our team

We’re committed to excellence, and have built an all-star team to deliver on that promise.

our team.

Ben Hamburger

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Ben began his career at P&G before moving to KPMG and working in M&A and then Strategy Consulting. Most recently Ben was a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group and is a member of the Association of Chartered Accountants. Read more…

Arjun Rajyagor

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Arjun began his career at Goldman Sachs as a Technical Analyst, covering the full technology stack. Arjun was a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in the Technology Advantage team, focused on Digital Ops and Automation.

Elin Kikano

Marketing Manager

Elin has 15 years of marketing experience in the UK beauty industry, working mainly within distribution. Most recently Elin was working at LVMH and before that SAS & Company, one of the largest independent distributors of fragrance in the UK.

Katie Benson

National Account Manager

Katie has 20 years’ experience within retail management and the beauty industry starting her retail management career within Debenhams and moving on to become the UK/ROI Country Manager for Too Faced Cosmetics.

Paul Saayman

General Manager

Paul has 20 years of experience within Health and Beauty distribution working with high street retailers and brand partners. Most recently Paul was Commercial Director for Revlon’s brands distribution business and before that SAS & Company, one of the largest independent distributors of fragrance in the UK.

Danielle Merry

Digital Marketing Manager

Danielle has 6 years of marketing experience in the food & drink industry, specialising in digital marketing and eCommerce in fast growth start ups. Most recently Danielle was working at FUEL10K and before that The Bottle Club, the fastest growing online alcohol retailer in the UK.

Johnny Ng

Management Accountant

Johnny has 20 years of experience in financial management and ERP system project management.

Johnny is a chartered accountant and certified information systems auditor.

Reuben Wiredu

Operations Apprentice

Reuben started off as an office apprentice at his Uncle’s company. Later on, after college, Reuben became the social media admin at Equi-Vision Services Ltd.

our advisors.

Joel Palix

Chairman

Over three decades of experience in beauty, across multiple brands from Yves Saint-Laurent to MD for Thierry Mugler & CEO of Clarins Fragrance Group. Most recently, Joel was CEO of Feelunique, which he grew into one of the world’s largest e-tailers. Joel holds a BA from ESCP and an MBA from INSEAD. Read more…

George McBride

Advisor

George is a commercial barrister turned cannabis reform advocate and industry consultant. He co-founded Cannabis Europa, Hanway Associates and First Wednesdays.

Hanway Associates is a strategic consultancy which specialises in growth strategies, market access, product launches, operational excellence, business development and strategic partnerships in the nascent cannabis sector.

Jonathan Douek

Co-Founder

Jonathan began his career as a former banker at Edmond de Rothschild and eventually moved into Real Estate Project Management, for a number of large international companies in Europe and the US.

Jonathan has over 7 years’ worth of entrepreneurial experience establishing turnkey innovative technological solution platforms and investments, in India and South Africa among others.

BEN HAMBURGER

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Wellness and well-being - both physical and mental - are topics very dear to the heart of Ben Hamburger, Managing Director at Sana Life Science. After a career that began in the intense world of M&A Advisory, Ben has seen more than one co-worker suffer, “I’ve heard colleagues describe that industry as one of the most miserable ways to earn a living. And life is too short not to wake up looking forward to the day ahead.” Describing himself as having an entrepreneurial spirit ‘since forever’, Ben founded Sana Lifestyle to help consumers more knowledgably navigate the sometimes complex world of Cannabidiol (CBD).

Part of Sana Life Science, Sana Lifestyle is now a leading wellness CBD and cannabis product distributor, offering a wide-range of trusted brands in this emerging sector to retailers across the region. Sana’s mission is to offer a full-service solution from manufacturing through regulation management and all the way to the point of purchase.

CBD is a category that many consumers have heard of but can occasionally become wary of entering, lacking both knowledge and trust. Sana Lifestyle is set to relieve that confusion and build consumer trust. “Although we are in the early stages of CBD as a category”, says Ben. “its contribution to the overall consumer wellness debate of the past few years has been hugely significant. We see more and more consumers including CBD as part of their core lifestyle-wellness routine, and it is crucial that brands support customers on that journey.”

Sana Lifestyle understands that there is scope for consumers to feel overwhelmed by regulation, specification and the sheer quantity of brands. “We want to help shoppers and retailersalike. At Sana Lifestyle, we have created a distribution model which removes all of this complexity. The brands in our portfolio have been audited, stringently tested and been appropriately certified – which not every product available in the UK today can say.”

As part of building the business, Ben has brought together a senior leadership team with experience across multiple disciplines and categories. “We know wellness is very closely linked with health & beauty, so we know that market intimately. We appreciate that technology is crucial to our success, so we have best-in-class infrastructure behind us to make sure that we can deliver the right products to customers every single time. We know CBD, we understand the opportunity – and we are working in partnership with our key customers to help them maximise the category in-store and with shoppers.”

Maximising trust in and simplifying the benefits of the CBD category is also critical. “Consumers are smarter today than they have ever been – they have done their own research and often dived deep into the CBD world online. When they are ready to purchase, our goal is to provide retailers with a range that meets every consumer need and that retailers can trust to be tested, regulated and certified by the appropriate bodies. The Sana family of brands are both reputable and committed to the future of the category, and we want to take our retail partners along on the journey with us.”

There is a lot to understand and to those who say there is too much information out there, Ben has a very simple message, “Some commentators say CBD is too complex, but we actually welcome regulation. We want every CBD product to be comprehensively tested and confirmed, because we know our brands have already done that. We believe that more regulation is actually fundamental to the success of the category going forward.”

Looking ahead it is clear that Ben’s long-term vision, and passionate belief in the potential of CBD to help a wide range of consumers, will drive Sana Lifestyle on to greater success, “We love this space”, concludes Ben. “Taking responsibility for your personal wellness is increasingly important to consumers, and we truly believe our mission is to help people do that responsibly, safely and conveniently.”

ARJUN RAJYAGOR

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Where most people would focus on the doors opened through high-profile early success, Arjun Rajyagor is calmly succinct regarding how others see his teenage win of BBC’s Junior Apprentice programme. “Simply put,” he says, “it raises expectations.”

Those expectations have not only been met but exceeded in a career which has seen Arjun rise through the ranks at Goldman Sachs, as well as founding and driving more than one successful independent enterprise of his own. Watching his parents move forward with their own business inspired Arjun from an early age. His early fascination with technology was invaluable in setting up his own computer repair business initially, but latterly this thrill of the new and technical inquisitiveness allowed Arjun the creative space required to create efficient, effective logistics systems from scratch. Automating his way around problem solving was one of the chief attractions that saw Arjun join Sana Life Science as Chief Operating Officer.

Part of Sana Life Science, Sana Lifestyle is Europe’s premier wellness CBD and cannabis product distributor, offering a wide-range of trusted brands in this emerging sector to retailers across the region. Sana’s mission is to offer a full-service solution from manufacturing through regulation management and all the way to the point of purchase. It’s not a simple channel to navigate which is where Arjun’s ability to grasp and interrogate intricate detail has been invaluable.

Working closely with the rest of the team, Arjun has helped build the technical side of the business from the ground up, overcoming many of the classic issues encountered across the FMCG supply chain. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a market undergoing a huge shift currently, but the team at Sana Lifestyle is determined to offer products in line with all current regulation and which consumers trust. “Experts are the key,” says Arjun. “Everyone just wants into this market currently, but it’s essential to work as transparently as possible to build that trust. Of course, there are challenges, but like any business I’ve worked in its about breaking down the problem and then identifying the core components of those creative solutions.”

One of the challenges of opening up any new category is managing the rules effectively – and it’s put many off, but not Arjun. “We like regulation, in fact, we welcome it. Anything that helps us to highlight the positive attributes of our brands – and to make sure that every CBD product on UK shelves has been tested rigorously – is a good thing.”

It’s a good job that Arjun thrives on detail. The CBD category is not only complex and high regulated, it also has the added complexity of falling under the EU Novel Foods status. As the resident expert in Novel Foods and what that means for the category, Arjun sees a dynamic future for this remarkable category. “ Today this is one of the busiest categories in the world. As we see regulation kick in across Europe and around the world, we are sure to see a contraction of brands, but not of innovation. This means that for those who stay the course, the rewards can be significant. We work with the most dynamic brands across this industry. They are the most trusted and they will be at the forefront of innovation. At Sana Life Science, we apply the same rigour to all our process so that our customers can trust that we will deliver what we say on time, every time.

With experience across technology and banking combined with boundless passion and enthusiasm, Arjun is committed to making Sana Lifestyle the best in the business when it comes to the business of CBD. As he concludes himself “CBD is a huge opportunity which hasn’t really had a technological approach taken to it – until now! It’s the right category, at the right time and we’re confident of success.”

JOEL PALIX

CHAIRMAN

After more than 30 years in the health & beauty business, you would think that Joel Palix would have seen pretty much everything, but not so. The emerging excitement around plant-based wellness is truly innovative, and perhaps, more importantly, genuinely consumer driven. “Ten years ago,” says Joel, “consumers were satisfied with celebrity endorsements and big brands names. Today, consumers are doing their own research and actively listening to the positive real-life experiences of people just like them.”

It is this organic development that has highlighted the Cannabidiol (CBD) market as the leading growth category for wellness in the coming years. It is also this once in a generation level of excitement that has motivated Joel to join the senior leadership team at Sana Lifestyle. Part of Sana Life Science, Sana Lifestyle is Europe’s premier wellness CBD and cannabis product distributor, offering a wide-range of trusted brands in this emerging sector to retailers across the region. Sana’s mission is to offer a full-service solution from manufacturing through regulation management and all the way to the point of purchase.

During a career spent leading some of the beauty world’s most revered brands, including Yves Saint Lorent and Clarins, Joel has in-depth experience of what makes beauty consumers tick. “It’s very much about ‘connecting the dots’ for consumers,” says Joel. “there is a lot of technical information out there on CBD as a category and this can occasionally confuse or even mislead consumers, and we want to simplify that flow of content. There is a very real appetite for the right brands to reach those consumers and we are committed to creating trust with our shoppers. They can be sure that the brands available from Sana are brands that have the best interests of the consumer at heart, and brands which are in the market for the long haul – not a fast buck!”

“Beauty is one of the most fast-moving markets in the world, and in the last 18 months –perhaps even more so in 2020 – we’ve seen ‘Beauty’ become replaced by ‘Wellness’. That’s what make this such an exciting category and why the CBD revolution is so energising to be a part of.”

The core attraction of Sana to Joel was the depth of experience on the leadership team, as well as the fact that the brands available were some of the best-established, and respected across the global CBD market. “Natural sources are ever more important in this category. Consumers understand that natural is better, and of course, their overall personal wellness footprint is becoming central to the lives of more and more consumers. They want inside beauty as much as beauty on the outside”

It’s not a category without its challenges though. It can be complex to navigate the regulations and Sana is committed to doing lots of the work for shoppers, so that a product sourced from Sana, is one that comes with a bond of trust and reassurance. “Some businesses can offer consumers choice, but at Sana Lifestyle we want to help our customers make well educated choices. When our partners and customers, come to Sana they will understand that they can trust us to deliver every single time they interact with us.”

In short, after a career focused on looking great, this next chapter is about helping promote brands and productsthat make consumers feel good on the inside too. Joel sums up his task simply, “Making CBD simple, understandable, accessible and trustworthy is critical – we have the opportunity to do the hard work for consumers. Sana will focus on the detail, the regulation and the technical aspect, leaving consumer free to make the best choice for them and focus on their own wellness.”