George Scorsis

Early life

George Scorsis earned his bachelor’s degree in Administrative Studies from York University before earning an MBA from Queen’s University. George saw the value of hard work throughout his formative years as part of a close-knit immigrant community. He feels deeply connected to his roots and family from childhood visits to see family in Rhodes, Greece. Now, he rides motorcycles as an adult on the very same roads where he played as a child. He loves visiting the countryside on two wheels, enjoying the scenery and good-natured interactions with locals.

Career

George Scorsis is a former Florida executive based out of Toronto, with much of his experience lying in a number of highly regulated industries including energy drinks, alcohol, medical cannabis, and medical psychedelics. His experience provided him with a unique skill set that would serve him in the multitude of positions he has held over the years. He has been able to successfully scale up multiple businesses despite stringent regulatory conditions. Throughout the course of his career, George Scorsis has held many leadership positions, including the Managing Director of Red Bull Canada, Executive Chairman of Starseed, Director of PlantFuel, Chairman of Tassili Life Sciences, Chairman of Awakn Life Sciences, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Scythian Biosciences Corp.

Between 2012 to 2016, George was on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Beverage Association, branching from his experience from his executive career with Bacardi Canada, a beverage distribution company, and Red Bull Canada, a leading distributor of the popular energy drink, Red Bull. Scorsis would play an instrumental role in not only aiding to restructure the organisation but also in growing its business to over $150 million in revenue. In his early career, he also worked closely with Health Canada, (the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national health policy), where he helped develop and regulate guidelines for the energy drink market.

In an interview, Scorsis had this to say about working in a heavily regulated industry:

“Working within a regulated environment oftentimes feels complicated and the barriers to entry are extremely restrictive. This ultimately is the opportunity and the white space that will allow you to develop a business model that many others will not enter. You need to view the regulator as your partner, and you assist by being the subject matter expert to help aid in the development of sensible policy. The development of a common sense policy that protects the patient and consumer while allowing commerce is when both parties win. Whether it is cannabis, alcohol, or energy drinks, this model has proven to be successful… always treat them as your partner.”

Recently, Scorsis has turned his interest to business opportunities within the clinical applications of psychedelics as well as plant-based medicines. He is a known believer in the power of psychedelics paired with proper treatment, holding the opinion that they offer possibilities as effective alternative medical treatments.

George previously served as the Chairman of Tassili Life Sciences Corp., which led groundbreaking studies of the use of psilocybin+CBD treatments for Post-Concussion Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Recently, Scorsis has joined as a member of the board of directors of PlantFuel, a plant-based wellness company.

Beyond his career, Scorsis has been actively involved in philanthropy, particularly in his Toronto community. He has contributed greatly to the improvement of his community and has supported a number of organisations within the country.

Notably, Scorsis spearheaded a food drive to help The Agincourt Food Bank in Scarborough, Ontario. Agincourt, at the time, was experiencing a decrease in donations while requests for food continued to skyrocket in the community. Historically, the organisation experiences a surge in demand during the summer months, depleting their supplies. Scorsis heeded their call for help and rallied local business executives who were local to the Scarborough area to organise truckloads of food to be dropped off at Agincourt Food Bank, while raising awareness for more people to donate to the cause.

Many of the donors who stepped forward spoke of fond memories of growing up in the area, noting its diversity. Scorsis said:

“Scarborough was our safe haven and a place that we’re proud to be part of but also at the core of who we are today. Although many of us have moved away, and times have changed, Scarborough still has a special place in my heart and it was shocking for me to see the challenges that the ACSA Food Bank is facing in supporting the local community. Agincourt Food Bank is in dire need of our support and I am encouraging the community to pitch in and do as much as they can to fill the pantry with much-needed food and supplies.”

Net Worth

$8 Million

Achievement

• As President of Red Bull Canada, Scorsis was handpicked to lead the start-up to build the Canadian brand presence and business infrastructure for the innovative new beverage, steering the entity through rapid growth from 0 to 110 employees, 0 to 5.9 million cases per annum, and capturing 44% market share with 30% YOY profit and 13% YOY revenue growth.
• President of Mettrum Health Sciences sold to Canopy for $432 MM.
• Tassili Life Sciences, of which George Scorsis is founder and chairman, was sold to Champignon Brands.
• Founder of AWAKN Life Sciences, a revenue-generating biotechnology company researching, developing, and commercializing therapeutics to treat addiction with a near-term focus on Alcohol Use Disorder.