British American Tobacco Plc (LON:BATS) has announced that Luciano Comin will step down from his role as Chief Marketing Officer and from the Management Board on 28 February 2027, concluding a 34-year career with the Group. When he leaves, Luciano will have been a member of the Management Board for eight years, including three as Chief Marketing Officer.
Pascale Meulemeester will succeed Luciano as Chief Marketing Officer. Pascale is currently Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA). Pascale will be appointed as Chief Marketing Officer Designate with effect from 1 January 2027 and will assume the role of Chief Marketing Officer on 1 March 2027, continuing as a member of the Management Board throughout.
Celina Li will join BAT with effect from 1 September 2026 as Regional Director Designate, APMEA, and will become Regional Director, APMEA and a member of the Management Board with effect from 1 January 2027.
Celina is currently Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager, International & Ingredients at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a global agricultural cooperative where she is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Prior to joining Ocean Spray in 2021, Celina spent five years at The Coca-Cola Company where she held several senior roles, including Vice President and General Manager, Water and Vice President, Strategy. She previously held a number of roles at Anheuser-Busch InBev and The Procter & Gamble Company. She began her career with Bain & Company.
Commenting on the changes, Chief Executive, Tadeu Marroco, said:
“Luciano has made a significant contribution to BAT over the course of his lengthy career. Most recently Luciano has played a critical role in advancing BAT’s transformation through strengthening our brand, innovation and consumer-focused capabilities. He leaves BAT with our sincerest gratitude and I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.”
“I look forward to working with Pascale as she succeeds Luciano as Chief Marketing Officer. Since joining BAT, Pascale has made a strong contribution to the Management Board. Through her leadership of the APMEA Region she has demonstrated deep expertise in building brands at scale, a strong understanding of evolving consumer trends and preferences and how these combine to deliver quality growth. These qualities, combined with her general management experience and people leadership strength, make her ideally suited to lead our marketing function as we continue to deliver our strategic transformation.”
“I am also delighted to welcome Celina to British American Tobacco. Celina brings international leadership experience and a proven track record of driving growth in consumer businesses. She has successfully led large-scale business transformations, delivered sustainable revenue growth and strengthened profitability across businesses in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Her strategic insight, commercial acumen and consumer focus will be key assets as we continue to strengthen our business across APMEA.”
