Category: People

  • John Casteen Retires from Altria Board

    John Casteen Retires from Altria Board

    Photo: Altria Group

    John T. Casteen III, a director of Altria Group since 2010, will retire from service on Altria’s board of directors following the completion of his current term.

    Casteen will not stand for re-election to the board of directors at Altria’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders, which is presently anticipated to be held on May 20, 2021.

    “Altria has benefited from John’s significant contributions over the past ten years,” said Tom Farrell, Altria’s independent board chairman in a statement. “We thank him for his distinguished service and wish him the very best.”

    Casteen is a member of the audit, compensation and talent development and innovation committees. He became president emeritus of the University of Virginia in August 2010 after having served as president of the university since 1990.

    Previously, Casteen served as secretary of education for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1982 to 1985 and president of the University of Connecticut from 1985 to 1990. He is a director of Strategic Education. He also serves as a director of the Leifur Eiriksson Foundation, the Institute for Shipboard Education (Semester at Sea) and Echo360.

  • PMI Appoints New Sustainability Officer

    PMI Appoints New Sustainability Officer

    Photo: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

    Philip Morris International (PMI) has appointed Jennifer Motles as chief sustainability officer effective Nov. 1, 2020. Motles will succeed the current chief sustainability officer, Huub Savelkouls, who will retire after almost three decades.

    Motles will report to the company’s chief financial officer, Emmanuel Babeau, as it is increasingly recognized—by both companies and investors—that fully integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) drivers into business strategy can significantly enhance both the sustainability agendas and financial performance.

    “Integrating sustainability and financial strategies is further recognition of our commitment to unsmoking our planet and transforming our company,” said PMI’s CEO Andre Calantzopoulos in a statement. “It is a logical next step for us, following our statement of purpose adopted by our board and the introduction of integrated reporting earlier this year.”

    Motles joined PMI in 2015 when she helped craft PMI’s sustainability strategy, ensuring it was intrinsically linked to the adoption of the company’s vision of delivering a smoke-free future. Since then, she has helped advance PMI’s transformation, honing the company’s sustainability and ESG performance with a strong focus on shareholder and stakeholder engagement.

    “This move outlines that ESG is core to PMI’s performance and success and further demonstrates PMI’s leadership in sustainability and corporate purpose,” said Babeau. “Jennifer, with her broad range of international experience and her proven track record in the domain, is the ideal candidate to lead our company’s ambitious sustainability agenda.”

    “It is our firm belief that sustainability and business performance do not follow separate paths and narratives. They are fully interrelated and mutually reinforcing and should be organized and presented to all stakeholders in an integrated way,” continued Babeau.

    Motles began her career working for the Chilean Office of Drugs and Crime Prevention and Prosecution. She gained international experience working for organizations such as UNCITRAL, UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch and the UNCTAD/WTO’s International Trade Center. Prior to joining PMI, Motles worked for the government of Israel, representing the country as its human rights and humanitarian affairs officer at the United Nations and other international organizations.

    She holds a doctor of law degree from Universidad de Chile—Escuela de Derecho and an LLM degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law as well as specialized diplomas in women’s human rights, behavioral economics, sustainability, sustainable finance and political affairs from IHEID, Harvard Business School, the Harvard School of Public Health and Stanford University.

  • Imperial Strengthens Executive Committee

    Imperial Strengthens Executive Committee

    Photo: Jakub Jirsák | Dreamstime

    Imperial Brands has continued to show resilience in adapting to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to CEO Stefan Bomhard.

    “In my first three months as CEO I have focused on reviewing our strategy, engaging with employees, and visiting as many of our key markets as possible,” he said in a trading update. “I have been struck by the energy and passion of my colleagues, which increases my confidence in our ability to deliver a stronger performance in the years ahead.”

    Bomhard also announced the addition of several external hires to its executive committee.

    Murray McGowan has been appointed group strategy and transformation director. Murray has a background in strategy gleaned from his time at McKinsey, Whitbread, The Restaurant Group and Yum! brands.

    Alison Clarke has been appointed chief people and culture officer. Alison was previously chief human resource officer at Inchcape, with responsibility for all aspects of people and culture strategies.

    Javier Huerta has been appointed group manufacturing and supply chain director and will succeed Walter Prinz when he retires. Javier is currently executive vice president supply chain for foods and refreshment at Unilever and will join Imperial in the coming weeks.

    The company is currently searching for a new chief financial officer, following Oliver Tant’s decision to retire.

     

  • Peter Hoffmann Joins Goebel IMS

    Peter Hoffmann Joins Goebel IMS

    Photo: Goebel IMS

    Peter H. Hoffmann has joined IMS Technologies Group as business development film vice president for Goebel IMS brand.
     
    Hoffmann has decades of experience in the plastic film industry in North America. He also worked for many years for one of the leading suppliers of bi-oriented film stretching lines.
     
    In his new role, Hoffman will report directly to Marino Ferrarese, group sales and marketing director, collaborating with Tobias Lanksweirt, sales director for the film business unit, and Maurens Amaral Gomes, sales manager for the Americas.

  • Industry Critic Stanton Glantz Retires

    Industry Critic Stanton Glantz Retires

    Photo: StockSnap from Pixabay

    University of California San Francisco (UCSF) professor and anti-tobacco activist Stanton Glantz has retired after 45 years.
     
    “I have finally retired from UCSF, ready to move to the next phase,” Glantz wrote in an email to colleagues that has since been shared by many, including Clive Bates, on Twitter. “I will also be continuing to work with my UCSF colleagues to complete work that is underway. From talking to colleagues who have already retired, I am confident that there will be more ways that I can keep contributing to fighting the tobacco industry and promoting public health.”
     
    Glantz announced that he would be stepping down as UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education director in June of this year after previously stepping down as principal investigator for the center.
     
    Glantz’s research on tobacco and vaping has been frequently criticized by vaping advocates. Recently, he was forced to retract a 2019 study that suggested a connection between vaping and heart attacks. It turned out that participants in the study had heart attacks before beginning to vape.
     
    In 2018, Glantz was accused of sexual harassment by two different women, resulting in a university settlement of $150,000 outside of court.
     
    Many of his critics are celebrating Glantz’s retirement. “Stanton Glantz’s long-overdue retirement is a win for taxpayers, consumers and public health,” said Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams.
     
    Clive Bates wrote on Twitter, “It should have happened years ago—many lives would have been saved. And much else.”

  • Kunze-Concewitz Joins Imperial Brands’ Board

    Kunze-Concewitz Joins Imperial Brands’ Board

    Imperial Brands has appointed Bob Kunze-Concewitz to the board effective Nov. 1, 2020.

    Kunze-Concewitz has a wealth of international business experience and is particularly skilled at marketing, having held a number of senior roles at leading fast-moving consumer goods companies. These include Global Prestige Products corporate marketing director at Procter & Gamble and group marketing director at Campari Group. He has been the chief executive officer of Campari Group for the past 13 years.

    “I am delighted to welcome Bob to the board,” said Therese Esperdy, chair of Imperial Brands’ board in a statement. “He has a strong track record of successfully executing brand and marketing strategies, and his experience and expertise will be a great addition to the board’s skill set.”

    Kunze-Concewitz will also join the remuneration committee effective Nov. 1, 2020.

  • Ashrafian Joins BAT as Chief Medical Officer

    Ashrafian Joins BAT as Chief Medical Officer

    Photo: BAT

    British American Tobacco (BAT) has appointed Hutan Ashrafian as chief medical officer.

    Ashrafian will be responsible for overall medical governance and ensuring robust medical processes and oversight are applied to all aspects of BAT’s clinical studies and post-market surveillance.

    In a press note, BAT said it is committed to reducing the health impact of its business through offering a range of enjoyable and less risky products. According to the company, Ashrafian will play a key role in the ongoing development and expansion of BAT’s multi-category approach, which offers consumers a wide range of potentially lower risk alternatives to cigarettes including e-cigarettes, tobacco heated products and modern oral nicotine pouches.

    Specifically, he will provide medical oversight to both BAT’s human research committee and product stewardship council. Ashrafian will also play an important role in helping to define and generate evidence that supports and substantiates the tobacco harm reduction potential of BAT’s new categories from a disease perspective.

    “We are delighted to have Hutan join BAT and become a member of the R&D leadership team,” said David O’Reilly, BAT’s director of scientific research. “The chief medical officer has always been a critical role at BAT as we strive to ensure all of the studies we undertake are of the highest standards from a quality and integrity perspective. His appointment will provide even greater confidence in our products for the science community and ultimately, consumers. It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering ‘A Better Tomorrow’ by ensuring the quality and efficacy of our new category products.”

    Ashrafian is a senior clinician-scientist and surgeon. He has led large research and clinical teams, working at population and precision medicine levels, to achieve the highest quality real world evidence and translational healthcare. He has extensive experience in strategy and driving national and international health policy with cabinet-level politicians, civil servants, and heads of state.

    Ashrafian qualified in medicine at University College London where he was also awarded an honors degree in immunology and cell pathology. His training in surgery also led to the award of the Arris & Gale lectureship at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He holds a PhD in computational physiology and metabolic surgery from Imperial College London and a health economics-focused MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School.

     

  • Michael Koganov Joins 22nd Century Board

    Michael Koganov Joins 22nd Century Board

    Michael Koganov

    22nd Century Group has appointed Michael Koganov to its board of directors. Koganov will serve as chair of the company’s scientific and technical advisory committee and as a member of its finance committee.

    Koganov is recognized as a leading expert in the development of natural products using plant biotechnology and has achieved considerable accomplishments in physico-chemistry, biochemistry, bioelectrochemistry and biotechnology.

    Among other things, he is credited with developing electro-membrane technology for the comprehensive processing of plants to produce protein concentrates and secondary metabolites. Koganov co-founded IBT, which developed the proprietary and sustainable Zeta Fraction technology.

    “We are excited to welcome Michael to our board,” said 22nd Century’s board chair, Nora Sullivan in a statement. “As a recognized expert in plant biotechnology and life science, Michael will further strengthen our leadership team with his highly relevant expertise related to the Company’s strategic, scientific initiatives.”

  • Cannadips Hires Former Altria Executive

    Cannadips Hires Former Altria Executive

    Maura Scott (Photo: Boldt Runners Corp.)

    Boldt Runners Corp., the licensee of Cannadips CBD, a smokeless dip pouch with CBD, has appointed former tobacco executive Maura Scott as chief sales officer and chief compliance officer.

    With more than two decades of experience as a business leader, in-house and outside corporate counsel, Scott brings expertise in sales and marketing strategy development and execution, along with a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory landscape.

    Most recently, Scott served as vice president northeast region sales at Altria Group, where she led a team of 400 sales professionals across 13 U.S. states. In 2018, she was recognized by her peers in the convenience industry with the Top Women in Convenience “Woman of the Year” Award.  Previously, Scott served as assistant general counsel at Altria where she led the sales practice group.

    “I am excited to be part of the Boldt Runners team,” said Scott in a statement. “Cannadips CBD is a brand that has great potential in the marketplace for tobacco alternatives. Since its launch in 2018, it has quickly gained transaction with adult consumers and is poised to expand rapidly as the company ramps up production and distribution to more markets.”

  • Guerra Joins BAT as Non-Executive Director

    Guerra Joins BAT as Non-Executive Director

    Karen Guerra will join the board of British American Tobacco (BAT) as an independent non-executive director and member of the nominations and remuneration committees with effect from Sept. 14, 2020.

    Guerra has been a non-executive director of Amcor PLC since June 2019 and Electrocomponents since January 2013.

    Previously, Guerra has held a variety of executive roles, including president and director general of Colgate Palmolive France, and chairman and managing director of Colgate Palmolive UK. Guerra has also served as a non-executive director of Swedish Match, Davide Campari-Milano, Paysafe, Inchcape and Samlerhuset.

    “I would like to welcome Karen to the Board of British American Tobacco,” said Richard Burrows, chairman of BAT, in a statement. “Karen brings with her a range of valuable international experience, particularly in marketing and consumer goods, and I am looking forward to her contribution to the board.”