British American Tobacco (BAT) has announced the retirement of chief marketing officer Luciano Comin after a 34-year career with the tobacco group, alongside a series of senior management changes that will take effect over the coming months.
Comin will step down from his role as chief marketing officer and from BAT's Management Board on 28 February 2027, bringing to a close a career spanning more than three decades with the company. He has served on the Management Board for eight years, including the past three as CMO.
BAT has appointed Pascale Meulemeester, currently regional director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), as chief marketing officer designate from 1 January 2027. She will formally succeed Comin as chief marketing officer on 1 March 2027 and will continue as a member of the Management Board.
Meanwhile, Celina Li will join BAT on 1 September 2026 as regional director designate for APMEA before taking over as regional director and joining the Management Board from 1 January 2027.
Li joins from Ocean Spray Cranberries, where she serves as chief commercial officer and general manager, International & Ingredients, and is a member of the company's executive leadership team. Before joining Ocean Spray in 2021, she held senior leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, including vice president and general manager for its water business and vice president of strategy. She has also worked at AB InBev, Procter & Gamble and Bain & Company.
Announcing the changes, BAT chief executive Tadeu Marroco paid tribute to Comin's contribution to the business.
“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,” Marroco said.
“He leaves BAT with our sincerest gratitude and I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.”
Marroco said Meulemeester's experience leading the APMEA region had demonstrated “deep expertise in building brands at scale” and a strong understanding of evolving consumer trends, making her “ideally suited to lead our marketing function as we continue to deliver our strategic transformation”.
He also welcomed Li to the business, saying her international leadership experience, commercial expertise and track record of delivering growth across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific would strengthen BAT's operations across the APMEA region.