capital for numerous U.S State regulated and Canadian Federally regulated cannabis licensees. In Canada, Canaccord Genuity was the dominant investment bank for the cannabis sector by number and value of transactions for calendar 2017. The Company is hosting its second annual Cannabis Investor Day in Vancouver, BC today. Participation at this event has doubled since the inaugural conference a year ago, with 30 presenting companies and 900 registered guests from Canada, the U.S., Australia and Europe. 

Shannon will be based in San Francisco and will work closely with our existing Cannabis investment banking team, which is led by Steve Winokur, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Graham Saunders, Managing Director and Head of Origination, and Jamie Nagy, Managing Director and Co-Head of Mergers and Acquisitions in Canada. Together, they will deliver a broad range of investment banking services including public offerings, private placements and financial advisory services for emerging and established companies in the cannabis industry.

Shannon Soqui has close to two decades of investment banking and advisory experience, with deep industry relationships and robust transaction and advisory experience. Most recently, he was Partner and Head of Cannabis Investment Banking at Ackrell Capital. Previously, Mr. Soqui was an investment banker for 15 years with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Credit Suisse, UBS, and Pacific Crest Securities. Having started his career as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG, he later worked as a securities lawyer for Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. Mr. Soqui holds a B.A. in Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the Santa Clara University School of Law.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY

Canaccord Genuity is the global capital markets division of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX: CF), offering institutional and corporate clients idea-driven investment banking, merger and acquisition, research, sales and trading services from offices in 10 countries worldwide. Our team of nearly 1,000 capital markets and advisory professionals has industry and transactional expertise in 18 key sectors of the global economy. We are committed to providing valued services to our clients throughout the entire lifecycle of their business and operating as a gold standard independent investment bank – expansive in resources and reach, but targeted in industry expertise, market focus and individual client attention.

More information is available at www.canaccordgenuity.com

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.:

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the "Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has offices in 10 countries worldwide, including Wealth Management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Australia. Canaccord Genuity, the international capital markets division, operates in Canada, the US, the UK, France, Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Australia and Dubai. To us there are no foreign markets.™

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX.

SOURCE Canaccord Genuity