People to know in NY cannabis: Niriksha Kannan

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Niriksha Kannan is the director of people & social impact at LeafLink, a wholesale cannabis marketplace. She answered eight simple questions for NY Cannabis Insider’s ‘People to know’ series.

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What is your position and what do you/your company do in the cannabis space?

I am the Director of People & Social Impact at LeafLink and we’re the largest wholesale cannabis marketplace. We bring together people that make/grow cannabis products with people that sell cannabis products, making it easier to stock the shelves with the latest and greatest and gain insights to track what is working well for their business.

At LeafLink, I lead the People team and that includes everything from employee engagement, our benefits program, talent acquisition to social equity work, DEI and so much more!

How long have you worked in the cannabis space?

I’ve worked in cannabis for two wild years!

What did you do before you were involved in the cannabis industry?

Prior to being in the cannabis industry, I specialized in corporate social responsibility and DEI for larger companies. I’m passionate about social impact and have had experience in creating meaningful employee engagement programs and strategic corporate grantmaking.

What led you to the cannabis industry?

My care for community is ultimately what led me to this industry. Having a background in social impact and CSR, I’ve always found it important to find ways to create shared value and empower employee bases to not only do good business, but to do good for themselves and for the community.

While this can sometimes be viewed as at odds with another, I’ve found that on an individual level, everyone can connect on the desire to make meaningful impact. Finding purpose at work is good for everyone – it’s good for the employee and it’s good for the trajectory of a business.

What really called to me about the cannabis industry is the potential we have to design the future of an industry, versus trying to disrupt an already well-established system. In this industry, we have a responsibility to answer to the wrongs and injustices that have been done to the Black and brown communities, and it’s truly impossible to have a conversation about how the industry will grow without making space for that.

While we have a long way to go, and the past year or two have certainly been challenging, we have a really great opportunity and that is something that really centers me on why we do this work.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the NY weed industry?

NY cannabis is both rewarding and challenging. The top things I’ve learned are:

1) To be successful in cannabis, in truly any market – not just NY – you need to be ready to hustle. It is a nonstop commitment and you need to come into this ready to do the work and have tough conversations. I’ve heard it said before by many – it takes grit to be in this industry and it is not for the faint of heart.

2) Community is everything here, especially in NY. It’s a small industry that knows each other well. Go to those NY events, meet other people in the space, and get involved. Be genuine, be a force for good, and make connections with the people you see who are doing and saying the things that speak to you.

3) Be ready for anything. Cannabis is a wild industry and you really never know what each day is going to bring. This job has taught me the importance of being flexible and agile, and always being open to the new and potentially messy. That’s where the growth happens! Being in cannabis has felt like a career accelerator for me personally. I’ve never learned more and never been pushed more to think creatively and be true to myself.

4) Always hold onto your “why.” Especially in the past year, I’ve had to remind myself that there is a future in this industry that is so bright and equitable. We just have to do the work to get there and stay centered, even if things don’t always go our way. And trust me – if you talk to any operator or cannabis-related business, they often have not in the past year! I have a post-it on my desk that rings true for both my professional and personal life: “Progress isn’t linear.” But we got this.

What do you think the NY cannabis ecosystem will look like in five years?

The future of cannabis will be digital and efficient; it will be profitable and it will be equitable. It will still be the unique industry we love – built on community care and innovative solutions. NY had a challenging start, but in five years, the ecosystem should be in full swing with businesses running at full capacity.

There are a lot of inspiring voices out there that give me hope for NY to set the standard we’ve hoped for. Five years is a long time in cannabis and I would imagine we see solutions for a lot of hurdles we are facing today like banking that will truly enable operators to achieve.

Do you use cannabis? If so, what’s your favorite method and why?

Love me some flower and edibles! I’m interested in learning more about topicals. I have to admit, cannabis use is such an interesting topic for me to cover in a public forum as a first-generation Indian-American with family who immigrated here.

While the plant itself is derived from Asia and is deeply rooted in the history of Indian culture and religion and especially homeopathic plant medicine, the use of it present day still feels highly stigmatized (not just in Asia, but here too). I’m working on getting more comfortable with those personal conversations but I’ve seen that the stigma and fear of judgment comes up quite frequently in the Asian diaspora.

Who should contact you, and what’s the best method?

Connect with me on LinkedIn!