Category: People

  • Daniel McGee Joins Keller and Heckman

    Daniel McGee Joins Keller and Heckman

    Photo: akub Jirsák | Dreamstime.com

    Daniel P. McGee has joined Keller and Heckman’s expanding tobacco and vapor practice as counsel.

    Prior to joining Keller and Heckman, McGee worked as in-house counsel for several multinational tobacco, vapor and CBD companies, where he honed his skills advising on compliance and regulatory issues related to tobacco, vapor, nicotine, hemp, CBD and related products.

    McGee has experience counseling companies on a broad range of complex tobacco and U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory matters and developing strategies to help companies bring new products to market.

    “Daniel’s expertise and industry perspective will be invaluable to Keller and Heckman clients who are carefully navigating the challenges and pitfalls of a highly regulated and rapidly evolving legal landscape,” said Azim Chowdhury, a Partner in the firm’s tobacco and vapor and food and drug practices.

    “In addition to expanding our tobacco and e-vapor capabilities, we are especially looking forward to utilizing Daniel’s expertise in state law compliance, particularly for clients expanding into the hemp and CBD categories.”

    “The addition of Daniel to our practice demonstrates Keller and Heckman’s commitment to helping our clients understand and comply with continuously evolving regulations in this growing field,” said Richard Mann, chair of Keller and Heckman’s management committee.

    “I am honored to work with Keller and Heckman’s experienced team of tobacco and e-vapor attorneys and to share the corporate perspective with my new colleagues,” said McGee. “After spending the bulk of my legal career as in-house counsel to the tobacco industry, I made a strategic decision to focus on the industry as a whole and join a law firm that is a leader in tobacco regulatory compliance and public policy initiatives.”

    McGee received his J.D. degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and his B.A. degree from Boston College, where he graduated with honors.

  • Treat Joins 22nd Century as CSO

    Treat Joins 22nd Century as CSO

    22nd Century Group has appointed Calvin Treat as chief scientific officer, effective May 23, 2022. In this new role, Treat will lead the expanding scientific, research and technological operations of the company, leveraging its expertise, IP and partnerships across all three of its alkaloid plant franchises toward becoming a global leader in specialty plant science.

    “Dr. Treat brings a wealth of plant-based biotechnology and crop technology experience to 22nd Century at a pivotal time when we are rapidly expanding our global capabilities across all three of our alkaloid plant franchises—tobacco, hemp/cannabis and hops,” said James A. Mish, CEO of 22nd Century Group, in a statement.

    “Dr. Treat has spent his career at the largest plant science names in the world, leading their innovations on major crops like corn, soybeans and cotton. We look forward to his leadership as we continue to leverage our extensive technology platform comprising hundreds of patents, extensive know-how and global partnerships supporting our leadership in plant genetics, breeding and cultivation underpinning our growth opportunities across a growing $1.3 trillion worldwide market opportunity.”

    “22nd Century is rapidly establishing itself as the global alkaloid plant technology leader, bringing to bear an extensive upstream capability to optimize plant lines and enhance critical commercial traits that directly benefit quality, cost and consumer confidence in the end products. The company is leveraging the most advanced plant science techniques and building a global IP and capability set that may be unrivaled in their respective crops,” said Treat.

    “I am excited to join 22nd Century at this pivotal moment to lead the company onto the global stage as more and more of the world’s leading alkaloid plant growers come to recognize the incredible value of 22nd Century’s portfolio.”

    Treat previously served as senior vice president and head of crop technology for corn, soybean and cotton at Bayer, where he oversaw more than $2 billion in R&D spending dedicated to seeds, traits and crop protection while also driving tailored solutions to meet grower needs.

    Previously, he was the technology lead for Monsanto’s global corn and soy crops, where he merged the soy and corn technology teams to garner synergies across the platforms. While part of the Monsanto teams, he was involved in the launches of multiple technologies, including Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, Intacta RR2 Pro soybeans in South America and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean technology across North America, one of Monsanto’s largest and most complex trait launches. His additional roles at Monsanto included global corn technology lead, global oilseeds technology lead and global soybean breeding lead, among others.

    Photo: Jacub Jirsak
  • Vectura Directors Step Down

    Vectura Directors Step Down

    Photo: Charnchai saeheng

    Vectura CEO Will Downie and Chief Financial Officer Paul Fry have stepped down from their roles with the company following the £1 billion ($1.31 billion) takeover by Philip Morris International, reports The Times.

    PMI acquired Vectura last year as part of the company’s “beyond nicotine” strategy. This move caused controversy in the healthcare industry as Vectura is a producer of inhalers and medicines for smoking-related conditions. Critics said the takeover represented a conflict of interest.

    Following the takeover, Vectura was banned from many pharmaceutical industry conferences due to the company’s new ties to the tobacco industry.

    The tobacco industry’s involvement in pharmaceutical businesses is facing increasing scrutiny. In March, the World Health Organization said it would deny an emergency use listing to Medicago’s Convifenz Covid-19 vaccine, because of the company’s tobacco ties.

    PMI owns a minority stake in Medicago, which now faces pressure to seek a different shareholder.

  • Michele Mital to lead FDA CTP

    Michele Mital to lead FDA CTP

    Illustration: Skypixel | Dreamstime.com

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) will name Michele Mital, the current deputy director of the CTP, as acting director when Mitch Zeller retires in April, reports Vaping360.

    The news was first reported Wednesday afternoon in a tweet by FDA Tracker and confirmed by Filter reporter Alex Norcia after speaking with FDA sources. No formal announcement has been made.

    Mital joined the FDA in 1996 and has held various positions in the agency, including in the Office of Legislation. Since the CTP was formed in 2009, Mital has worked there in various capacities. She was named deputy director in 2018.

    The FDA is still looking for a permanent director.

  • Bat Appoints New Digital and Information Director

    Bat Appoints New Digital and Information Director

    Photo: BAT

    Marina Bellini, director of digital and information, will step down from the management board on March 31, 2022, and will leave BAT on July 31, 2022, to pursue new opportunities.

    Javed Iqbal, currently area director of Middle East South Asia, will succeed Bellini as director of digital and information and will be appointed to the management board effective April 1, 2022.

    “I would like to thank Marina for the significant contribution she has made to our digital and information function,” said BAT CEO Jack Bowles in a statement. “She has been key in supporting the group’s transformation by unlocking commercial value across the global organization and connecting information and data to create a digitally agile business.

    “Marina has also successfully established a strong pipeline of digital expertise through talent development and embedding digital as a key enabler for our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ strategy.

    “I am delighted to welcome Javed to the management board. As BAT enters a phase of accelerated delivery, he is very well positioned to lead the digital and information function. He has extensive experience in leading strategic change across multiple geographies, including systems and process transformation.

    “His finance and technology background and extensive commercial knowledge, supported by his appetite for change and capacity to build high-performing teams, will ensure the next chapter of our digital journey is in safe hands. I would like to wish him the very best in his new role.”

     

  • Patricia Nez Henderson to Lead SRNT

    Patricia Nez Henderson to Lead SRNT

    Photo: Jacub Jirsak

    The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco elected Patricia Nez Henderson as president, marking the first time that a Navajo American will serve as the leader of the organization, reports Law360.

    Henderson, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Arizona and a graduate of the University of Arizona and Yale University School of Medicine, was recently elected to the head of the international association dedicated to supporting research and publications in the field of nicotine and tobacco. She is also the first Indigenous woman to graduate from Yale’s medical school with a Doctor of Medicine degree.

  • Huub Vizee Announces Retirement from Delfort

    Huub Vizee Announces Retirement from Delfort

    Huub Vizee (Photo: Delfort)

    Huub Vizee, based in Austria, will retire from his position as head of regulatory and corporate affairs at Delfort on March 31.

    Vizee started at Delfort in Austria as head of regulatory affairs in September 2011. In 2020, he became head of regulatory and corporate affairs. In this role, he dealt with tobacco-related regulatory developments worldwide, advised the R&D department and represented Delfort on the Coresta board of directors.

    From 2014 to 2016, Vizee served as vice president of the Coresta board of directors, and from 2016 to 2018, he served as its president. He has been a member of the GTNF advisory board since 2015.

    Vizee worked in the tobacco industry for 35 years in areas such as leaf, research, engineering, quality assurance, product development and corporate affairs.

    Prior to joining Delfort in September 2011, he worked for Van Nelle, Douwe Egberts and Imperial Tobacco, where his last position was head of group regulatory development. In this role, he was responsible for leading Imperial Tobacco’s regulatory engagement as an active participant on a global, regional and market level. Vizee also represented Imperial Tobacco on the boards of the Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers, the European Cigar Manufacturers Association and Coresta.

    According to Vizee, working in the tobacco industry has been interesting, challenging, entertaining and incredibly rewarding. “The best thing about working in the tobacco industry was being [a] member of a large family and having an astonishing network all over the world in which everybody is equal, appreciates each other and where friendships last forever,” he reflects.

    Upon retirement, Vizee plans to move back to his native Netherlands.

  • Suvanto-Harsaae Nominated For Board

    Suvanto-Harsaae Nominated For Board

    Photo: Swedish Match

    Swedish Match’s nominating committee will propose the election of Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae as a new member of the company’s board of directors during the annual general meeting on April 27, the company announced in press release.

    Suvanto-Harsaae has experience across a number of industries, notably in the areas of consumer and B2B2C for fast-moving consumer goods, logistics, e-commerce and service supply. The nominating committee has made particular note of Suvanto-Harsaae’s broad industry knowledge and board experience in Nordic listed companies.

    She is currently also chair of the boards of BoConcept, Posti Group, Nordic Pet Care Group and Babysam.

    The nominating committee proposes reelection of the current board members Conny Karlsson, Charles A. Blixt, Jacqueline Hoogerbrugge, Alexander Lacik, Pauline Lindwall and Joakim Westh. Current Swedish Match board members Andrew Cripps and Wenche Rolfsen will not be available for reelection.

    The nominating committee proposes Conny Karlsson as chairman of the board.

  • Tobacco Technology Appoints New President

    Tobacco Technology Appoints New President

    Photo: Jacub Jirsak

    Tobacco Technology has appointed David Johnson as president and chief scientific officer of the company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, E-LiquiTech and Emerald Green Technology. He will be replacing Richard Howell, who retired earlier this month after 43 years of service.

    Johnson joined Tobacco Technology as the director of regulatory affairs in 2021. He brings more than 30 years of scientific, regulatory and management experience, including over 20 years in the tobacco industry, to the Tobacco Technology family of companies.

    He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Mississippi, specializing in physical analytical chemistry. In addition, he completed postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the mass spectrometry group of Maurice Bursey.

    Johnson acquired much of his tobacco experience at Swedish Match North America, where he was the director of analytical, and at Turning Point Brands, where he was the senior director of scientific and regulatory affairs. Johnson also has a wealth of sales, marketing and Six Sigma experience from his years working with DuPont.

  • Celeste Mastin Joins HB Fuller as COO

    Celeste Mastin Joins HB Fuller as COO

    Celeste Martin

    Celeste Mastin will join H.B. Fuller as executive vice president and chief operating officer on March 7, 2022. Mastin will assume the executive leadership role most recently held by Ted Clark, who is moving into a strategic advisory role.

    Mastin joins H.B. Fuller with more than 30 years’ experience in manufacturing and distribution with a successful track record of guiding companies’ growth through innovation, service improvement, global expansion, and acquisition.

    Most recently, she served as CEO of PetroChoice Lubrication Solutions, the largest distributor of petroleum lubrication solutions in the United States. Prior to that, she held CEO roles at Distribution International and MMI Products, and she served in executive leadership roles at Ferro Corp. and Bostik Adhesives, now owned by Arkema.

    Mastin began her career at Shell Chemical Co. She currently serves on the board of directors of Granite Construction.

    “We are delighted to welcome Celeste to H.B. Fuller. She is an exceptional commercial leader with a proven track record of success in highly complex, international businesses,” said H.B. Fuller President and CEO Jim Owens in a statement.

    “Celeste brings a wealth of global, executive leadership and an understanding of the adhesives industry that will provide accelerated growth and performance for H.B. Fuller. I am confident Celeste will successfully build upon Ted Clark’s success and, together with our executive committee, drive our company’s continued growth and profitability.”