SmartKem, Inc. announced the appointment of Melisa A. Denis to the SmartKem Board of Directors, effective November 21, 2023. Ms. Denis will serve as the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board, a member of the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Ms. Denis has served as a member of the audit committee and mergers and acquisitions committee of the board of directors of Hydrofarm Holdings Group, Inc. since November 20, 2020.

Ms. Denis previously served as a partner at KPMG from 1998 to October 2020, including as National Tax Leader for Consumer Goods and as the leader of the Consumer and Industrial Market for Dallas. Ms. Denis has served as a member of the Board of Regents and chair of the audit committee for the University of North Texas System since January 2020, an advisory board member of Women Corporate Directors since 2011, and a board member of Enactus, a global non-profit, since 2019. Ms. Denis is a Certified Public Accountant and received her degree in accounting and her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of North Texas.

Ms. Denis was appointed to the Board to fill a vacancy created by the resignation, effective November 21, 2023, of Barbra M. Keck as a member of the Board. Ms. Keck will continue to serve as SmartKem's Chief Financial Officer.