British American Tobacco - Jack Bowles

I am proud and honoured to be the Chief Executive of BAT. I have spent a large part of my career here, which has provided me with amazing opportunities to build and energise teams to deliver sustainable growth for BAT and its shareholders.

I joined the company in 2004 and became Chairman of BAT France in 2005. I went on to be Regional Director for three different regions before becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2017 and then Chief Executive in April 2019.

The strengths of BAT that inspired me to join the company still excite me: we are a successful, truly global business with market-leading international brands. Today, we also have a compelling purpose to build A Better Tomorrow™, by reducing the health impact of our business.

Our vision to satisfy consumer preferences in tobacco and beyond has long been at the heart of our company, enabling us to deliver year-on-year growth in combustible products while also establishing a successful New Category products business.

But I’m also aware that we can’t stand still and that’s a challenge that inspires me. Our industry is changing at a speed never seen before as consumers’ tastes and preferences evolve and fragment beyond traditional cigarettes. As a result, we are focused on accelerating our current strategy to ensure we satisfy the preferences of adult smokers looking for reduced-risk^*† alternatives to their current products.

What also excites me is that, as part of this acceleration, we are becoming a stronger, simpler and faster organisation, well-equipped to write the next chapter in the history of this great company.

Of course, people truly power any successful organisation and that’s why our tens of thousands of employees around the world remain one of my priorities as Chief Executive. I am passionate about ownership, accountability and delivery and empowering our leaders across the organisation to keep us moving forward. I am also a great believer in the power of diversity in BAT – by harnessing diverse perspectives and ways of thinking we are far better placed to understand and meet the preferences of adult consumers in our diverse markets.

It is an exciting time to be part of this great company, with many changes in our industry but also great opportunities. With our depth of talent, our iconic brands and our range and pipeline of New Category products, I am confident that we will take full advantage of these opportunities as we accelerate the transformation of BAT into an even stronger, simpler and faster multi-category tobacco and nicotine products company.

Nationality: French

Career to date

• 2004: Joins BAT and becomes Chairman of BAT France in 2005
• 2007: Becomes Managing Director, BAT Malaysia
• 2009: Joins BAT’s Management Board as Regional Director, Western Europe
• 2011: Appointed Regional Director, Americas and also becomes Chairman of Souza Cruz (BAT’s then listed subsidiary in Brazil)
• 2013: Takes on his third Regional Director role, this time in Asia-Pacific
• 2017: Appointed Chief Operating Officer – International
• 2018: Appointed Chief Executive Designate when the Group announces that previous Chief Executive Nicandro Durante is retiring
• 2019: Becomes Chief Executive from 1 April 2019

Education

• IPAG Business School, Paris, France

Personal interests

I am married and a proud father of three children. I am a great believer in work-life balance which for me is about having a fulfilling and enriching life, both professionally and personally. I am passionate about scuba diving and have completed more than 100 dives around the world. I am also very interested in history and architecture, particularly how societies and buildings have evolved over time.