Phivida Appoints New Chairman of Advisory Board

Former COO of Seagram's Int. Bringing 40+ Years of Global Beverage Sector Experience

VANCOUVER, Dec. 28, 2017 /CNW/ - Phivida Holdings Inc. ("The Company" or "Phivida") has appointed veteran food and beverage executive Mr. Jon David Silverman as the Chairman of the Phivida Advisory Board. 

Mr. Silverman joins Phivida with forty plus years of experience building major beverage brands and maximizing shareholder value. As an experienced senior executive in the global food and beverage sector, Mr. Silverman has proven success in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, operations as well as marketing and distribution.

Mr. Silverman has served on the board of directors and executive of major multinational beverage corporations.

Mr. Silverman is the former Executive Vice President of Seagram's global emerging markets division where he oversaw the growth of Seagram's International Inc. Mr. Silverman was also a long-term strategic advisor at John Labatt Ltd. where he concentrated on optimization of operations and corporate structure. John Labatt was later sold to Interbrew Belgium in 1995, which later merged with AmBev to form InBev in 2004. Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) later consolidated with SABMiller in 2016, in a merger valued at over US $100 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is now the largest alcohol based beverage brand manufacturing and marketing company in the world and is publicly traded as "BUD" on the New York Stock Exchange.

Mr. Silverman also served as a member of the Executive Committee of Bavaria Colombia with leading brands in their respective markets across Latin America. Mr. Silverman simultaneously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Bavaria Colombia Inc. Mr. Silverman planned and led the reorganization and restructuring and streamlining Bavaria thereby significantly increasing annual EBITDA, on efficiency.

During his tenure as EVP/COO at Bavaria, Jon and his operations team led the increase of per capita consumption of core beverage products, while maintaining in-market share of core brands - in excess of 95%. Bavaria was later sold to SABMiller in 2005 for US $7.8 billion, the largest investment by a foreign buyer in Colombia at that time, and a deal that enabled SAB Miller to become a major player in the Latin American beverage market. Bavaria is a known beer brand, but also marketed non-alcoholic food and beverages, including juices, water, and soft drinks.

Post his tenure at Seagram's and Labatt, Mr. Silverman was focused on building accretive shareholder value through corporate planning and selecting assets for merger and acquisition. Jon's consulting clients have included; Allied Lyons, Scott Paper, PepsiCo., Manufacturers Hanover/Morgan/Chase Bank, Mechanical Plastics, etc.

"We are honoured to have Mr. Silverman help guide our corporate development strategies," said Phivida Chief Executive Officer John David Belfontaine. "Jon's depth of experience and breadth of network makes him the ideal incumbent Chairman of the Phivida Advisory Board. Moreover, Jon shares our passion for getting Phivida branded cannabinoid infusions onto store shelves around the world, and for making a real difference in people's lives."

In a community context, Mr. Silverman served as both Vice Chair and Chairman on the board of directors at United Hospital over a span of fifteen years.  Mr. Silverman was born in Montreal and maintains his Canadian citizenship, and has earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and an MBA from Cornell University.

"I am proud to join the Phivida Advisory Board," said Mr. Silverman. "I was drawn to Phivida because of its high-quality executive and operations teams demonstrating; competence, vision, ethics and drive and passion. Clearly, cannabinoid-infused beverages, foods and supplements provide significant growth opportunity for major alcohol, and non-alcohol related food and beverage companies. Growing brands like Phivida are nimble in this burgeoning space, and are built to innovate quickly and efficiently, making Phivida a potential sector catalyst for larger companies looking to develop cannabinoid infused portfolios through collaboration and consolidation."

Phivida has officially listed and is now trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the CSE ticker symbol "VIDA." For investor information please e-mail all requests to [email protected] or via the contact details below.

About Phivida
Phivida ["fiii-vee-daa"] is a publicly traded company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol "VIDA" and in the United States as "PHVAF". Phivida is a premiere brand of cannabidiol ("CBD") infused functional foods, beverages and clinical health products, poised for global distribution.

Using nanoencapsulation technology, Phivida converts lipid based cannabinoids into water soluble delivery format, enhancing bioavailability, and timed released within the body. Phivida's nanoencapsulated CBD is infused into CBD beverages, foods and supplements containing a proprietary blend of phytonutraceuticals studied to target a range of health conditions, from chronic pain to terminal diseases.

Phivida Nutrition (a wholly owned subsidiary of Phivida Holdings Inc.), is the cannabinoid infused functional foods and beverage division sold under the brand name "Phivida". The Phivida label cannabinoid infused beverage products target daily preventative health and enhanced performance, and include; CBD-Iced Teas, CBD Vitamin Juices and Shots, and CBD-Vegan Nutritional Shakes with up to 25mg of CBD in every bottle.

Celebrating; Health and Wellness, In Harmony™, Phivida's mission is to lead the alternative health care sector as the benchmark quality standard in premium cannabinoid infused foods, beverages and clinical products, with a dedicated to research, education and investing back into communities that we so proudly serve.

SOURCE Phivida Holdings Inc.

For investor information please e-mail all requests to [email protected] or via the contact details below. Website, www.phivida.com, Toll free: [phone] (ext. #2), E-mail: [email protected]