Category: People

Altria Veteran Brian Quigley Joins Respira

Photo: Jakub Jirsák | Dreamstime.com
Brian Quigley has joined Respira Technologies as chief operating officer.
Quigley spent 16 years at Altria Group where he was CEO of the smokeless tobacco business from 2012 to 2018.

“We are thrilled to have Brian join the Respira team as we prepare to enter the commercial phase of our company’s growth,” said Mario Danek, Respira’s Founder and CEO. “Brian’s vocal leadership for responsible industry practices and harm reduction combined with his impressive track record of driving business performance in FDA-regulated businesses make him the perfect leader for the next phase of growth for our unique product platforms.”

Respira has developed two proprietary drug delivery platforms designed for safe aerosol-based delivery of drugs to patients and end users, without the creation of harmful byproducts and compounds. According to Respira, the platforms have applications in nicotine-replacement therapies, reduced-harm tobacco products and pharmaceutical drug delivery.

“I am excited to be joining Respira Technologies at this critical moment in the company’s journey,” said Quigley. “I look forward to working with our team, investors and partners as we prepare to commercialize our proprietary drug delivery platforms.”
July 1, 2020
KT&G Researcher Recognized

KT&G Senior Researcher Kim Ik-jung (Photo: KT&G)
A KT&G researcher has received the Prime Minister Award in recognition of his contribution to industrial development in South Korea.

KT&G Senior Researcher Kim Ik-jung was recognized for his development of a fat-soluble liquid encapsulation technology previously held only by prominent pharmaceutical manufacturers in Japan and Europe, and for securing patent rights in Korea and overseas.

The technology enabled KT&G to localize the production of tobacco capsules, for which it previously relied on imports from Japan. The technology could potentially also be used in other industries, including medicines and foods.

The award was presented June 24 on South Korea’s 55th Invention Day, an event organized by the Korean Intellectual Property Office and hosted by the Korea Invention Promotion Association.
June 30, 2020
Cerulean Appoints New Head of Sales

Paul Glenn (Photo courtesy of Cerulean)
Paul Glenn, head of sales and aftersales at Cerulean, will be retiring at the end of 2020.
He will be succeeded by Gianmarco Guiduzzi, who joins Cerulean from G.D where he worked as a key account manager for multinationals within the tobacco sector.
With a master’s degree in engineering from Bologna University and an executive MBA from Bocconi University, Guiduzzi is well qualified to deal with the ever-changing tobacco market, according to Cerulean.
Guiduzzi will act as head of sales and aftersales designate until Glenn’s retirement.
“I’d like to personally thank Paul for his dedication and service during his time here at Cerulean and wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement,” said Steve Frankham, managing director of Cerulean.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome Gianmarco to the Cerulean team. Gianmarco has been working closely with Cerulean since the Coesia acquisition in 2017 and I have the greatest confidence that he will pick up where Paul has left off and continue to grow the business.”
Glenn has spent much of his working life in the tobacco industry. He joined Cerulean in 2008 from Courtaulds Acetate where he was sales director for 10 years.
June 29, 2020
Former STMA Official Gets Life in Prison

Photo: Andrianocz | Dreamstime.com
Zhao Hongshun, former deputy head of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated on June 18 for taking bribes worth more than RMB90 million ($12.7 million), according to a news release issued by The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China.
The Huai’an Intermediate People’s Court in East China’s Jiangsu province issued the verdict, saying the money involved in Zhao’s case will be turned over to the state treasury. Zhao said in court he would not appeal.
According to the complaint, Zhao took advantage of his positions, including that of deputy director and deputy head of the economic operation department of the STMA and deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration, to assist individuals and companies in contracts related to the printing of cigarette labels, tobacco advertising business and personal promotion from 2002 to 2018.
Zhao was placed under investigation by China’s top graft watchdogs in February 2019. He was expelled from the communist party and removed from public positions and arrested in July. In September 2019, Zhao was charged with bribery.
June 24, 2020
New Leadership at Philippines’ National Tobacco Administration

Photo: PMFTC
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Robert Victor Seares Jr. as administrator and chief executive officer of National Tobacco Administration (NTA) on June 10, reports The Philippine Star.
Seares took his oath before Malabon Regional Trial Court Judge Josie Rodil in a ceremony held at the NTA central office in Quezon City.
Previously the mayor of Abra, Seares Jr. replaces his father, Robert Seares Sr., who died on March 19 this year.
Seares Jr. vowed to continue the programs that his father started as well as protect the welfare of tobacco farmers.
An agency of the Department of Agriculture, the NTA aims to promote the interest of tobacco farmers and other industry stakeholders.
June 22, 2020
Co-founder Resigns From Boikon

Jeroen Oosterhof (right) and Erik Oosterhof
Jeroen Oosterhof has announced his resignation as co-director and co-owner of Boikon, a Dutch engineering firm that develops track-and-trace solutions for the tobacco industry, among other technologies.
Oosterhof founded Boikon almost 25 years ago with his brother Erik Oosterhof in an attic, where they made technical drawings. The firm has experienced considerable growth and evolved into a leading technological innovator serving a wide variety of industries.
In 2018, Boikon won a Tobacco Reporter Golden Leaf Award in the Most promising product introduction category for its Djura technology.
Erik will acquire Jeroen’s shares in Boikon and continue the company’s day-to-day management.
“Boikon is a great company with nice colleagues and relations,” said Jeroen. “I have full confidence in Erik continuing the company and wish Boikon and all her relations a bright future.”
June 22, 2020
Sivignon to Join Imperial Brands Board

Image: Skypixel | Dreamstime.com
Pierre-Jean Sivignon will join the board of Imperial Brands on July 1, 2020.

Sivignon is an experienced finance professional, having held chief financial officer positions at Faurecia, a leader in automotive technology, Philips, a health technology company, and most recently Groupe Carrefour, a global retailer, where he was also deputy CEO, advisor to the Carrefour chair and CEO.

Sivignon is currently a nonexecutive director of Vista Oil & Gas, which is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. He has previously held nonexecutive directorships with Imerys and Technip.

“We are delighted to welcome Pierre-Jean to the Imperial Brands board,” said Imperial Brands Chair Therese Esperdy. “His international financial expertise in customer-facing businesses will be of great value to us, and he joins the board at an exciting time for the company.”

Sivignon will also join Imperial Brands’ audit committee effective July 1, 2020.
June 16, 2020
Stanton to Chair Imperial Brands’ Audit Committee

Jon Stanton | Photo: Imperial Brands
Karen Witts
Karen Witts has decided to step down as chair of the audit committee and as a non-executive director of Imperial Brands effective June 15, 2020.
Jon Stanton, who has been a member of the audit committee since May 2019 and has the required relevant financial experience, will succeed Witts as chair of the audit committee.
“I would like to thank Karen for her significant contribution to the board and its committees over the past six and a half years and wish her well in the future,” said Imperial Brands’ Chair Therese Esperdy.
June 12, 2020
Marc Firestone to Retire; PMI Appoints Successor

Marc Firestone | Photo: PMI
Suzanne Rich Folsom
Photo: Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Philip Morris International (PMI) has appointed Suzanne Rich Folsom to the position of senior vice president and general counsel, leading legal, ethics and compliance, effective July 1, 2020. She succeeds Marc Firestone, who will retire later this year. Since January 2018, Firestone has held a dual role at PMI: president, external affairs and general counsel. He will continue to lead the company’s external affairs function until a successor is appointed.
Folsom comes to PMI from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, where she co-chaired the investigations, compliance, and strategic response group and was a member of the government & regulatory and cyber & privacy groups. Before that, she was the general counsel, chief compliance officer, and senior vice president, government affairs and global public policy at United States Steel Corp. Previously, she held leadership positions with a number of global entities, including AIG, ACADEMI and the World Bank, and served in key roles for several heads of state and their families. Folsom holds degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and Duke University.
In her new position based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Folsom will report to PMI CEO Andre Calantzopoulos. Leading the legal, ethics and compliance teams, she will be an ambassador for the company across legal and regulatory environments; influence conversations aimed at creating a climate of change for better consumer choice as the company drives forward with its smoke-free transition; serve as counselor to PMI’s executive leadership team, board of directors, and other leaders; and build support for appropriate, risk-proportionate regulatory frameworks, among other functions.
“Suzanne Rich Folsom comes to us with a reputation as one of the most highly regarded and experienced general counsels and compliance and corporate governance specialists, having operated in very complex business environments,” said Calantzopoulos.
“Together with the board and our senior leadership, I extend enormous gratitude to Marc Firestone for all he has done for PMI,” he added. “A diplomatic statesman beyond compare, Marc has been the external face of PMI, serving as the embodiment of our ethical values and liaising with governments and regulators to inject common sense into the debate around tobacco.”
June 11, 2020
New Leadership at Beumer Corp.

Joseph Dzierzawski
Joseph Dzierzawski has been named president and CEO of Beumer Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of the Beumer Group in Somerset, New Jersey, USA, effective April 27, 2020. He will be responsible for the business lines conveying and loading systems, palletizing and packaging technology, and sortation and distribution systems in the North American market.
With a degree in metallurgical engineering, he previously served at a German system supplier for the metallurgy industry. He then joined an international engineering and management consulting company, where he served as global director of technology and business development.
With annual sales of about €950 million ($1.07 billion) the Beumer Group employs 4,500 employees worldwide.
June 5, 2020