MARKHAM, ON, April 6, 2018 /CNW/ - MedReleaf Corp. (TSX:LEAF) ("MedReleaf" or the "Company"), Canada's first and only ISO 9001 and ICH-GMP certified cannabis producer, today announced the appointments of Umar Syed as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Andy Duncan as Vice President of Engineering. In addition to these appointments, Eitan Popper has stepped down from his position as President of MedReleaf, effective immediately. These senior leadership team changes add depth and experience from the pharmaceutical industry as part of MedReleaf's global strategy.

Mr. Syed brings over 27 years of experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry and was most recently at Pharmascience Inc., among Canada's largest pharmaceutical companies with distribution in over 60 countries.

Mr. Duncan has over 20 years of engineering and infrastructure development experience primarily at Apotex Inc., Canada's largest generic pharmaceutical company with a global operation and exports to over 115 countries.

"As MedReleaf enters its next phase of growth and development, international medical cannabis opportunities are coming to the forefront and this plays to our core strengths," said Neil Closner, CEO of MedReleaf. "Our ability to attract executive talent of this calibre, from these leading pharmaceutical companies, is a testament to MedReleaf's position as a top employer in what is clearly an industry that has matured and gained mainstream acceptance. I'm very pleased to welcome Umar and Andy to the team and look forward to their contributions in executing on our strategy."

Mr. Syed began his career as a clinical pharmacist, and his experience spans across senior pharmaceutical corporate development and strategic advisory roles. Prior to joining MedReleaf, he was Vice President of Global Strategy and Portfolio Management at Pharmascience. Notably, he was a Co-Founder, Chief Science Officer, and Vice President, Business Development at Cynapsus Therapeutics, Canada's first publicly traded cannabinoid pharmaceutical drug development company. His previous experience also includes Strategy Consulting for the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Practice at Oliver Wyman and as a Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Equity Research Analyst at BMO Nesbitt Burns.

Mr. Duncan will oversee MedReleaf's infrastructure and production capacity growth. He has managed or been involved in over $800 million of capital projects in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and was responsible for the design and development of global, multi-site pharmaceutical manufacturing operations over his career at Apotex, where he was most recently Global Director, Engineering.

Mr. Closner added, "On behalf of everyone at MedReleaf and the Board of Directors, I want to thank Eitan for his significant contributions in helping to build MedReleaf from our early days into one of Canada's largest and most respected licensed producers."

About MedReleaf Corp.

Voted Top Licensed Producer at the 2017 Lift Canadian Cannabis Awards, MedReleaf is an R&D-driven company dedicated to innovation, operational excellence and the production of top-quality cannabis.  Sourced from around the world and carefully cultivated in one of two state of the art ICH-GMP and ISO 9001 certified facilities in Ontario, the Company delivers a variety of premium products for the global medical market and is committed to serving the therapeutic needs of its medical patients and providing a compelling product assortment for the adult-use recreational consumer.

For more information on MedReleaf, its products, research and how the Company is helping patients #livefree, please visit MedReleaf.com or follow @medreleaf.

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding business strategy, plans and other expectations, beliefs, goals, strategies, objectives, information and statements about possible future events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and assumptions that involve a number of risks, which could cause actual results to vary and in some instances to differ materially from those anticipated by MedReleaf and described in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur or, if any of them do so, what benefits MedReleaf will derive there-from. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking information contained herein, except as required by applicable Canadian securities legislation.

SOURCE MedReleaf Corp.

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2018/06/c2606.html