LONDON —British American Tobacco (BAT) has appointed Mike Nightingale as its first ever chief sustainability officer, who will be responsible for leading the company’s sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda.
Nightingale has been the group head of investor relations for the past 10 years. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles in sustainability regulation and marketing.
“Sustainability and ESG have evolved substantially over recent years, and at pace,” BAT CEO Jack Bowles said. “It’s clear that the regulatory requirements of ESG—notably in reporting—have grown tremendously. BAT has always been a sustainability pioneer—we published our first, industry-leading Sustainability Report in 2001—and I am absolutely committed to that remaining the case. Mike will lead us into a new era of sustainability ‘thought leadership’.”
Also, to reflect the increasing strategic importance of ESG and sustainability for BAT, Kingsley Wheaton’s role as chief marketing officer with responsibility for corporate affairs will be redesignated as chief growth officer. He has led the initiatives to place ESG front and center of BAT’s strategy, and he oversees the marketing efforts to drive value from combustibles while ensuring a step-change in new categories performance.
Nightingale will report to Kingsley. Victoria Buxton, senior investor relations manager, will fill Nightingale’s previous role as group head of investor relations.
“Victoria has an excellent track record, both as a consumer sector equity analyst and, more recently, as a senior member of Mike’s team. Her promotion is testament to her energy, commitment and drive,” Bowles said.
BAT’s ESG plan has a principal focus on reducing the health impact of BAT’s global business to “Build a Better Tomorrow.” Priorities include addressing climate change and excellence in environmental management, according to its website. Part of its goals also include having 50 million consumers of BAT’s non-combustible products by 2030 and achieve carbon neutral operations by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
BAT, London, is a tobacco company known for cigarette brands including Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, Camel, Newport and more, along with alternative products like Vuse vapor and Velo modern oral nicotine pouches.
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