People + Passion
Our leadership team is comprised of a deep bench of experts and industry leaders that collectively bring hundreds of years of experience across cannabis, retail, agriculture, and finance and an unparalleled understanding of the sector. They have charted a course and guided 4Front from its early beginnings to the success we have today. They are passionate, committed stakeholders and aligned to drive long-term success. With some of the best minds in the industry, they have earned their reputation as efficient operators and thought leaders. As a testament to their skills, our leadership team earned 4Front Ventures a spot in Inc. Magazine’s Best-Led Companies of 2021 list.
Operational Leadership
Andrew Thut
CEO
Andrew’s journey with 4Front Ventures began as an early investor, leading to a full-time commitment in 2014 as CIO. He contributes a deep understanding of financial management and a keen business insight to the team. Before joining 4Front, Andrew held a pivotal role as the Managing Director of the BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund at BlackRock Advisors LLC. His 11-year tenure at BlackRock was marked by significant achievements, including steering the $2 billion fund to rank within the top five percent of all domestic small cap growth funds. His expertise and leadership skills are invaluable assets to 4Front Ventures as he steps into his role as CEO.
Peter Kampian
CFO
Peter is a seasoned executive with over two decades of financial expertise gained through various roles, including his tenure as the Chief Financial Officer of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp., where he led and supported debt and equity capital raising initiatives, along with numerous acquisitions. Kampian also held the role of CFO at Mettrum Health Corp., which was later acquired by Canopy Growth Corp. In addition to his executive roles, Kampian has served on several boards, such as Aduro Clean Technologies Inc., Harborside Inc., Greenbutts Inc., Red Pine Exploration Inc., and as a director at Origin House, a cannabis branding and distribution company based in California.
Ray Landgraf
President, Business Development
Ray was the founder and CEO of Island Cannabis Co., a premier California cannabis brand and consumer-products business. Before founding Island, he served as vice president of global business development and head of authentication and verification solutions for Dun & Bradstreet, and has held leadership positions at Credibility Corp., Reply!, MerchantCircle, Viking Asset Management and Fisher Investments. Also, he is an active investor and advisor at several private technology companies including Kaya Ventures, Eaze, Emotive, Indigo, LeafLink and Malbec Labs.
Brandon Mills
Executive Vice President
Brandon served as president and chief operating officer of Island. With his strong entrepreneurial and C-Suite background, Mills brings expertise in corporate strategy, operations, technology, product and data in both public and private operating environments. In addition to his role at Island, Mills has served as: co-founder and head of product for true[x], an advertising technology platform; founder and CEO of BlockBeacon, a mobile marketing platform acquired by Credibility Corp in 2012; and vice president and general manager of Dun & Bradstreet.
Christopher Wimmer
General Counsel
Christopher previously served as in-house vice president of legal at Agrify Corporation, where he provided legal advice on all aspects of this publicly traded cannabis cultivation and extraction equipment company. He has 17 years of diverse experience as an attorney, and he has been in the cannabis industry for four years – two of which he has spent as in-house legal counsel – assisting in acquisitions, partnerships, wholesale purchases, IP licensing, HR matters and litigation. Also, from 2019 to 2020 Wimmer was a pro bono attorney for social equity cannabis businesses, providing free legal information to employees and customers.
Gabe Mendoza
EVP, Retail Operations
Gabriel is a lifelong Chicagoan who has worked in the cannabis industry since 2012. Gabriel began his cannabis career by serving as the company’s Operations Manager for both dispensary and cultivation center operations. In addition to his operational experience, Gabriel is the co-creator of the non-profit, Chicago NORML. Chicago NORML was founded in 2017 with the goal of educating and motivating communities of color to destigmatize and accept the cannabis plant as a vehicle for wellness, and empowerment.
Tera Martin
Chief of Staff
Tera brings 10 years of cannabis industry experience in retail operations, cultivation/processing/wholesale operations, product development, sales and marketing strategy and management, branding, project management and compliance. Her battle with breast cancer sparked her advocacy efforts in the medical marijuana industry and she was on the forefront of legalization in Washington.
Board Members
Robert Hunt
Chairman
Robert has more than 15 years of experience in the cannabis industry, serving as an attorney, consultant and entrepreneur. Since January 2018, Hunt has been a managing member of Linnaea Holdings, a California-based cannabis-focused private equity and operating company hybrid venture, and since January 2017, Hunt has been a managing member of Shingle Hill, a boutique cannabis consulting firm.
Leo Gontmakher
Director
Leo was a co-founder of Northwest Cannabis Solutions, where under his guidance, the company flourished into one of Washington state’s largest and most prosperous cannabis product producers. Leo then played a pivotal role as Chief Operating Officer at Cannex, which successfully merged with 4Front in July 2019. He continued to lead as CEO of 4Front until January 2024, guiding the company through significant growth and development. Prior to his impactful journey in the cannabis industry, Leo was an integral part of the senior management team at North America’s leading processor and distributor of specialized seafood products, showcasing his diverse leadership capabilities across various sectors.
Chetan Gulati
Director
Chetan Gulati has served as a member of the Company’s board of directors since December 2020. He has been a partner and head of research at Navy Capital, a New York-based asset manager focused on the rapidly growing global cannabis sector from 2019 to the present.
Kris Krane
Director
Kris has spent the last two decades working to advance the cannabis industry and movement. He has served as Associate Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (“NORML”); Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy; and is currently Chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association Board of Directors. Kris concurrently serves as Director of Cannabis Development for KCSA Strategic Communications, a leading public relations and investor relations firm, and CEO of Kranewreck Enterprises, a strategic consulting firm that helps small cannabis operators grow their businesses.
Roman Tkachenko
Director
Roman has served as a member of the Company’s board of directors since December 2020. From March 2010 to the present, Mr. Tkachenko has served as the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Direct Source Seafood LLC, a major crab and shrimp importer and wholesaler. DSS is not only committed to quality, but also to upholding the integrity of the seafood industry as a whole. In order to deliver on this initiative, DSS offers products that are sustainable and environmentally friendly, and has grown to become the largest king crab and snow crab importer in the United States.
David Daily
Director
David is the CEO of Gravitron, LLC which he founded in May 2004. David has designed or led the GRAV® design team to bring over 500 unique top-line products to the cannabis market. Dave is an investor, board member, mentor, and advisor to over a dozen start-up stage brands in cannabis and consumer packaged goods. He holds a B.A. in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Business as Unusual
This is a unique business with unique challenges and opportunities that have opened the door to an exceptional leadership group from diverse backgrounds. We have challenged ourselves to innovate and look beyond existing strategies, processes, assumptions, and mindsets to ensure we attract and retain some of the best and most committed minds in the business, ensuring we remain competitive, relevant and ultimately continue to elevate lives through the power of cannabis. Come back often and learn about some of our team’s personal journey with the flower.
Tera’s story
Tera’s battle with breast cancer sparked her advocacy efforts in the medical marijuana industry and led her to be on the forefront of legalization in Washington. Tera is one of the founders of the Pink Gene Foundation which strives to help young women become proactive in the fight against breast cancer by educating, providing resources and offering assistance. They are dedicated to helping women identify whether they are at high risk of breast cancer. Another special fact about Tera is that she holds the past titles of Miss Issaquah USA, Miss Greater Seattle USA and Miss Photogenic Washington USA. On her free time you can find her judging pageants and donating her time to the community.
Gabes’s story
Gabriel is the co-creator of the non-profit, Chicago NORML. Chicago NORML was founded in 2017 with the goal of educating and motivating communities of color to destigmatize and accept the cannabis plant as a vehicle for wellness, and empowerment. Gabriel is responsible for co-creating the curriculum used by Chicago NORML to train individuals on how to get a job in the cannabis industry. To date, the organization has trained over 1,000 individuals, and has helped to place over a dozen minorities into highly competitive cannabis jobs within the state of Illinois. As chair of the legislative committee Gabriel has spoken to countless state and federal politicians on the benefits of legalizing cannabis. It was the efforts of Gabriel and Chicago NORML that helped shape the Illinois cannabis law into the most socially conscious and equitable cannabis law in the United States.