British American Tobacco

I was proud to be appointed Director, New Categories in January 2019. In this new role on the Management Board, I am responsible for innovation, brand building and the growth of our potentially reduced-risk products (PRRPs).

I’ve been with BAT since 2005 in various roles, including Regional Marketing Manager, Asia-Pacific and Middle East; Area Director, East Asia; and Global Head of Marketing Futures. I began my career in the world of FMCG in international roles at Unilever and then Kimberly-Clark.

However, I can honestly say that this is the most exciting and important role I have ever had. Exciting because we’re building outstanding new brands and making new choices available to consumers through a pipeline of highly innovative PRRPs.

And an important role because our industry is experiencing its biggest transformation ever and I am confident the work we do now in our new categories will help lay the foundations for a sustainable and successful future for BAT. That’s a special thing to be part of and, as a leader, provides a compelling vision with which to inspire our people.

Our global footprint, the incredible diversity of our business and the uniquely supportive and collaborative culture that I’ve experienced here make BAT a standout place to work for me. It’s a fantastic time to be part of our company as we transform ourselves through technology and innovation to achieve our ambition to create a better tomorrow for our consumers.

Nationality: Dutch

Career to date

• 1992: Joins Unilever as Brand Director for Dove in Europe and in the next six years becomes the company’s Marketing Director for Calvin Klein in the U.S. and Sales Director in Mexico
• 1998: Appointed CEO of Unilever’s operations in Vietnam
• 2002: Becomes CEO of Kimberley Clark’s operations in the Philippines and Vietnam and is appointed CEO South Asia in 2003
• 2005: Joins BAT as CEO of BAT Vietnam
• 2006: Appointed Area Director for BAT in East Asia
• 2009: Moves to London as Group Head of Futures, heading up the development and deployment of BAT’s innovations
• 2012: Returns to Asia-Pacific as Regional Marketing Manager
• 2019: Appointed to BAT’s Management Board as Director, New Categories

Education

• Master of Business Economics from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Personal interests

Away from work, I love nothing better than spending time with family and friends, particularly my lovely young son, and I am very passionate about all kinds of sports.