Category: People

Davidoff Appoints Chief Commercial Officer

Photo: Jakub Jirsák | Dreamstime
Luc Hyvernat will be Oettinger Davidoff’s next senior vice president and chief commercial officer effective March 1, reports Halfwheel.
Hyvernat succeeds Jim Young, who left the company last month after nearly a decade with Davidoff. Hyvernat is currently the international director for Centre Vinicole Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. He has more than 20 years of experience in the tobacco industry, working for Altadis, Imperial Brands and SEITA.
“With his longstanding track record of international leadership roles and extensive experience in the tobacco industry, I am convinced that Luc Hyvernat will make a significant contribution to accelerate the commercial growth of our company,” said Beat Hauenstein, CEO of Oettinger Davidoff. “Together with the regional business leaders, Luc Hyvernat will further enhance our company’s commercial transformation to remain the best-in-class organization for our trade partners and consumers.”
February 18, 2021
Ceylon Tobacco Co. Appoints New Chairman

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Ceylon Tobacco Co. (CTC) has appointed Suresh Kumar Shah as its chairman, reports The Daily Mirror. He succeeds William Francis Pegel, who served as chairman from August 2019.
The succession follows changes to CTC’s board announced on Feb. 1, with the appointment of three new nonexecutive directors—Suresh Kumar Shah, Stuart Kidd and Rumana Rahman—bringing the number of directors on CTC’s board to eight.
Previously, Shah served as chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Employers Federation of Ceylon.
He also served as Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka and was a member of the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and of the Council at the University of Moratuwa.
Currently, British American Tobacco’s (BAT) regional head of finance for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Kidd joined BAT Australia in 2001. He has held various senior finance roles in New Zealand, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Japan. Prior to his appointment as regional head of finance, he was finance director at BAT Japan from 2015.
Rahman is BAT’s regional head of talent, culture and inclusion for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. She is the first South Asian female and first Bangladeshi to sit on the regional leadership team and is also the first South Asian female leader of the top 120 leaders of BAT.
Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Rahman was the head of human resources for BAT Bangladesh. With more than 18 years of experience, she has an extensive background in human resources and specialist functions. Rahman was recognized as the most inspiring woman leader by Brand Forum in 2016.
February 17, 2021
Baek Recommended for Second Tenure

Bok-in Baek (Photo: KT&G)
KT&G’s Director Candidate Recommendation Committee (DCRC) has recommended Bok-in Baek, the current president of KT&G, as a candidate for the next president of KT&G.
If appointed as the next president in the general meeting of shareholders scheduled to be held in March, Bok-in Baek would be expected to manage KT&G for the next three years.
The DCRC said that it had selected Baek as a candidate after carefully considering his achievements, vision and strategy, among other factors.
The DCRC added that Baek has been highly regarded for his leadership of KT&G. Baek’s tenure at the helm of the company included expansion into more than 100 foreign markets and the conclusion of an export contract for tobacco-type electronic cigarettes with Philip Morris International.
February 17, 2021
Imperial Appoints Chief Financial Officer

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Imperial Brands has appointed Lukas Paravicini as chief financial officer effective Aug. 5, 2021, or at an earlier date to be announced. Paravicini is currently chief financial officer of agricultural commodities and brokerage group ED&F Man Holdings. He will succeed Oliver Tant, who announced his retirement last year.
Paravicini will step down from the board upon Paravicini’s appointment and leave the business following an orderly handover.
“I am delighted to welcome Lukas to the business,” said Imperial Brands CEO Stefan Bomhard in a statement. “He is a disciplined, results-oriented leader with a proven track record in international consumer goods companies. As well as his impeccable finance credentials, Lukas has considerable operational experience as well as expertise in driving transformational change including in global shared services in large international organizations. These qualities will be invaluable to Imperial as we implement our new strategy. I would like to thank Oliver for his support since I joined Imperial and for his contribution to the business during his seven-year tenure.”
“I am delighted to be joining Imperial at such an exciting time,” said Paravicini. “I look forward to supporting the new strategic direction and working with the board and my new colleagues to strengthen performance and enhance shareholder value.”
Before joining ED&F Man Holdings, Paravicini held senior positions at Fonterra, a New Zealand and Australia listed cooperative and the world’s largest dairy exporter with sales in 130 countries. He was chief financial officer from 2013 to 2017 and chief operating officer of global consumer and foodservice business from 2017 to 2018. Prior to that, he spent 22 years with Nestle in various senior finance and general management roles, working in South America and latterly in Switzerland for Nestle Professional, the food service arm of Nestle, first as chief financial officer and then as vice president and general manager of Europe.
February 17, 2021
Willie McKinney to Advise Labstat

Willie J. McKinney (Photo: Labstat International)
Labstat International has appointed Willie J. McKinney to its scientific and strategic advisory board. McKinney’s regulatory and scientific expertise of nicotine-containing and cannabidiol-containing products will help guide Labstat in strategy development, internal program conceptualization and internal scientific research.
“Bringing onboard someone of Dr. McKinney’s caliber underscores Labstat’s commitment to excellence in testing services,” said Michael Bond, president of Labstat International, in a statement.
McKinney, founder and CEO of McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, is board certified in toxicology by the American Board of Toxicology. He works with clients to resolve the complex and dynamic scientific and regulatory challenges associated with preparing new product regulatory submissions. He also served on the FDA’s Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee as the nonvoting representative of the tobacco manufacturing industry and was on the advisory board of the ENDS U.S. 2019 conferences.
Previously, McKinney served as vice president of global regulatory affairs for Juul Labs and as vice president of regulatory sciences for Altria Client Services.
Labstat International provides in-vitro toxicology and analytical chemistry testing services for nicotine-containing and cannabis-containing products
February 8, 2021
WHO reappoints Bloomberg

Photo: Bloomberg Philanthropies
The World Health Organization (WHO) will reappoint Michael R. Bloomberg as the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Injuries.
Both as mayor of New York City and as a philanthropist, Bloomberg made it a top priority to combat noncommunicable diseases and their underlying causes. As mayor, he introduced the Smoke Free Air Act and other public health initiatives. His foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, promotes policy solutions around the world that reduce rates of noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular disease and hypertension as a result of factors such as poor diet while also supporting road safety and drowning prevention initiatives.
Vapor advocates have criticized Bloomberg for his rejection of tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategies, and his philanthropies’ attempts to influence policymaking around the world.
Recently, the International Network of Nicotine Consumers Organizations urged Vietnam to exercise “true independence” in its regulation of THR products, citing concern that the country’s regulations would be drafted by Bloomberg-financed organizations.
Anti-tobacco groups welcomed Bloomberg’s reappointment. “Michael Bloomberg is uniquely qualified to focus global attention on this public health crisis and serve as a catalyst for life-saving action around the world, and we look forward to partnering with him and the WHO on proven policy solutions to reduce NCDs and save lives,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, in a statement.
February 4, 2021
Jose Maria Costa Joins Newco

Jose Maria Costa
Jose Maria Costa will join Newco’s global team as an advisor to management effective Feb. 1, 2021.
Over the course of his 28-year career, Costa held various managerial positions at Pyxus International and its predecessor companies. His most recent roles include executive vice president of value-added agricultural products in Lilongwe, Malawi; executive vice president of global operations and supply chain in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; and regional director for Europe and the U.K.
In his new role, Costa will focus on growing Newco’s business through diversification and sustainability.
January 27, 2021
BAT Names New Operations Director

Zafar Khan (Photo: BAT)
Zafar Khan will succeed Alan Davy as director of operations at British American Tobacco (BAT) and will be appointed to the management board effective Feb., 1. Kahn started with BAT in Pakistan 24 years ago. Through his career he has acquired extensive global operations and supply chain experience, including regional operations director, Asia Pacific and Middle East and group head of plan, service and logistics.
Davy will step down from the management board on Jan. 31, and will leave the BAT Group on May 31 to pursue new challenges and spend more time with his family. Davy joined BAT in 1988 and has been with the group for 32 years, eight years of which as a member of the management board.
“I would like to thank Alan for the enormous contribution he has made to the group throughout his 32-year career at BAT,” said said BAT CEO Jack Bowles, in a statement. “Alan’s transformation of operations into a dynamic, multi-category function has been a key component of our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ strategy. Most recently, the group’s ability to navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19 is testament to the efficient, agile and globally integrated supply chain he has created. We wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
“BAT has around 13 million consumers of our non-combustible products and Zafar’s experience of expanding our capabilities and embedding an end-to-end supply chain for our new category products makes him the natural choice as director, operations, to accelerate the delivery of our ‘A Better Tomorrow strategy.’
“We are very proud of the depth and breadth of our management talent at BAT. By carefully developing careers on a global stage, we are, once again, able to ensure a well thought through and orderly internal succession to a key leadership role. Alan and I are confident that Zafar is the right leader, at the right time for the opportunities ahead. I wish Zafar the very best in his new role.”
January 19, 2021
Malunga Named CEO Tobacco Commission

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Joseph Chidanti Malunga has been hired as the new chief executive officer of the Tobacco Commission, reports Malawi24.
Malunga replaces Kayisi Sadala, whose contract has expired.
Malunga was previously spokesperson for United Transformation Movement (UTM), a political party, and a lecturer at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
He served as legislator for Nsanje South West from 2014 to 2019.
The Tobacco Commission regulates the production and marketing of tobacco in Malawi.
January 19, 2021
Swisher Announces Executive VPs

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Swisher has named Joe Augustus, Chris Casey and Lee Creasman executive vice presidents. They will continue to report to John J. Miller, president. Glenn Goodroe was also named executive vice president and will continue to report to Lou Caldropoli, chief operations officer.
Augustus, previously senior vice president of global affairs, will continue to lead corporate global affairs, international sales and distribution and will now also oversee Swisher’s inclusion, diversity and transformation program and Swisher’s corporate citizenship initiatives. Alexandria Deal, manager of diversity, inclusion and transformation, will now report to Augustus.
Casey, previously senior vice president and general counsel, leads the company’s legal and regulatory departments and the corporate secretary’s office.
Creasman, previously senior vice president of human resources, is responsible for leading the talent strategy for Swisher, including recruiting, the HRIS system and organizational development.
Goodroe, previously senior vice president of operations, is responsible for manufacturing, operations and supply chain. He is a member of the senior leadership team reporting to Lou Caldropoli, chief operations officer.
“The new level of executive vice president, along with the recent announcement of John Haley as chief growth officer and the 2017 announcement of Lou Caldropoli as chief operations officer, strengthens our senior leadership team for the execution of future growth plans,” said John Miller, president of Swisher, in a statement.
January 18, 2021