Managing Director – UK (Medical Cannabis Importing / Distribution)
Location: Hybrid – Once a week visits to the Office located in Warwickshire
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Proven experience in the UK medical cannabis industry is required. You will not be considered otherwise. Please only apply if you have experiance with Medical Cannabis in the UK Market.
The Company
My client is a well-established, family-owned pharmaceutical generics company that’s been operating in the UK for over 27 years. Founded by a seasoned pharma entrepreneur — one of the early pioneers in the UK’s parallel import sector — the company has built a trusted reputation for importing generic pharmaceuticals from CMOs around the world and distributing them across the UK.
Today, the business is run by the founder and his two sons, combining over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical operations, licensing, and distribution, and a track record in importing, storing and distributing medicines. Over the last 25 years, they’ve developed a complete pharmaceutical infrastructure — including WDA licences, RP and QP, warehousing, and full regulatory and quality oversight.
The company previously employed over 35 staff at its peak within the generics division, but as part of a strategic shift to move away from generics and into new growth areas the business has now streamlined to a core team of around 15 experienced professionals across regulatory affairs, quality, operations, and warehousing. This leaner structure allows them to remain agile as they explore new areas within pharmaceuticals, while still benefiting from a fully functioning pharmaceutical infrastructure and technical capabilities.
Now, after nearly three decades in traditional pharma, the company is making a bold strategic pivot into medical cannabis importing/distribution — one of the UK’s most exciting and fast-growing healthcare sectors. In simple terms, they will source medical cannabis products from all around the world, import them into the UK, and then distribute them across the Private Medical Cannabis market. (Pharmacies, Wholesalers and clinics) Backed by the sale of their generic licenses, they’re reinvesting in the Medical Cannabis Industry with full infrastructure, funding, and operational readiness.
With the infrastructure, systems, leadership team, and compliance already in place, this is not a start-from-scratch operation. It’s a fully operational pharmaceutical business— simply shifting focus to a new, high-growth product category.
Unlike many other UK Medical Cannabis importers, my client plans to operate as a fully independent distributor — with no ownership ties to clinics or cultivation partners. They believe this is the most ethical model for patient care, allowing them to stay product-agnostic and respond to real market and patient demand — not internal commercial pressure. Their focus is on sourcing the best possible medicines from the global market, without being locked into a single brand, clinic, or supplier. To help them on this journey and to kick start this new unit they’re hiring a Managing Director to help build, lead and scale their new Medical Cannabis Business Unit. This new unit will leverage the company’s existing infrastructure, licences, and technical resources, but the Managing Director will be responsible for building a dedicated team specifically for the cannabis arm.
One thing to note — this isn’t your typical large corporate pharma business. It’s a family-run small business with strong values, no internal politics, and a genuine focus on helping people. The company was founded over 25 years ago with that mission in mind — and it still drives everything they do today.
The Opportunity
As Managing Director, you’ll be the commercial & operational lead responsible for launching and scaling the company’s new medical cannabis distribution business in the UK.
This is a broad, hands-on leadership role. You’ll shape the go-to-market strategy, define the product roadmap, build supplier relationships, unlock prescriber access, and drive long-term growth. You’ll work closely with the founding team — but have full autonomy to build and execute the UK strategy from day one.
The client is looking for someone with deep knowledge of the medical cannabis space — someone who understands the market’s nuances, regulatory complexity, and commercial dynamics. While the business has decades of pharmaceutical experience, medical cannabis is a new area for them, and they’re looking for a leader who can confidently guide that transition. A big part of your role will be to help create the strategy, but we are looking for people who are also happy to help execute on the strategy in the early days and slowly become more hands off as the team grows around you.
You’ll be supported by a well-resourced pharmaceutical leadership team and infrastructure. And while you’ll be building and leading a team around you for the new unit, this is still a hands-on role — one where you’ll be expected to roll up your sleeves and drive the commercial build-out and strategy directly. As a family-run company, culture matters. They’re looking for a personable, collaborative leader with strong communication skills and a people-first mindset — someone who can shape the vision and inspire the team.
This is a rare opportunity to build something from the ground up within the Medical Cannabis industry but be extremely well supported with a lot more resources than other cannabis companies due to being inside an established, well-capitalised pharma business — with operational support, a regulatory foundation, and executive backing already in place.
With license applications already underway, the company is aiming to go live in early 2026 — and is looking to onboard the Managing Director from December 2025 to help shape the pre-launch operational and go-to-market strategy.
Key Responsibilities
* Define and deliver the commercial strategy — own the go-to-market plan, including product selection, pricing, market positioning, and growth targets
* Build the global supplier network — source, evaluate, and secure partnerships with reliable cannabis producers and manufacturers across international markets
* Establish strong market access channels — develop partnerships with UK clinics, pharmacies, prescribers, and wholesalers to drive distribution and brand traction
* Represent the company externally — attend conferences, industry events, and meetings to build brand presence and drive engagement across the ecosystem
* Drive growth and scale the team — take ownership of commercial performance and long-term expansion, including identifying skill gaps and hiring as the business scales
* Operations & Commercial/Financial Decision-Making – In this industry, companies rarely fail due to poor sales — they can fail due to poor operational execution. In this role, you’ll help shape the day-to-day operational strategy for the medical cannabis unit: from sourcing and import processes through to UK distribution. While not a finance role, you’ll also play a key part in making smart commercial decisions — assessing cost, value, and viability when building supplier relationships, evaluating partners, and allocating resources to maximize long-term profitability.
What We’re Looking For
* Proven experience in the UK medical cannabis industry
* Strong network across clinics, pharmacies, wholesalers, and/or prescribers
* Deep understanding of the UK regulatory landscape, medical cannabis supply chains, and product category trends
* Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable building something from scratch within an established business
* Strong commercial & operational acumen — able to combine strategic thinking with day-to-day execution
* Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills
* Experience leading partnerships, building supplier relationships, and launching new product lines
* Ability to hire and build a team around you, and continue to inspire them
Compensation
* Base salary: £80,000 – £120,000 (depending on experience)
* Performance Bonus
* Hybrid flexible working environment
* 30 days holiday + bank holidays
* Private Healthcare
* Car allowance if a lot of travel is required.
Next Steps
If you're looking to take full ownership of a medical cannabis launch — backed by an experienced pharma team, solid funding, licensed infrastructure, and long-term leadership support — this is your chance to build something from the ground up with serious scale potential.
Apply through this site or reach out directly to aj.mishra@luminorecruit.com — happy to share more info or answer any questions.
PS. This isn’t just an exciting role — it’s a signal of where the UK medical cannabis industry is headed. As the space matures, it’s encouraging to see long-established pharmaceutical companies begin to pivot into cannabis. The infrastructure, credibility, and experience they bring can only help the industry grow. This feels like a real landmark moment, especially for the UK market.