DENVER – MJBiz Chief Executive Officer Chris Walsh, who has been with the company since its founding in 2011, will depart in January, MJBiz announced Friday.
Walsh indicated he will take some time off before seeking new opportunities.
As founding editor, Walsh developed the content strategy and direction for the website Marijuana Business Daily (now MJBizDaily), one of the first media outlets aimed at industry professionals. He also oversaw the development and publication of the print trade journal Marijuana Business Magazine (now MJBiz Magazine), the annual data guide Marijuana Business Factbook (now MJBiz Factbook), and the HempIndustryDaily.com website.
Walsh was named president of MJBiz in early 2019 and became CEO January 1, 2020, after co-founder Cassandra Farrington stepped down. As the chief executive, he has been responsible for day-to-day management and strategic initiatives not only for the publishing end of the business, but also for the annual trade show MJBizCon — which he helped develop, according to the company — and the annual scientific symposium The Emerald Conference (after MJBiz acquired the venture in 2021). He remained in the role even after business-to-business event producer and media platform Emerald Holding Inc. acquired MJBiz in January 2022 for $120 million (more than four times MJBiz’s 2021 revenues and nearly half Emerald’s current market cap).
Prior to joining MJBiz, Walsh served as senior business editor for the South Korean English-language newspaper JoongAng Daily. He worked as a business reporter for the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Springs Gazette and interned at The New York Times. He holds a Master of Business Administration in international business from Regis University in Denver.
MJBiz has not announced a successor for Walsh but said Chief Content Strategy Officer Pam Moore and Chief Revenue and Experience Officer Jess Tyler, both recently promoted from vice president positions, “will continue in their leadership roles at the company.”