HempMeds veterans named co-CEOs

Publicly traded cannabis company Medical Marijuana has promoted two longtime executives to be co-CEOs of its subsidiary HempMeds. Caroline Heinz and Raul Elizalde were most recently vice president of HempMeds Brasil and president of HempMeds Mexico and Latin America, respectively.

Heinz has been with the company since 2014, when HempMeds’ Real Scientific Hemp Oil was approved as the first legally imported CBD product in Brazil. Her work at the helm of HempMeds’ Brazilian arm has seen her work with the Brazilian government to subsidize CBD for several indications and grow its sales in the country, establishing two offices and growing a network of doctors and medical professionals.

Elizalde joined HempMeds in 2017, growing the company’s presence and sales in Latin American and Mexico since then.

"Medical Marijuana is my family and I am very proud to be asked to step into this new role with such a smart and talented professional like Caroline," said Elizalde. "In my new role, I aim to utilize the successful strategies I used to grow HempMeds' sales in Latin America and apply them to the U.S. market. We will continue to build a brand that consumers can trust."

The two newly minted CEOs will oversee all marketing, sales and operations for HempMeds in the United States and globally. Heinz will oversee CEO duties from the company’s San Diego headquarters as Elizalde waits to be granted his work visa in the United States.

"Growth happens when we stretch ourselves in new directions," said Heinz. "Working with HempMeds for half a decade now has taught me so much about myself and about the tremendous need the world has for CBD. Raul and I already make such a great team and we believe that we will be able to take our U.S. operations to the next level."