Following the appointment of Tadeu Marroco as CEO on May 15, 2023, BAT has announced changes to its management board. According to BAT, the new structure, roles and composition of the management board will support Tadeu’s commitment to a sharpened focus on improved execution and operational excellence; enhanced capabilities critical to BAT’s strategic development and transformation; and a progressive and agile organization with a collaborative and inclusive culture.
This refreshed management board structure is critical to my commitment to build a progressive and agile organization with a collaborative and inclusive culture, enabling simultaneous performance and transformation.
Johan Vandermeulen will be appointed to the new role of chief operating officer, reporting to the CEO, effective July 1, 2023. This role will be accountable for driving business performance, operational excellence and best-in-class execution, with a focus on both short-term and sustainable delivery. Reporting to Vandermeulen will be David Waterfield, promoted to the management board as president and CEO of Reynolds American Inc. effective July 1, 2023; Fred Monteiro (director of Americas and Europe) and Michael Dijanosic (director of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa); Zafar Khan (director of operations) and Javed Iqbal (director of digital and information). Iqbal also currently serves as interim finance director.
Kingsley Wheaton will be appointed to the new role of chief strategy and growth officer, reporting to the CEO, effective Sept. 1, 2023. This role will be accountable for continued strategic development and delivery of sharper consumer focus through an integrated approach to brands together with shaping enablers for long-term sustainable growth and driving the company’s robust ESG agenda. Reporting to Wheaton will be Luciano Comin, appointed to the new role of marketing director of combustibles and new categories effective July 1, 2023—this role will be accountable for a more integrated approach to insights, innovation, brand-building, consumer experience and activation and revenue growth management across the combustibles and new categories portfolios; Paul McCrory, promoted to the management board to the new role of director of corporate and regulatory affairs effective Sept. 1, 2023—this role will be accountable for shaping regulatory strategy and leading regulatory engagement to secure sustainable access to markets and categories; and James Barrett, promoted to the management board to the new role of director of business development effective Sept. 1, 2023—this role will be accountable for strategy development, M&A, the Wellbeing and Stimulation portfolio and BAT’s venturing unit, Btomorrow Ventures; James Murphy, director of research and science, and Jerome Abelman, director of legal affairs and general counsel, continue in their roles reporting directly to the CEO.
Guy Meldrum, currently president and CEO of Reynolds American Inc., and Paul Lageweg, currently director of new categories, will step down from their roles and from the management board effective June 30, 2023, and will facilitate a transition with their successors.
Hae In Kim will step down from the management board effective June 30, 2023, to take up the role of strategic talent director, reporting to the CEO. As an integral part of her responsibilities in this leadership role working alongside the board and the management board, Kim will oversee the execution of several key projects as part of BAT’s talent agenda.
The existing roles of chief transformation officer, chief growth officer, director of new categories and director of combustibles will be removed from the management board as their accountabilities transfer within the new structure.
A comprehensive process is underway to identify and appoint the successors for the roles of finance director and director of talent, culture and inclusion, reporting to the CEO.
“This refreshed management board structure is critical to my commitment to build a progressive and agile organization with a collaborative and inclusive culture, enabling simultaneous performance and transformation,” said Marroco in a statement. “To that end, I am delighted to be welcoming David, Paul and James to the management board. They are all highly collaborative leaders who have the depth of experience to enable the continued strategic and cultural transformation of BAT.
“I would like to thank Guy for his significant contribution across many markets and geographies over the last two decades and Paul for his role in helping to create a new category business that continues to drive BAT’s transformation. I also look forward to working with Hae In as strategic talent director.”