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Management

Frank Perullo

Co-Founder, President, and Director

Sam Brill

Chief Executive Officer & Director

David Gacom

Chief Commercial Officer

Roman Nemchenko

Chief Financial Officer

Michael McLaughlin

Chief Operations Officer

Frank Perullo

FOUNDER, PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR

Frank Perullo is a Co-Founder of AWH and was appointed President of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024. Prior to that, he served as the EVP of Corporate Affairs. He also serves on the Board of Directors. Mr. Perullo previously served as interim-CEO of Ascend. Mr. Perullo’s leadership has been key to Ascend Wellness Holdings’ impressive growth trajectory and brand success. He spent his first three years as Chief Strategy Officer, during which time he spearheaded the Company’s retail expansion strategy and built out AWH’s initial footprint. Previously, Mr. Perullo served as a strategic consultant for multi-national corporations. He was Founder of Novus Group and Sage Systems, one of the leading providers of web-based data management software, which he founded in 2002.

Samuel Brill

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Samuel Brill was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024. Mr. Brill has served on our Board since May 2023. He previously served as Lead Independent Director of our Board from May 2023 to August 2024. Mr. Brill is Chairman of the Board of Invacare Holdings Corporation (OTC: IVCRQ), a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of medical products. Sam served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Seventh Avenue Investments, LLC (“SAI”) for the last seven years. At SAI, Mr. Brill managed all aspects of the private equity business of a multibillion-dollar single-family office in New York City. He played a critical role in helping the management teams of portfolio companies with strategic decisions, including mergers, acquisitions, corporate reorganization, and financial planning. Before joining SAI, Mr. Brill was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Weismann Capital, a single-family office in Stamford, CT. Prior to joining Weismann in November 2003, Mr. Brill was the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Amedia Networks (formerly TTR Technologies), a publicly traded technology IP company. Prior to joining Amedia in November 2001, Mr. Brill was a senior financial analyst at JDS Capital Management, a hedge fund that was also the largest shareholder of TTR, which he joined as the first employee in February 1998. He has served on numerous public and private boards and committees, including the Investment Committee of NewLake Capital Partners, Inc. (OTCQX: NLCP), a cannabis REIT.

David Gacom

Chief Commercial Officer

David Gacom serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Ascend Wellness, following his stint as Chief Operating Officer over the past two years. Reporting to President Frank Perullo, Mr. Gacom brings 25 years of cross-functional experience spanning sales, operations, retail, marketing, supply chain, and commercialization in the cannabis and food and beverage industries. Prior to Ascend, Mr. Gacom led Cresco Labs as the Western Region President, leading all functions. Prior to cannabis, Mr. Gacom was the Chief Commercial Officer at Grecian Delight Foods, a leading provider of Mediterranean foods servicing the Retail and Foodservice channels and held progressive leadership roles at Kraft Heinz. Mr. Gacom has launched over 40 new product lines in commercial businesses worldwide, while driving operational efficiencies across manufacturing and cultivation facilities in public and privately held companies. Mr. Gacom holds an MBA from Kellogg’s Executive Management Program and a BBA in Marketing and Management Information Systems from the University of Notre Dame.

Roman Nemchenko

Chief Financial Officer

Roman Nemchenko was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024, following his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since April 2020. He played a key role in the company’s 2021 IPO and has driven significant financial and operational improvements. With approximately 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, Mr. Nemchenko has a strong background in initial public offerings, financial analysis, M&A, restructurings, SEC reporting, technology implementations, tax strategy, and regulatory compliance. His career includes leadership roles at Acreage Holdings, Oscar Insurance, and Fortress Investment Group, as well as auditing and consulting experience at PwC. Mr. Nemchenko holds a CPA, a BS in Finance and Accounting, and an MS in Forensic Accounting.

Michael McLaughlin

Chief Operations Officer

Michael McLaughlin was appointed as Chief Operations Officer of Ascend Wellness in October of 2024, reporting to President Frank Perullo. He previously served as the SVP of Supply Chain and the company’s Center of Excellence. Over the past three years at Ascend, he has led a broad range of functions including supply chain, extraction manufacturing, construction, quality improvement, engineering and facilities, regulatory compliance, retail delivery, and public affairs. He also managed Ascend’s cross-functional scale-up for several state conversions to adult use.  

 

Mr. McLaughlin has extensive experience driving business growth in highly regulated and segmented markets. He previously worked at Sevita where he led regulatory and reimbursement strategy for the company’s $1.2 billion Medicaid segment at the federal level and across 26 states. Prior, he worked in strategy consulting, advising corporations, public officials, and non-profits on regulatory, political and land use matters. Mr. McLaughlin holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a B.A. from Boston College.