Full Name
Leah Heise
Job Title
CSO
Company
NHC Commercial
Speaker Bio
Leah Heise is an executive, regulatory attorney, and nationally recognized thought leader specializing in highly regulated and emerging industries. Best known for her pioneering work in cannabis, Leah has spent more than a decade helping scale companies, navigate complex regulatory environments, and build operational infrastructure in rapidly evolving markets.
Leah currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer of NHC Commercial, an AI-driven agricultural technology company focused on advancing cultivation intelligence, environmental controls, automation, and scalable infrastructure for cannabis and broader agricultural markets. In her role, she helps lead strategic growth, partnerships, regulatory positioning, and commercialization initiatives at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and data systems.
A seasoned C-suite executive, Leah has also held leadership positions at Ascend Wellness Holdings (Chief Administrative Officer), Women Grow (Chief Executive Officer), and 4Front Ventures (CXO/Chief Compliance Officer). She has successfully guided multiple companies through acquisition and IPO, including one transaction that delivered more than a 10x return for investors.
At Ascend Wellness Holdings, Leah helped lead a period of hypergrowth, scaling the organization from 73 employees to more than 1,300 in under 18 months while supporting the company’s growth from $19 million in revenue to a $1.6 billion market capitalization at IPO.
Leah is a sought-after speaker on regulatory strategy, scaling infrastructure, AI and agricultural technology, compliance, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, and operational risk in emerging industries including cannabis, hemp, psychedelics, and intoxicating beverages. She has appeared at major conferences including SXSW, MJBizCon, MJ Unpacked, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, IgniteIt, and NECANN.
She is also the Founder & CEO of Gemini Twin Consulting, Chairman of the International Cannabis Quality Standards Association, and serves on multiple industry and advisory boards.
Leah currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer of NHC Commercial, an AI-driven agricultural technology company focused on advancing cultivation intelligence, environmental controls, automation, and scalable infrastructure for cannabis and broader agricultural markets. In her role, she helps lead strategic growth, partnerships, regulatory positioning, and commercialization initiatives at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and data systems.
A seasoned C-suite executive, Leah has also held leadership positions at Ascend Wellness Holdings (Chief Administrative Officer), Women Grow (Chief Executive Officer), and 4Front Ventures (CXO/Chief Compliance Officer). She has successfully guided multiple companies through acquisition and IPO, including one transaction that delivered more than a 10x return for investors.
At Ascend Wellness Holdings, Leah helped lead a period of hypergrowth, scaling the organization from 73 employees to more than 1,300 in under 18 months while supporting the company’s growth from $19 million in revenue to a $1.6 billion market capitalization at IPO.
Leah is a sought-after speaker on regulatory strategy, scaling infrastructure, AI and agricultural technology, compliance, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, and operational risk in emerging industries including cannabis, hemp, psychedelics, and intoxicating beverages. She has appeared at major conferences including SXSW, MJBizCon, MJ Unpacked, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, IgniteIt, and NECANN.
She is also the Founder & CEO of Gemini Twin Consulting, Chairman of the International Cannabis Quality Standards Association, and serves on multiple industry and advisory boards.
