Fadoul Pekhazis
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Fadoul Pekhazis, Tobacco Tactics, updated 07 February 2020, accessed 11 April 2024.
Fadoul Pekhazis served as Regional President for the Middle East/Near East/Africa/Turkey and World Wide Duty Free (WWDF) at Japan Tobacco International (JTI) from October 2005 until February 2016.12
In February 2016 he left the tobacco company.3
Career with Japan Tobacco International
Pekhazis joined RJ Reynolds in 1988 where he held various marketing and sales positions.1
Promoted to Regional Vice President Middle East in 1998, his responsibilities were extended to the North and West of Africa, and Iran from 2004.1
Turkey was added to his responsibilities in April 2007 and the World Wide Duty Free in January 2008.1
Involvement in JTI’s Expansion
Cigarettes in Sudan
In 2011, JTI announced a deal to buy Sudanese cigarette manufacturer Haggar Cigarette & Tobacco Factory (HCTF).4
Pekhazis stated that JTI’s motivation behind the decision to invest in Sudan was to expand the company’s geographical footprint in developing markets and to build a strong business base there.4
At the time of acquisition, HCTF held a 80% market share of the cigarette market in the Republic of Sudan.5
Waterpipes in Egypt
Japan Tobacco Inc, the parent company of JTI, announced on 16 November 2012, that it had entered into an agreement to acquire all the outstanding shares of Egyptian waterpipe company Nakhla.6
At the time, Nakhla held a 70% waterpipe tobacco market share in Eqypt, and exported its products to 85 countries, mainly in the Middle East and Africa.6
In response to this development, Pekhazis commented that; “Our acquisition of Nakhla offers an excellent opportunity for growth in the waterpipe segment and widens our brand portfolio, in line with our strategy to address the needs of adult consumers across a range of tobacco product categories… Furthermore, the acquisition enhances JTI’s geographical footprint in the Middle East and Africa, and over the long-term, provides a platform for JTI to participate in the sizeable cigarette market in Egypt.”6
Spokesperson on Smoking Lounges in Munich Airport
JTI opened three smoking lounges, a ‘Camel Plaza’ and six smoking corners at Munich Airport in 2008, claiming to provide smoking passengers a ‘relaxed environment’ before boarding the plane.7
Pekhazis stated in response that “I think this new facility will be applauded by many people travelling from or via Munich, both smokers and non-smokers” and concluded that “This is a win-win solution for all parties: the smoking public is looked after, non-smokers are not annoyed by tobacco smoke and the airport provides an excellent service to travellers.”7
- Other airports with tobacco company sponsored smoking areas: Bristol Airport (UK).
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