Team
Who we are
We’re led by a dynamic and experienced cannabis leadership team, a collective force driving innovation, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to excellence in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry.
Leadership Team
Orville Bovenschen
Orville Bovenschen
As President of Pure Sunfarms, Orville works to empower growth, deliver operational excellence and nurture a culture of accountability across the organization. With a proven track record of driving strategic excellence, Orville's journey is a testament to his unwavering commitment to achieving results. Orville's career began with a strong foundation in business. After spending more than 15 years spearheading financial efforts for large-scale construction and infrastructure projects globally, Orville transitioned to the cannabis industry where he held several senior roles optimizing production processes and overseeing innovation and new product launches. Armed with a Bachelor and a Master of Business Administration from Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, he combines his sharp business insights with an innate understanding of finance and operations. He joined Village Farms International as Vice President, European Business Development and Operations. His adeptness in building relationships and identifying growth opportunities facilitated the company's expansion into the European cannabis market. His multicultural understanding and open-minded approach has nurtured partnerships across diverse cultures, fostering collaboration toward a common goal. Orville's operational prowess shone brightly as he stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Pure Sunfarms where he spearheaded initiatives that increased production efficiency, propelling the company to new heights in the market. His pragmatic approach to operational excellence not only bolstered the bottom line but has also contributed to Pure Sunfarms' reputation as a market leader. Born and raised in the Netherlands, a country that has openly embraced the consumption of cannabis for over 40 years, Orville has an appreciation for all the plant can provide. At the heart of his philosophy for Pure Sunfarms lies a deep respect for the company’s cultivation foundation — the plants. His leadership has been marked by his unwavering belief that a culture of honesty and accountability is essential. This approach fosters collaboration and unites teams with a shared purpose. Orville's commitment to instilling these qualities across the organization resonates in every facet of his work.
Rob Baldwin
Rob Baldwin
Rob’s passion for plants shines through every aspect of Pure Sunfarms. As VP of Cultivation and Operations, he is dedicated to growing high quality plants with a passionate and caring team of growers. He is responsible for all aspects of Pure Sunfarms’ cultivation and greenhouse operations, and continues to showcase world-class growing capabilities to deliver high-quality, consistent cannabis to the Canadian market. Before Pure Sunfarms, Rob was the Grower and Facility Manager of Village Farms, growing and farming greenhouse tomatoes. The greenhouse that he managed is the same site where Pure Sunfarms now operates and thrives, with Rob overseeing all greenhouse conversion efforts. He is passionate about everything he grows, and when transitioning his growing focus from vegetables to cannabis, he was excited for a new chapter. Rob’s unique journey has given him over two decades of invaluable experience managing greenhouse operations in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. His knowledge and understanding of the land and growing conditions, paired with his hands-on growing expertise is at the heart of the Pure Sunfarms greenhouse. As a seasoned grow expert and a leader, Rob continues to mentor and guide a new generation of greenhouse growers in the evolving cannabis industry. Together, with his team, they continue to learn, innovate, and build upon the existing legacy and reputation of BC-grown cannabis.
Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron
Julia brings a strategic lens to advancing a compelling corporate narrative for Pure Sunfarms. In her role as VP of Communications & Corporate Affairs, Julia oversees a portfolio including communications, public relations, customer care, government affairs, and community relations. She and her team work hard to collaboratively represent Pure Sunfarms’ collective heart in order to propel the cannabis industry forward. In her previous role at Edelman, an award-winning global communications firm, Julia developed integrated marketing, corporate communications, and government and stakeholder relations programming for some of Canada’s leading brands including Hewlett-Packard, Canadian Pacific, Shell Canada, QuadReal Property Group, and the National Hockey League. As a communications leader, Julia has a knack for leading and inspiring high-performing teams to drive consumer awareness, build reputation, and earn the trust of stakeholders. Born and raised in British Columbia, and with roots in BC’s Fraser Valley, Julia is excited to be evolving the narrative of BC bud in the legal market. Julia was drawn to Pure Sunfarms’ vision from the beginning and continues to passionately drive its story forward as Canada’s leading cannabis brand. Julia holds a Bachelor of Psychology from UBC, a Diploma in Marketing Management, Communications from BCIT, and an Associate Certificate in Mediation from BCIT. She also holds a certificate in Public Participation from IAP2.
Scott Gapic
Scott Gapic
Scott is dedicated to building a team of technologists that merge technology and creativity to provide solutions to all areas of the business. As VP of Technology at Pure Sunfarms, he inspires his team to think outside the box and push the boundary of what’s possible while leveraging innovative tools and technology. Scott comes to Pure Sunfarms with over 10 years of management and IT consulting expertise. For most of his career, he has collaborated with clients to help them achieve their desired business outcomes through the use of technology, data and cloud solutions, resulting in long-lasting relationships. As Client Director at Slalom, he helped to establish Slalom Canada’s Toronto and Vancouver markets, and has helped to support the growth of many retail and CPG organizations throughout his career. Scott recognizes the important relationship between people and technology, and firmly believes that everyone at Pure Sunfarms plays a part in the technology journey. Scott was drawn to the value-driven culture at Pure Sunfarms, and leads by cultivating a trusted and safe space for team-members to learn, grow, and be their authentic selves. He sees every day as a learning opportunity to identify new and exciting ways that technology can transform day-to-day operations. As a collaborative team, Scott looks forward to the integral role technology will play in supporting the continued growth of the organization. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University of Technology.
Maria Guest
Maria Guest
Maria is a passionate and results-driven marketing leader with experience across all facets of brand building. As the VP of Brand at Pure Sunfarms, Maria is dedicated to creating brands that resonate with consumers and drive top-line growth for the future. With over a decade of marketing leadership experience, Maria knows what it takes to inspire a team, and build a successful brand that drives meaningful connections with consumers. She joined Pure Sunfarms after her time at Labatt, where she led the development of new products and built engaging and sales-driven marketing campaigns for leading local and global beverage-alcohol brands, including Corona, Stella Artois and Bud Light. Maria is passionate about driving brand growth and leverages her expertise to inform all aspects of brand marketing, including strategy, planning, positioning, brand portfolio management, communication, market research and consumer insights, innovation and new brand development. Coming from the alcohol industry, Maria sees endless opportunities within the cannabis market to develop new products and fresh campaigns that resonate with consumers. She is also personally invested in building an organization and brand that is driven by purpose. She is proud of Pure Sunfarms’ progressive approach to company culture, and continues to lead and inspire a strong, dedicated team. Maria holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.
Hamid Shekarchi
Hamid Shekarchi
The challenge and complexity of the cannabis industry drew Hamid to Pure Sunfarms, where in his role as Chief Financial Officer, he leads a team laser-focused on Pure Sunfarms’ leadership position, delivering financial results with impact. With 15 years experience as a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator, Hamid held previous senior positions at BDO and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where his financial advisory and valuation roles exposed him to a broad set of experiences working with challenging industries including manufacturing, mining, technology, and real estate. During his time at BDO, he co-led the Western Canada Cannabis Group and was actively involved in the beginnings of the nascent industry writing articles and presenting at universities and industry events, including the AICPA conference. Within the cannabis industry, it’s the mental stimulation of working in an ever-changing landscape with no set operating manual that makes seeing ideas, processes, and standards come to light so much more exhilarating for Hamid. He hopes to instill a sense of humility and curiosity on his team, challenging everyone to do the work, take ownership, and ask the hard questions every day to create more effective and successful ways forward the whole team can stand behind and be proud of. Hamid has a BBA from Simon Fraser University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV).
Kyle Watson
Kyle Watson
Kyle is passionate about building relationships and understanding the unique needs of retailers and consumers. As VP of Commercial, Kyle oversees all sales operations to support the flow of Pure Sunfarms products across the country, and trade operations to ensure that the brand maintains a meaningful presence in-store. Before joining the Pure Sunfarms team, Kyle spent over 10 years supporting and leading the commercial operations at Canada’s largest brewer, Labatt, where he gained invaluable experience overseeing the execution of national sales strategy and working directly with provincial boards. Whether managing provincial boards and key customers, or leading commercial teams, his approach has been consistently described as that of a driven athlete, determined to succeed. Kyle holds a proven track record of increasing sales, driving share growth, and propelling profitability and efficiencies. He has a natural affinity for digging deeper and inspires his teams at Pure Sunfarms to understand the needs of provincial boards, store owners, budtenders and consumers alike. When it comes to product education, he cares deeply about providing the right information at the right time, and always has his finger on the pulse of the latest industry trends. Kyle holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology, Human Kinetics and Business Management from the University of British Columbia.
Edward Woo
Edward Woo
Edward Woo is inspired by the dynamic nature of the cannabis industry, where he sees the potential for continuous innovation and meaningful impact on both consumers and the broader market. As Vice President of International Business Development at Pure Sunfarms, Edward is passionate about cultivating global partnerships and expanding the company’s international presence. His appreciation for teamwork, collaboration, and innovation stems from his experience in navigating complex, regulated environments, where he learned that bringing together diverse perspectives leads to more effective problem-solving and long-term success. Edward believes that fostering an environment of open communication and shared decision-making not only drives business results but also creates an empowered team capable of overcoming challenges together. With over 20 years of experience in regulated industries, Edward excels at navigating complex environments and driving growth. His career includes leadership roles at Philip Morris International and Rothmans Benson & Hedges, where he led the global rollout of products and regulatory strategies across 30 countries. Originally from Toronto, Edward has lived and worked in New York and Switzerland, gaining valuable insights from markets across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. These experiences provided Edward with deep understanding into diverse cultures and markets—knowledge he now applies to the cannabis sector, where he sees incredible opportunities for growth. With a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, Edward combines his commitment to integrity, resilience, and teamwork with Pure Sunfarms’ mission to lead the cannabis industry into the future.