Narmin Jarrous

Narmin Jarrous holds the title of chief development officer at Exclusive Brands, but that doesn’t really do justice to the scope of her responsibilities at the Michigan-based company.

“I tend to thrive under pressure,” she says.

Jarrous handles licensing and compliance for the company’s four retail locations, its cultivation and processing facility in Ann Arbor and its outdoor farm in Arlington. She’s involved in product development. She works closely with the state on its social equity program.

She also founded Neno’s Naturals, a cannabis brand that operates under the Exclusive umbrella (with CBD products that are sold nationwide and THC products that are available in Michigan cannabis shops).

And she’s the executive director of the Cannabis Business Association of Michigan, a nonprofit lobbying group.

“I wear a lot of hats,” she says, “but you do what you’ve got to do to make sure a company succeeds.”

With her role in compliance, Jarrous says she has to be involved in almost all aspects of the company. For example, Michigan’s regulations require all marketing materials and standard operating procedures to be approved by the state.

“If I didn’t have a hand in every department, we’re going to have compliance problems down the line,” she says. “One bad mess up — and it can just be a simple human error — and you can have your license taken away.”