UNE Business School students took the opportunity to speak with CEO and Founder of Oz Medicann Group, John Leith as well as Director of Education and Partnerships, Kerrie Field.

Each year, students in MM200 Managing People and Organisations have the unique opportunity to focus their major assignment on a real life case study. On 25 July this year, UNE Business School were pleased to welcome the Oz Medicann Group (OMG) to the JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre as our organisation for case study. OMG are a patient-centred health care company at the forefront of identification, discovery and development of new technologies in the Medicinal Cannabis industry.

Medicinal cannabis is a relatively new industry to Australia, with impact across a range of sectors, including agtech and agriculture as well as law, health and medicine. Currently focused on educating and informing regional areas, Oz Medicann Group’s visit to the New England region was an opportunity for our students to find out more about the industry, critically engaging with the work of OMG to discuss their sustainability as an organisation. Students heard from John Leith, Founder and CEO of Oz Medicann Group – a social entrepreneur leading the charge for medicinal cannabis, John works closely within the legal framework in Australia alongside researchers and manufacturing companies at the forefront of the industry.

Medicinal cannabis is a unique industry with unique challenges, and we’re eager to speak more about how the product is disrupting established practice everywhere from agriculture to medicine to managing supply chains. In bringing this knowledge to our regional areas, we’re encouraging the community to find out more.”

Kerrie Field, John Leith, Lucy Haslam and Adam Miller.

Also speaking at the event was Adam Miller, Founder of BuddingTech, Australia’s first medical cannabis startup incubation program, and Lucy Haslam, co-Founder of United in Compassion, advocating for use of medicinal cannabis in Australia.

Students took a focus on sustainable business practices, hearing about the vision John has for the company and the industry, and how disruption opens the way for building from a sustainable platform. Along with additional material from Kerrie Field, Director Education and Partnerships, students of MM200 worked to complete an analysis of sustainability within OzMedicann Group for their assessment task.

Staff and friends of the university joined our MM200 students for this unique public lecture including startup stories about innovating in the medicinal cannabis space, legal considerations of the cannabis plant’s history and continued advocacy, the impact on health and medical sectors and implications and opportunities as an agricultural industry.