07 July 2022
Making Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) a reality has never been more crucial. Thatās what our Chief Marketing Officer ā now Chief Growth Officer ā Kingsley Wheaton, told Arabian Business magazine as he sat down with the Middle East business publication to discuss BATās A Better Tomorrowā¢ transformation.
In theĢż, Kingsley stresses how THR is at the core of our strategy.
He said: āIncreasingly, governments and policy makers worldwide are taking Tobacco Harm Reduction seriously. Reduced-risk*ā Ģżproducts, such as vaping, tobacco heating products and nicotine pouches, give smokers who do not want to give up smoking an alternative. A route away from cigarettes.ā
Kingsley also pointed to how New Category products now count for 12% of BATās revenue and that well-thought-through regulation is essential to ensuring that adult consumers ācan enjoy reduced-risk*ā products with confidence.ā
Kingsley added: āThere is substantial evidence to support vaping, tobacco heating, and modern oral products as reduced-risk*ā Ģżcompared to smoking. Itās really important that all stakeholders work together to develop an appropriate regulatory approach that provides consumers who might otherwise continue to smoke, with the access to, and the confidence to use, these products.ā
Our Middle East strategy is touched upon while Kingsley also makes clear how our A Better Tomorrowā¢ transformation is being driven by technology and R&D.
āOur transformation continues at pace and we are making strong progress towards our purpose to build A Better Tomorrow ā and this is just the beginningā, he said. āOur research and development, led by our 1,500 R&D specialists across the world, is creating an exciting pipeline of reduced-risk products*ā .ā
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* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.
ā Our products as sold in the US, including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance.