Tobacco Asia

72 tobaccoasia CLOSING NEWS 卷尾新闻 JTI's New UK General Manager Tom Osborne is Japan Tobacco International's (JTI) new UK general manager. Osborne, who has 20 years of experience with the company and has held a number of senior positions internationally, will lead the company's UK division. He began working at JTI in 2003 as a graduate trainee in the UK and eventually rose through the ranks to become the director of marketing for JTI in Malaysia. After serving in a number of executive positions in Taiwan, leading the Canary Islands market, Osborne was appointed marketing and sales vice president for the western Europe region in 2015. He most recently served as vice president of strategic projects and initiatives at JTI's headquarters in Geneva. "I am delighted to be back in the UK after 14 years working internationally, rejoining our talented team who continue to focus on successfully meeting our consumers' evolving needs and expectations," said Osborne. "JTI is dedicated to creating fulfilling moments for adult consumers. In the UK, we are the number one tobacco business and the first to provide the full range of products in both the tradi- tional tobacco and alternative product categories through Ploom heated tobacco, Nordic Spirit nicotine pouches, and Logic vapes, blending tradition and innovation." Leadership Changes at 22nd Century John Miller, who led 22nd Century Group's tobacco business unit, was appointed as interim c.e.o., succeeding James A. Mish, who served as c.e.o. since June 2020. Mish will continue to serve as a member of the company's Board of Directors. "I look forward to continuing to advance our mission of innovative plant technologies tied to tobacco harm reduction and new consumer focused health and wellness products," said Miller. "VLN represents the most unique and innovative approach to harm reduction in years, providing adult smokers with a truly unique, clinically studied solution to reducing their smoking habit. Likewise, our work in the hemp/cannabis business is bringing forward new products sought by consum- ers while applying the consistent standards, reliable manufac- turing processes and national distribution support needed for brands to effectively scale in these growing end markets." The company also appointed Wall Street veteran Andrew ("Andy") Arno to its Board of Directors as an independent director. Arno has 35+ years of experience handling a wide range of corporate and financial matters, including work as an investment banker, strategic advisor, and board member to emerging growth companies. Passive-Aggressive Tobacco Control Hong Kongers should stare disapprovingly at smokers to create a tobacco-free city, says health minister Lo Chung-mau. According to Lo, people who light-up in non-smoking areas are unlikely to "hit back" if everyone stares at them. "Cigarettes can harm the health of all of us," Lo said during a meeting of the Legislative Council's health service panel. "When the members of the public see people smoking in non-smoking areas, even if no law enforcement officers can show up immediately, we can stare at the smokers. "When someone takes out a cigarette at a restaurant, everyone on the premises can stare at that person. I do not believe that person would dare to hit back at everyone at the restaurant as they are simply staring." He went on to say that this behavior would help create a "non-smoking" culture, citing queuing at bus stops as an example of the impact of social rules as there is no law that compels people to line up at bus stops yet they do it because it is the socially-accepted way. Lo also warned that the ban on smoking in prohibited areas will be strictly enforced, and authorities will use surveillance footage or video clips that the public provides as evidence. In Hong Kong, there are statutory no-smoking areas that include parts of restaurants, workplaces, indoor public spaces, and some outdoor public spaces. Violators face fines of HK$1,500 for offenses. New Legal Chief at PMI Philip Morris International (PMI) has a new legal chief replacing Suzanne Rich Folsom: Yann Guérin. Guérin served in various legal and compliance roles at PMI for nearly the last 18 years. His most recent role with the company was assistant general counsel for corporate, wherehe served as senior counsel for the US$16 billion purchase of Swedish Match AB. He replaces Folsom, an experienced law department head and former Big Law practice leader who served as the cigarette manufacturer's top lawyer for three years. According to a PMI statement, Folsom left on July 1 in order to relocate back to the Washington area. She will continue to serve as a senior strategic adviser to PMI on a consulting basis as it develops plans to make the US "one of our most important markets." PMI reached a US$2.7 billion deal with Altria Group last year to sell IQOS in the US starting in 2025. It is also entering the US via its takeover of Swedish Match. Last summer PMI opened it corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Nationwide Illicit Tobacco Bust in Iran The Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced that its agents had detained members of 15 organized gangs who were engaged in a massive operation smuggling cigarettes and other tobacco products into the country. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian judiciary worked together to make the arrests in 10 provinces, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website. It further stated that the networks used unofficial entry points to smuggle large quantities of unstandardized tobacco products and cigarettes into the country. The ministry statement said the gangs stored the illegal goods in border areas before distributing them all over the country. The ministry reported that during the anti-smuggling operations, more than 100 storehouses owned by these gangs were found, and that 60 smugglers were detained and turned over to the appropriate authorities. Smokers in Hong Kong will have to develop a thicker skin if people follow the health minister's suggestion to stare at smokers. Photo credit: Bruce Mars

• Cover