British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) has announced the appointment of Luc Jobin as its new chairman, effective 28 April 2021.
He will step in as chairman designate on 1 March 2021 to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.
Jobin succeeds Richard Burrows, who is to step down as chairman and retire from the board at the end of the company’s AGM on 28 April.
An Experienced Professional
Jobin is an experienced professional specialising in shaping sustainable businesses.
He comes with experience in enterprise transformation, extensive North American knowledge and cross-industry credentials.
In 2017, Jobin joined BAT’s board as an independent non-executive director.
Presently, Jobin serves as an independent director on the boards of Gildan Activewear Inc and Hydro-Québec.
'Constructive Challenge'
BAT chairman, Burrows, added, “He has been an outstanding non-executive director over the last three years, providing consistent support, insight, and constructive challenge through the development of the strategy. I am sure that BAT will go from strength to strength with Luc [Jobin] as chairman and Jack Bowles as chief executive officer.”
During his executive career, he served as the executive vice-president and chief financial officer of Canadian National Railway Company, before taking over as the president and chief executive officer.
Before this, he was the executive vice-president of Power Corporation of Canada (an international financial services company).
'The Ideal Candidate'
Commenting on the appointment, senior independent director, Dimitri Panayotopoulos, said, "The board was clear that it was looking for a candidate with energy and personality to lead the board while BAT embraces the strategic opportunities of our corporate transformation.
“His significant North American experience and his track record in consumer and customer businesses, set against a strong list of external and internal candidates, made Luc [Jobin] the ideal candidate.”
Between 2003 and 2005, he served as the chief executive officer of Imperial Tobacco Canada.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
