Passing the baton

–A note from GTNF advisory board chairman David O’Reilly

As I step down as chairman of the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) advisory board, I would like to say that it has been a very real privilege to have had the opportunity to act as chairman for this fantastic forum over the past two years. I would very much like to thank the other members of the board for all their hard work and a special thank you to Tobacco Reporter for giving me the opportunity to serve in this position and to GTNF President Elise Rasmussen for her encouragement and her confidence in me. I truly feel that the last two years have been extremely fulfilling and have afforded me the opportunity to see at close hand how this forum has evolved into a world-class event for our sector.

For those of you who have followed the fortunes of the GTNF from the very beginning, you will notice that the name has changed from the Global Tobacco Networking Forum to the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum. The change in name was designed to reflect the changing nature of our industry.

The advent of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products is changing the nature of our industry to the extent that we appear to be at a crossroads where the desires of consumers—and therefore the interests of shareholders—and those of tobacco control intersect for the first time. The industry and public health campaigners are now in uncharted territory. For the first time, we’re fighting for the same thing.

Of course, this may make some in certain segments of the public health sphere uneasy, and this may help to explain the reluctance of some in that space to endorse the use of such products. We all acknowledge that further research is required, but the emerging evidence is becoming clear: Certainly, in the case of e-cigarettes, they could significantly reduce the harm caused by smoking and reduce the harm to people that would have otherwise continued to smoke. The tobacco and nicotine industries have to be part of the process.

The GTNF has become one of the very best opportunities to examine more closely the industry and what it represents—innovation, purpose and meeting the needs of adult consumers across the globe.

But what makes the GTNF really special is the people who come and their enthusiastic participation. Every year, I am always impressed by the caliber of the delegates at the GTNF, with stakeholders from the industry, the public health community, regulators, investors, analysts, academics, think tanks, consumer groups and the media. It is truly exciting and stimulating to watch all of these people come together and give their time to engage with the issues and each other in the spirit of inclusiveness that makes the GTNF truly special.

And these values are embodied in the advisory board’s incoming chairman, Alliance One’s Mark Kehaya. As many of you know, Mark has been the chairman of the independent leaf tobacco merchant Alliance One since 2010 and was its interim chief executive from 2010 until 2013. He is currently the chair of the company’s social responsibility and corporate affairs committee and had a varied career prior to Alliance One.

Under his stewardship on the advisory board, the GTNF can, and I believe will, continue to go from strength to strength.

David O’Reilly
Group scientific and R&D director
British American Tobacco