Medicinal Cannabis Council Australia (MCCA) will unveil its inaugural seven-member board today, with the newly merged industry body also closing in on the appointment of its first full-time chief executive.
MCCA was formed following the merger of industry bodies Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA) and the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA).
MCCA has been jointly chaired by Kristin Viccars and Dr Teresa Nicoletti during its transition period, with the new body now establishing its inaugural board and a paid executive team led by a full-time chief executive and support staff.
Both Viccars and Dr Nicoletti have ruled themselves out of continuing as chairs once the transition period ends.
Speaking during a member briefing on Wednesday, Dr Nicoletti said 18 nominees had put themselves forward for board positions across industry, healthcare, independent and patient advocate categories.
Electronic voting opened at 4.30pm on Wednesday and closes at 4pm Thursday (today), with the successful candidates expected to be announced this afternoon.
Nicoletti confirmed the inaugural directors would serve in unpaid positions, similar to the former MCIA and AMCA boards.
“This is actually a really exciting and critical time to be in the sector, where we’re really right at the point of potential regulatory reforms,” Dr Nicoletti told members.
MCCA executive officer Patty Holmes said she hoped some former MCIA and AMCA board members would be elected to the new board to help smooth the transition for the new organisation.
“It would be good to have some continuity from the old board to the new board,” she said.
MCCA also provided an update on its search for a chief executive, revealing the role attracted 180 applications.
Viccars said the field had now been narrowed to five candidates following first-round interviews conducted on Wednesday.
He added the appointment would be announced within the next fortnight.
Asked by Cannabiz about remuneration for the CEO and other planned paid roles, Viccars said MCCA “couldn’t disclose salaries”, but added it was “safe to assume market rates for the paid positions”.
Dr Nicoletti, meanwhile, described the appointment of a full-time CEO as a “game changer” for the sector.
“For the first time in the sector’s history, we have the funds to appoint a full-time CEO, and that’s a game changer for this sector. So it’s a great time to be part of it,” she said.
