Former GSK director joins cannabis company

Home » Former GSK director joins cannabis company

Former GlaxoSmithKline executive director, Bill Purves, has joined global manufacturer of naturally-sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients, Brains Bioceutical, as its chief commercial officer.

Bill Purves will now be at the forefront of a new frontier in the research and development of cannabinoids for health and wellness sectors, says Brains Bioceutical.

Purves will be responsible for the company’s global sales and marketing operations, and the company says he will diversify its product offerings while playing a pivotal role in the evolution of cannabinoid science.

“After many years in the pharmaceutical industry, combined with time spent working in the cannabis industry, I have the utmost confidence in what we’re doing at Brains Bioceutical,” commented Purves.

“I’m excited to see the potential of cannabinoid pharmaceuticals come to life and the positive impacts this will have in pharmacological advancements.

“We are looking at the future of disease treatment and prevention here at Brains Bioceutical.”

Ricky Brar, CEO of Brains Bioceutical, commented: “Brains is in a unique position to rapidly capitalise on our industry-leading Cannabinoids API via the pharmaceutical industry, and now with Novel Foods Validation in both the EU and UK, Brains will emerge as the industry leader in nutraceuticals.

“Bill Purves, in his role as chief commercial officer of Brains Bio, is ideally positioned to lead these categories, within an emerging global leader.

“His experience will be an asset as we continue to innovate and lead in the cannabinoid space.”

With experience in the pharmaceutical and phytocannabinoid industries, Purves will lead Brains Bio’s business development strategy, explore new revenue streams and solidify relationships with existing and prospective customers.

Starting his pharmaceutical career with GlaxoSmithKline in 1994 as senior financial analyst, he then moved into the role of chief financial officer of the company’s business operations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Five years later, Purves was promoted to executive director of GlaxoSmithKline’s international business development, providing strategic planning and market development support across the company’s international business unit.

In 2007, where Purves was responsible for establishing the Iroko Pharmaceuticals’ global sales and distribution networks for branded generic and specialty prescription products. He later co-founded and acted as managing member of Windhoek Healthcare, a US-based healthcare investment firm, which launched three specialty pharmaceutical companies.

Purves entered the medical cannabis space in 2018 when he was hired by Jacana, a Jamaican medical cannabis company, as its CCO and CFO, where he helped transform the startup into a fully, vertically integrated medical cannabis company with business arms that included research and development, cultivation, production and extraction.