Category: People

  • Jerry Fowden to Resign From BAT Board

    Jerry Fowden to Resign From BAT Board

    Jerry Fowden

    Jerry Fowden, nonexecutive director of British American Tobacco (BAT), has submitted his resignation from the board effective April 1, 2021, the company announced on its website. Accordingly, he will not seek reelection at the company’s annual general meeting on April 28, 2021.

    Fowden decided to step down from the board to ensure there would be no potential for a conflict of interest to arise in view of his other external commitments, which he has decided to focus on.

    “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jerry for his valuable contribution to the company since his appointment as a nonexecutive director in September 2019,” said BAT chairman Richard Burrows. “We wish him the very best for the future.”

    As the company’s notice of meeting has already been issued, the resolution to reappoint Jerry Fowden as a nonexecutive director of the company is now withdrawn.

    Karen Guerra, a nonexecutive director of the company, will join the Audit Committee and step down from the Remuneration Committee effective April 1, 2021.

    The Audit Committee now consists of Holly Keller Koeppel (chair), Karen Guerra, Luc Jobin and Darrell Thomas. Jobin will step down from the Audit Committee on appointment as chairman from the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting.

    The Remuneration Committee consists of Dimitri Panayotopoulos (chair), Sue Farr, Marion Helmes and Savio Kwan.

  • Conny Andersson Joins Sting Free

    Conny Andersson Joins Sting Free

    Conny Andersson (Photo courtesy of Sting Free)

    Snus master blender Conny Andersson has joined Sting Free, a Swedish company that has developed a solution to eliminate the stinging sensation associated with snus use.

    Andersson is a skilled and experienced tobacco expert and “father” to popular snus varieties, such as vintage snus Kardus (2005–2012), Islay Whiskey Snus, Crafted Snus and Hop (e) & Glory snus.

    In recent years, Andersson helped produce several tobacco-free snus alternatives, including Infiniti, YoYo and others. Since 2015, Andersson has worked as a self-employed consultant for several Swedish and international companies, primarily in the snus and nicotine pouch industry.

    Sting-free may become a new standard in the global oral nicotine industry.

    Conny Andersson

    “Sting-free may become a new standard in the global oral nicotine industry,” said Andersson in a statement. “The reason is that the burning sensation on the gums is a big obstacle for almost all adult nicotine users to take up snus or nicotine pouches [for the] first time. This is especially true in countries outside the Nordic region where there is no snus tradition at all. The fact that the new technology may also help smokers to dare trying a smoke-free oral nicotine alternative to cigarettes is inspiring.”

    Andersson is a shareholder in Sting Free and a new member of the executive working group from April 2021.

    Tobacco Reporter profiled Sting Free in July 2017 (see “Patching the Pouch”).

  • PMI Nominates New Board Members

    PMI Nominates New Board Members

    Photo: PMI

    Philip Morris International’s (PMI) board of directors has nominated two new members, Juan José Daboub and Shlomo Yanai. Additionally, Jacek Olczak has been nominated to the board following the announcement of his appointment as CEO, a role he will assume immediately following the annual shareholders meeting on May 5.

    Daboub started his career as an engineer before moving into government. In 1999, he was the youngest senior cabinet member in El Salvador, serving first as chief of staff to the president and then as minister of finance. Later, as a managing director at the World Bank Group, he was credited with having driven several corporate initiatives and reforms, including leading the institution’s global agenda on governance and anti-corruption.

    Over the past decade, Daboub has focused on climate adaptation and energy transition through public and private investment vehicles and not-for-profit organizations, including as chair of the Council on Climate Change at the World Economic Forum and founding CEO of the Global Adaptation Institute. He is currently president of The Daboub Partnership and of ThinkHUGE USA-Central America Job Creation Council.

    José’s experience across multiple business sectors, combined with his deep understanding of geopolitics and international institutions, will be a great addition to the PMI board.

    Lucio Noto, interim chairman, PMI

    “Juan José fully embraces PMI’s commitment to delivering a smoke-free future,” said Lucio Noto, PMI’s interim chairman, in a statement. “José’s experience across multiple business sectors, combined with his deep understanding of geopolitics and international institutions, will be a great addition to the PMI board.”

    Yanai was president and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from 2007 to 2012. In that time, he led the company’s international expansion and increased annual revenues by nearly $10 billion. Prior to that, Yanai was president and CEO of ADAMA for three years. His time at those organizations and later as a board member or chair of several other companies in the pharma space, as well as his current position as chairman of the board of Lumenis, a medical devices company, have given Yanai a solid understanding of the science behind drug discovery, development and regulation. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces for more than 30 years, reaching the rank of major general. In his military career, Yanai worked extensively with politicians and public sector bodies.

    “The combination of Shlomo’s broad board experience and his knowledge of the pharma industry and its regulatory processes will bring to the board an extremely relevant set of skills as PMI continues to develop and commercialize scientifically validated smoke-free products and starts deploying its beyond nicotine strategy,” said Noto.

    The nominations announced today follow the appointments of Michel Combes and Bonin Bough to the board of directors in December 2020 and February 2021, respectively. Combes is president of SoftBank Group International and oversees several SoftBank portfolio companies. He was chief financial officer and then CEO and a member of the board of directors of Sprint, CEO of Vodafone Europe, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, CEO and chief operating officer of Altice, and chairman and CEO of SFR Group.

  • Senate Confirms Murthy as Surgeon General

    Senate Confirms Murthy as Surgeon General

    Photo: forcal35 from Pixabay
    Vivek H. Murthy

    The U.S. Senate on March 23 confirmed Vivek H. Murthy as United States surgeon general, reports The Washington Post.

    The surgeon general, also known as the “nation’s doctor,” typically serves as a prominent spokesperson on public health issues but has a limited role in policymaking. President Joe Biden wants him to be a key public voice on the Covid response to restore public trust in medicine.

    The surgeon general also oversees the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service of about 6,000 public health workers who have helped staff the coronavirus response and administer vaccines but struggled earlier this year to get vaccinations of their own.

    Murthy first served as surgeon general during the Obama administration, working on public health issues such as the opioid crisis. He also pursued his own work combating loneliness and the stigma of mental illness. He was the nation’s first Senate-confirmed Asian American surgeon general.

    His original 2013 nomination was stalled in the Senate for more than a year, in part because gun rights organizations faulted Murthy for saying gun violence was a public health problem—a stance Murthy has continued to espouse.

    Murthy is an advocate of e-cigarette regulation. In 2016, he released “E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults,” calling for action to reduce the use of vapor products among young people.

    Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, at the time described the report as scientifically dishonest.

    Siegel said the report essentially lied about the single most important fact that the public needed to understand about electronic cigarettes and vaping products: that they do not contain tobacco and therefore vaping is not a form of tobacco use.

  • Turning Point Appoints Reformina as CFO

    Turning Point Appoints Reformina as CFO

    Photo: Jakub Jirsák | Dreamstime.com

    Turning Point Brands has appointed Chief Business Development Officer Louie Reformina as the company’s new chief financial officer effective May 1, 2021. Reformina is replacing Bobby Lavan, who will step down after first quarter earnings to pursue a new opportunity. In addition, Brian Wigginton, Turning Point Brands’ chief accounting officer, has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president.

    “I would like to thank Bobby for his unceasing commitment to the company,” said Larry Wexler, Turning Point Brands’ president and CEO, in a statement. “Bobby played a major role in improving Turning Point Brands’ capital structure, streamlining the business, making accretive acquisitions and investments and positioning the company for the growth that we are experiencing today.

    “I look forward to tracking his future progress. Additionally, Louie has played an important leadership role in the company by pivoting our focus to higher growth opportunities in cannabis-related and other branded consumer product industries. I am excited to see him expand his responsibilities as we accelerate our growth trajectory.”

    “Turning Point Brands is one of the most innovative and well-capitalized companies in the high-growth cannabis-related accessories market,” said Reformina. “Our iconic brands and market-leading distribution platform set us apart in this rapidly evolving space. In addition, our New York Stock Exchange listing helps to provide deep access to the capital markets, which allows us to opportunistically take advantage of acquisition opportunities that are beyond the reach of many competitors.

    I look forward to continuing to work with the team to reinvest our substantial free cash flow in high-growth branded consumer products, expand our distribution infrastructure and strengthen our capital position.

    Louie Reformina

    “As CFO, I look forward to continuing to work with the team to reinvest our substantial free cash flow in high-growth branded consumer products, expand our distribution infrastructure and strengthen our capital position.”

    “I would like to thank Larry and the management team at Turning Point Brands for the opportunity to work with them on the company’s continued evolution,” said Lavan. “I have been working closely with Louie since he first joined the company and am confident that his elevation to CFO will help to ensure a seamless transition while continuing the company’s focus on growth.”

    Reformina joined Turning Point Brands in 2019 and has more than 20 years of financial experience. He previously served in investment roles at Point72 Asset Management, Waterfront Capital Partners, Perella Weinberg Partners and Vestar Capital Partners. He began his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co. and received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business as well as his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, where he graduated summa cum laude.

    Turning Point Brands estimates that net sales for the first quarter of 2021 will be at the high end or above the previous guidance of $97 million to $102 million provided during the presentation of its full-year and fourth-quarter 2020 results on Feb. 10, 2021.

  • Thomas Farrell to Retire From Altria Board

    Thomas Farrell to Retire From Altria Board

    Photo: Altria Group

    Thomas F. Farrell II will retire from Altria Group’s board of directors following the completion of his current term. Farrell has been a director of Altria since 2008.

    Consequently, Farrell will not stand for re-election to the board at Altria’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders, which is presently scheduled for May 20, 2021. The board will evaluate board leadership succession and intends to appoint a new chairman at its organizational meeting following the 2021 annual meeting.

    Farrell is the chairman of the board, chair of the executive committee and a member of the compensation and talent development and nominating, corporate governance and social responsibility committees.

    Tom’s contributions over the past 13 years have been immeasurable.

    Billy Gifford, CEO, Altria Group

    He has served as the executive chairman of Dominion Energy, one of largest producers of energy in the U.S., since October 2020, having previously served as chairman, president and CEO of Dominion from 2007 through September 2020.  

    “Tom’s contributions over the past 13 years have been immeasurable,” said Billy Gifford, Altria’s CEO, in a statement. “We thank him for his distinguished service and wish him the very best.”

  • Becerra Confirmed as Secretary of HHS

    Becerra Confirmed as Secretary of HHS

    Xavier Becerra (Photo: State of California Department of Justice)

    The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Xavier Becerra as President Biden’s secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), reports The New York Times.

    Becerra will take charge as the Biden administration is working to lead the nation out of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Biden’s selection of Becerra was a surprise, and it set off an immediate debate over whether, as a lawyer, he was the correct choice to lead a department that oversees high-profile medical agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. Republicans argued he was unqualified.

    Democrats argued that Becerra had deep expertise in health policy. As California’s attorney general, he led 20 states and the District of Columbia in a campaign to protect the Affordable Care Act from being dismantled by his Republican counterparts. He has also been vocal in the Democratic Party about fighting for women’s health, including access to contraceptives and abortion.

    In a tweet earlier this year, Derek Yach, president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, described the nomination of Becerra as a “serious missed opportunity.”

    “At a time of public health crisis, deep expertise in public health, medicine and science should matter,” Yach wrote. “Sadly, this is not apparent in the pick of the lead cabinet health voice.”

    James A. Mish, CEO of 22nd Century Group, welcomed Becerra’s appointment, citing his leadership in tackling cigarette addiction.

    According to Mish, Secretary Becerra is a long-time proponent of a reduced nicotine cap for cigarettes and tougher regulation for the tobacco industry. While serving as the attorney general of California in 2018, Becerra and five other attorneys general wrote a letter in response to the FDA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, strongly supporting a tobacco product standard for the nicotine level of combusted cigarettes.

    “We look forward to joining Secretary Becerra, the HHS and the FDA on tackling the pressing public health tragedy caused by addictive cigarettes that is costing millions of Americans’ lives and billions of dollars each year,” said Mish in a statement.

  • Baek Reappointed as Chief Executive of KT&G

    Baek Reappointed as Chief Executive of KT&G

    Bok-In Baek

    Bok-In Baek was appointed CEO of KT&G Corp. at the company’s 34th annual general meeting held on March 19 in Daejeon. Baek will lead KT&G for another term of three years.

    Baek joined Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corp. in 1993 and has held key roles in the company’s core businesses, including strategy, marketing, global business, manufacturing and R&D.

    As CEO, Baek focused on the growth of the company’s global business, expanding into more than 100 countries and executing a KRW2.2 trillion export agreement in the Middle East. Baek also achieved an export agreement under which Philip Morris International commercializes KT&G’s Lil tobacco-heating device outside of South Korea. On Baek’s watch, KT&G breached the KRW5 trillion revenue mark for the first time in the corporation’s history.

    A hands-on leader, Baek has a deep understanding of the industry. His strong planning and management skills have allowed the company’s main pillars—e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products—to grow simultaneously.

    I will devote myself to seeking a new growth engine through business diversification.

    Bok-In Baek

    “I feel a great sense of responsibility in leading the organization amid a management environment of growing uncertainties across the world,” said Baek in a statement. “With further sophistication of the overseas business, KT&G will establish a strong foothold as a global corporation, and I will devote myself to seeking a new growth engine through business diversification. I will also do my utmost to create social values based on ESG management.”

    Also at the general meeting, KT&G appointed its chief of strategy and planning, Kyung Man Bang, as an executive director. Former SK Materials CEO Min-Kyu Lim was reappointed as independent nonexecutive director, and Jong-Soo Baek, former chief prosecutor of the Busan district prosecutor’s office, was reappointed as auditor and nonexecutive director.

    Tobacco Reporter profiled KT&G in its July 2020 issue.

  • Delnevo Joins FDA Tobacco Scientific Advisory Committee

    Delnevo Joins FDA Tobacco Scientific Advisory Committee

    Cristine Delnevo

    Cristine Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies and a professor of health behavior, society and policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC).

    Delnevo will be one of nine voting members on the committee, which advises the FDA on regulating tobacco products. Her four-year appointment will conclude on Jan. 31, 2025.

    “I have valued the importance of this FDA advisory committee since the signing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009,” said Delnevo. “I am thankful to those who served before me and look forward to working with an esteemed group of colleagues to help the FDA make regulatory decisions to protect public health and reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.”

    Delnevo’s expertise covers population-level tobacco behavior trends, noncigarette tobacco products such as cigars and e-cigarettes, tobacco control policy and regulation, and survey methods research. Delnevo has also authored more than 200 scientific articles, reports and book chapters and serves as a senior associate editor for Tobacco Regulatory Science.

  • Covectra Appoints New Directors

    Covectra Appoints New Directors

    Covectra, a supplier of serialization and track-and-trace solutions for tobacco and other applications, has appointed Renaat Van den Hooff and Gary Miloscia to its board of directors, effective Feb. 15, 2021.

    Van den Hooff brings more than 35 years of global operating experience in the healthcare industry, with specific expertise in consumer pharmaceuticals, medical devices and supplies/services for the pharmaceutical industry. He held various senior leadership positions as CEO and board member of Temptime Corp. and as president and CEO of a public startup healthcare company that developed and sold innovative wound care products. He had a 20-year career with Johnson & Johnson, serving the latter time there as president of the J&J-Merck consumer pharmaceuticals joint venture worldwide.

    Miloscia has more than 22 years of experience in management. He currently serves as chief financial officer for Covectra where he is responsible for all strategic business and financial planning and analysis as well as marketing activities. Prior to joining Covectra, he held senior level positions at Fidelity Investments, Health Dialog and American Express.

    “On behalf of the entire board of directors, it is a pleasure to welcome Renaat and Gary, two highly accomplished industry veterans, to our team,” said Steve Wood, president and CEO of Covectra, in a statement. “Their collective experience across a range of diverse strategic roles will be highly instrumental as we continue to advance our product development and build out our pipeline. I look forward to working with them and leveraging their unique expertise.”