TEANECK, N.J. -- Tobacco manufacturer JTI USA has announced that Tom Morris has been named vice president of national sales within the Consumer & Trade Marketing group. He will manage field sales activities and business development of the JTI USA portfolio of brands: Wave, Wings and Export A.
"JTI USA has positioned itself for accelerated growth, and we are confident that Tom's experience will add to our strategic vision for our company," said Jacques Coffeng, JTI USA general manager. "Tom's knowledge of the tobacco industry and successful category management will further drive the growth of our brands."
Morris has 21 years of experience in the tobacco industry, starting at Brown & Williamson in 1992 as territory manager and consistently increased responsibilities.
At the time of the R.J. Reynolds acquisition of Brown & Williamson in 2004, he was senior director of trade marketing and sales in South Texas, responsible for developing and executing sale strategies in the region. Morris was recognized for his extraordinary performance in the region following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, developing and implementing plans to allow full coverage during those trying times.
He continued to drive growth in the region until 2013 when he joined Innovation Village, a newly established consumer goods company, where he developed go-to-market plans and built a new sales team.
The company also announced the promotion of Renee Duszynski to the new role of national key accounts manager within the Consumer & Trade Marketing group. She will manage the key account business development of Wave, Wings and Export A.
In this role, she will be accountable for the planning and implementation of the company's key account strategy and the acquisition of new national accounts. In addition, she will act as the primary JTI USA liaison with chain business partners and enhance the tobacco category for those key partners.
"Renee's demonstrated skill at developing and maintaining relationships with national chain partners. In the last three years, that has led to JTI USA growth, including a strong partnership with Circle K that began in 2012," said Coffeng. "With her leadership, our key account partnerships will grow significantly by offering JTI USA high-quality brands to chain partners."
Duszynski joined JTI USA in June 2010 as key account manager. Before that, she quickly progressed to roles with increasing responsibilities in both the sales and corporate arenas at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. She started as a senior key account manager in Buffalo, N.Y., developing the sales strategies for the company before moving to a division manager role. She was then promoted to senior director of the New Jersey region at R.J. Reynolds, where she drove volume and executed sales activities in all chain and independent retail accounts in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C., for three years before joining JTI USA.
JTI, a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Cos., is a leading international tobacco manufacturer. It markets brands such as Camel, Winston and Mevius (Mild Seven) outside of the United States. Other global brands include Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut, Sobranie, Glamour and LD. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, JTI has operations in more than 120 countries. Its core revenue in the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2012, was $11.8 billion.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.