LeafLink, a cannabis wholesale platform, today announced the appointment of Ashwin Raj as Chief Executive Officer. This planned leadership transition underscores LeafLink's commitment to growth and innovation: delivering greater value to customers and setting a new bar for how technology can power the cannabis industry's next era.
"Joining LeafLink is more than an opportunity, it's a chance to help shape the future of a rapidly growing industry," said Ashwin Raj, CEO of LeafLink. "I'm inspired by LeafLink's role as a cornerstone of cannabis commerce, and we're only beginning to unlock what's possible. Our commitment is to listen to customers, understand their needs, and deliver solutions that truly help them thrive."
Ashwin brings a wealth of experience from some of the world's most influential technology and commerce platforms. As CEO of ezCater, he led the company's rapid expansion into a category-defining enterprise food platform. At Lyft, he served as EVP and Head of Ridesharing, where he played a pivotal role in steering the company through its IPO, navigating the challenges of the pandemic, and achieving profitability. Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions at Amazon, where he led third-party seller services for Amazon Pay, and at Visa, where he helped spearhead the company's growth into mobile payments and digital financial services.
In his new role, Ashwin will guide the next phase of LeafLink's product strategy, advancing the company's mission to empower cannabis operators, brands, and retailers through a trusted marketplace, innovative technology, and integrated financial solutions. By building reliable, interoperable infrastructure for the legal cannabis economy, LeafLink aims to expand access to modern commerce and financial tools for licensed operators and retailers, raise the standards for performance, compliance, and transparency across the supply chain; and help the industry scale sustainably by creating jobs, driving tax revenues, and supporting equitable growth as markets mature.
"The cannabis industry deserves the same quality of tools and infrastructure as any modern sector," said Artie Minson, former CEO of LeafLink. "Under Ashwin's leadership, LeafLink will continue our partnership with customers, regulators, and financial institutions to deliver solutions that are safe, compliant, and transformational."
As a regulated and fast-evolving market, cannabis requires purpose-built infrastructure that keeps pace with the industry's sophistication. LeafLink will continue to invest in:
- A world-class marketplace that connects licensed brands and retailers with the scale, transparency, and efficiency modern operators expect.
- Integrated financial solutions that help businesses move faster, from compliant payments and credit facilitation to streamlined reconciliation.
- Advanced technology and data that enable smarter forecasting, inventory optimization, and operational excellence across state lines and regulatory frameworks.
"With Ashwin's leadership, LeafLink is poised to deepen its role as the connective tissue of cannabis commerce," said Ian Loizeaux, LeafLink's Board Member. "His track record scaling technology platforms, building trusted marketplaces, and delivering customer-driven innovation will accelerate LeafLink's impact on the cannabis ecosystem."
