Traditionally speaking, most accountants don’t spend their time providing resources, funding and job opportunities for individuals in the industry, but Simone Cimiluca-Radzins, is far from a typical CPA. Having returned to the U.S. in 2014 after working in international consulting and finance in Europe, she was “amazed to discover the new, burgeoning industry called cannabis.” She knew instantly that she had to be a part of the revolution.
“I quickly started researching cannabis and CPA jobs and was able to find a role working with a growing CPA company,” she says. “There I discovered the inequities of 280E, the complexities of the cannabis supply chain and the grit of the cannabis industry. I was hooked and never looked back.”
From consulting to speaking at events and even launching her own podcast, Cannabis Business Minds, Cimiluca-Radzins has found quite a few niches in the industry. But her foremost passion is providing equal opportunities to women through several avenues, including finance bootcamps, the Cannabis Women’s Empowerment Summit and Kadin’s List, her online platform where women can connect, share resources and promote their products.
“As the cannabis and hemp industry continues to grow, we unfortunately do not see the same growth rate in women C-level positions nor in women-funded businesses,” she says. “I just launched Kadin’s List with my co-founder Kyra Reed, a brainchild of the work we both had been doing for women and community building. I am beyond excited to see how we will help women reach their career and professional goals through community, technology and empowerment.”