DESIGNING OUR ECONOMIES INDIGENOMICS BY DESIGN SPEAKERS

JOSH GEISBRECHT

PRESIDENT, EXCHANGE PPE

Josh Giesbrecht is from Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in Treaty 1 Territory and he is the co-founder of Exchange PPE and serves as the company's president. 
 
Before the launch of Exchange PPE at the end of May 2020, Josh's focus was within the Sovereign Cannabis Industry where from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory he ran a CBD extracts brokerage firm. His career within the cannabis industry began in 2017 when he worked on the National Access Cannabis recreational retail deal with Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, and Long Plain First Nation. Through this experience from 2017 and 2018 he saw first hand how the Health Canada cannabis regulated market did not make any room for real Indigenous participation and thus began his journey into the Sovereign Cannabis market in Akwesasne and Tyendinaga in 2019. Josh also helped establish the Cannabis 101 course through the School of Indigenous Education (SIE) at Red River College in 2018 along with Rebecca Chartrand, the past Executive Director of SIE. 
 
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur in 2019, Josh had a decade long career in politics. His most notable work was in the following areas of government, Indigenous & Northern Affairs Canada, Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, Indigenous & Northern Relations Manitoba, and the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO). He has been a part of political campaigns in the 2008 Federal Election, 2011 Federal Election, 2016 Manitoba Provincial Election, 2017 Grand Chief Election at SCO, and the 2018 Norway House Cree Nation Election. He is no longer politically active and his political party affiliation is Independent and his political ideology is Sovereigntist Capitalism.  
 
Josh earned a Joint Honours Degree in Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Ottawa in 2015. He splits his time between Treaty 1 Territory and Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.