Andres Fajardo, currently a director and president of the company, has been selected to succeed Kyle Detwiler as CEO of Clever Leaves, effective March 24, 2022. Detwiler will remain CEO until March 24, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition, and he will continue to serve as the company’s chairman until such date.
“Today’s leadership changes are the culmination of a succession planning process that our board and Kyle have worked on together,” said Elisabeth DeMarse, who has served as an independent director of the board since December 2020. “We are pleased to have someone with Andres’ experience and knowledge of Clever Leaves succeed Kyle as CEO, and we expect he will benefit from Kyle’s continued support. On behalf of our board, we are grateful for Kyle’s many contributions to this company over the years, and we wish him well in his next chapter.”
Fajardo brings more than 20 years of management experience to the Company. He has served as a director of the board since December 2020 and as president since 2019, and in various other roles at the Company since its establishment in 2016. Such roles include CEO in 2019 and chairman in 2018 of Clever Leaves Colombia. Prior to Clever Leaves, from 2016 to 2018, Fajardo was a founding partner of Mojo Ventures, a venture capital incubator in Colombia. Fajardo also served as CEO of IQ Outsourcing, a leading Colombian business processing outsourcing firm from 2010 to 2015, and a principal member at Booz & Company from 2000 to 2010. He obtained a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Los Andes University in Colombia.
Commenting on his appointment, Fajardo said: “As a co-founder of the Company and a true believer in its purpose of bringing the benefits of cannabis to patients around the world, I am honored to transition to the role of CEO at such an important time in the Company’s history. I believe that we have the right team, clients, products, and assets to lead the Company to the next level. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Kyle and the board to execute Clever Leaves’ strategy.”
Detwiler commented: “It has been a privilege to serve alongside such a talented team over the last seven years. Andres and I have worked together for more than half a decade, and he is well-positioned to build upon the early success we have generated in our core markets and leverage the robust infrastructure we have built across our production footprint. I look forward to working with him as he transitions into this exciting new role.”
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