Taat Global Alternatives has appointed tobacco industry veteran Michael Saxon as CEO and member of its board of directors. Former CEO Setti Coscarella will remain available to the company as an advisor. Saxon has been on the Taat Advisory Board since late 2020.
Saxon is an accomplished consumer products executive with more than 25 years of experience growing Fortune 100 businesses in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has influenced government policy and led business units while operating in different regulatory systems.
Saxon served in various positions for over 20 years with Altria Group and Philip Morris International. Most recently, he helped create Trolley Ventures, a Richmond, Virginia, USA, venture capital firm investing in early-stage start-ups.
“I’m excited to be joining the Taat team,” said Saxon in a statement. “This is an exhilarating time in our industry, and Taat is positioned to be a disruptor. With about 18 months of actual market and consumer feedback, I believe Taat is in an ideal position to accelerate its commercialization efforts.
“This will include focusing our efforts on the large and profitable USA market, while our product development team leverages their capabilities to develop other Beyond Tobacco products that can further disrupt the USA and other international markets. There is a tremendous market opportunity for the company, and I am eager to launch new initiatives to accelerate adult consumer adoption of Taat.”
“It has been my pleasure to lead Taat through our initial years and through the pandemic. At this point, I am satisfied the company is in an excellent position to hand direction over to Mr. Saxon, and I am pleased to be continuing my participation as an Advisor,” said Coscarella.