MONTREAL, May 3, 2023 /CNW/ - Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN), a leading tobacco and vaping products company, distributing high-quality nicotine products to over 29,000 retailers across Canada, is pleased to appoint Frank Silva as President and Chief Executive Officer. This appointment took effect April 1, 2023.
Mr. Silva has a long history with ITCAN, and its parent company BAT, that includes roles at local, regional, and global levels. Mr. Silva has served as Regional Marketing Director for BAT's Asia Pacific and Middle East region (APME), Vice-President of Marketing and Sales at ITCAN, and Marketing Director for BAT UK & Ireland. At the Global level, he was instrumental in developing BAT's Harm Reduction strategy, which is core to the company's expansion into new categories, currently focused on less harmful alternatives to smoking.
Most recently, Mr. Silva has been working with Reynolds American, BAT's division in the United States. During that time Mr. Silva was Senior Vice President of Digital and Consumer Experiential Marketing, President of Reynolds Sales & Trade Marketing Services as well as Senior Vice President of Reynolds premium brand portfolio, Newport, Camel & Natural American Spirit. His extensive experience and proven track record will be valuable assets to drive ITCAN's journey towards A Better Tomorrow™.
"I am thrilled to return home to ITCAN as President and CEO," said Mr. Silva. "I would like to extend my gratitude to my predecessor, Ralf Wittenberg, for his hard work and leadership over the past three years. He has left me a solid business with incredible people, and I believe we are well positioned to continue demonstrate leadership in the tobacco harm reduction space.''
Ralf Wittenberg will return to BAT's global headquarters in London as Commercial Director, Nicotine Reduced Risk Products (RRP).
With his experience in tobacco harm reduction, Mr. Silva will be pivotal in continuing ITCAN's focus on offering a portfolio of less harmful alternatives to adult smokers. He believes that with the right regulatory framework, a continued increase in the acceptance of tobacco harm reduction, and the right enforcement to ensure nicotine products are not sold to youth, Canada can reduce smoking rates below 5% before Health Canada's stated goal of 2035.
"I am excited by what the future holds for ITCAN. As a Canadian, I am vested in the company and in the country. I believe we have the right strategy and the best people to continue our transformation," continued Mr. Silva. "We have a strong legacy of innovation and leadership, and I am confident we will deliver A Better Tomorrow™ for all our stakeholders."
Imperial Tobacco Canada is Canada's leading tobacco and vaping products company and is part of the world's most international tobacco group: BAT. BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business, operating in over 180 markets. Our vision is to build A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers.
Our strong foundations, together with our capacity for cutting-edge innovation, are a platform for us to build more sustainable products for our adult consumers, and a more sustainable business for our colleagues, shareholders, and communities.
SOURCE Imperial Tobacco Canada
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