Des Naughton

Des Naughton was a member of the British American Tobacco (BAT) management team from 2010 to 2015, when he left BAT.¹

Long-Standing Career with British American Tobacco

Naughton joined BAT in 1995², and has held a number of management roles:³

• Director Next-Generation Products, Managing Director Nicoventures and CN Creative (2013-2015)
• 2011 Group Operations Director Designate
• Group Operations Director (2011-2013)
• Regional Director Eastern Europe (2010-2011)
• Global Brand Director Dunhill, 555 State Express, Benson and Hedges (2008-2011)
• President BAT Korea (2005-2008)
• Managing Director Gulf Cooperation Countries Business Unit (2001-2004)

Harm Reduction and Next Generation Products

One of Naughton’s roles was Managing Director of Nicoventures, a BAT subsidiary originally set up in 2010 to develop non-tobacco nicotine products, so-called Next-Generation Products.⁴ In this role, Naughton featured in BAT’s Sustainability Focus Report 2013, promoting BAT’s harm reduction strategy to “give smokers much of the experience they expect from a cigarette but without the serious health risk”, in particular by marketing e-cigarettes.⁵ At the time, BAT had just launched its Vype e-cigarette.

• For more detail on BAT’s marketing of Vype and other so-called ‘Next Generation Products’, go to E-cigarettes: British American Tobacco.

Affiliations

Global Tobacco Networking Forum

Naughton was a speaker at the 2012 Global Tobacco Networking Forum, an annual tobacco industry event known now as the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum.⁶

TobaccoTactics Resources

• British American Tobacco
• Nicoventures
• CN Creative
• Harm Reduction
• E-cigarettes: British American Tobacco.
• Global Tobacco Networking Forum 2012
• Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum

Relevant Link

British American Tobacco website