Juan Manuel (Jon) Ruiz has joined Poda Lifestyle and Wellness as a strategic advisor.
“We are incredibly excited to have Mr. Ruiz join Poda Lifestyle as a strategic advisor,” said Ryan Selby, CEO of Poda, in a statement. “His extensive industry knowledge and experience from one of the most well-known tobacco companies in the world in Philip Morris will be invaluable as we continue to scale our operations and expand into new jurisdictions.
“Beyond his experience, Mr. Ruiz brings a proven track record of leadership, growth and value creation to the company.”
Ruiz was a key executive for Philip Morris International (PMI) for more than 15 years. In 2004, he was appointed CEO of Tabaqueira, a former Portuguese state monopoly that was acquired by PMI and was one of PMI’s top 10 contributors of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization worldwide.
In 2006, Ruiz was assigned the integration of Coltabaco in Colombia, one of PMI’s largest single investments to date. After 15 years at PMI and 20 years in the fast-moving consumer goods space, Ruiz decided to expand his professional experience as CEO of Colombia’s leading media group, Casa Editorial El Tiempo, founded by the grandfather of former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos.
Poda Lifestyle and Wellness has developed a patented heat-not-burn system that uses proprietary biodegradable single-use pods, which are both consumer-friendly and environmentally friendly.
“I have seen the evolution of heat-not-burn products and found the thought and design behind Poda Lifestyle to be revolutionary based on its patented fully enclosed pod resulting in a zero-cleaning beyond burn experience,” said Ruiz. “It’s rare to get into a product like Poda Lifestyle at the ground level, first as an investor and now in an official capacity, and I look forward to the value that will be created as the company launches into the Asian and European markets.”