Meet the Team

Overview of Experience

Catherine is a veteran of the hemp CBD industry. She started working with CBD extracts in 2014 and set up one of the first twenty companies selling CBD Europe-wide; the brand was acquired by an EU company in autumn 2022.

In 2016, the world’s leading hemp association invited her to join the advisory committee and she held various roles, including 2 years as vice president during the time when CBD food supplements were recategorised as novel foods.

She is an expert in novel foods and her in-depth knowledge of regulatory affairs is widely acknowledged; she is recognised as one of top women in hemp/CBD worldwide. Catherine has a consultancy business since 2011 and specialises in providing succinct, accurate information for executives to make informed decisions regarding CBD, cannabinoids and cannabis.

 

Areas of Expertise

• EU and UK Regulatory Affairs for various types of CBD/cannabinoids and medicinal cannabis.
• Food Supplements and Novel Foods.
• Residues of THC in Foods/Food Supplements.
• CBD in Cosmetics.
• Market Entry Opportunities

 

Therapeutic Areas of Expertise

Whilst Catherine has no experience of the medical/therapeutic market for CBD products, she was of the early pioneers of the hemp cannabinoid industry and has experience in product formulations, in-depth knowledge of purchasing behaviour including key reasons consumers buy CBD products. She believes that there is enormous scope for developing OTC medications.

Catherine has also knowledge of the UK medical cannabis prescription market and a sound overview of all the various EU countries varying policies and availability of prescribed medicinal cannabis.

 

Regulatory Bodies of Expertise

Catherine held various roles with the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA). EIHA defends and represents the interest of the entire hemp value chain, from seed to shelf. She represented the industry with UK regulatory agencies (FSA, MHRA) for six years. She has also experience of working with the UK Health & Safety Executive and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

In her various roles as board member, vice president and now member of the advisory committee of EIHA she contributed in developing key policy documents and attended meetings at the EU Commission in Brussels with PAFF and SCOPAFF.

Catherine is a member of novel food working group whose responsibility was to submit the novel food application for CBD isolate, full spectrum and synthetic CBD to both EFSA and the UK FSA. She also contributed to developing the clinical trial protocol for the largest ever study on the effect of THC in humans.

 

Track Record

A Senior Executive with a track record of building market leading companies within complex and challenging sectors:

• CBD Food Supplements and in the environmental sector;
• developing and executing business strategy;
• the ability to assemble high performing teams and to lead large multi-disciplinary teams to perform at the highest level;
• negotiating the sale of companies and
• ameliorating impact of change in management.

Her key expertise as a consultant and industry representative includes:

• experienced in advocating for industry with regulatory agencies and civil service,
• delivering accurate information for executives to make informed decisions,
• experience of managing complex operational projects;
• managing complex organisational change including large-scale business transformation,
• excellent public speaker.