MOORPARK, Calif. — Kretek International Inc. has promoted two senior managers to advance company growth across its subsidiaries.
Jason Carignan, previously chief marketing officer of Kretek, is now president of Phillips and King International and Tobacco Media Group (TMG) International. Albert Jose, previously director of Kretek marketing, was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing for Kretek.
Carignan’s new role involves the strategic expansion and digital transformation of the Phillips and King and TMG businesses to serve the evolving needs of retailers. He joined the company in 2014 and helped grow many of Kretek’s proprietary brands and subsidiaries, Kretek said.
Most recently, Carignan served as president of Dryft Sciences LLC, where he led the startup of the Dryft nicotine pouch line until the company’s sale to Modoral Brands Inc. in November 2020. Modoral Brands is an operating company of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc., a subsidiary of British American Tobacco plc, London.
“I have tremendous confidence in Jason Carignan, who has championed many of the company’s key successes over the years,” said Sean Cassar, Kretek’s president. “With Jason at the helm of Phillips and King, we’re ready to rapidly advance our business modernization efforts in order to capitalize on the many growth opportunities ahead and to achieve our corporate objectives.”
Jose, taking over as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Kretek, joined the company in 2012 when he began as brand manager, and since has held a variety of marketing and brand management efforts for the company’s products such as Djarum and Cuban Rounds. His new role will include oversight for all of Kretek’s sales channels and their related marketing programs and product development efforts.
“The Djarum and Cuban Rounds product portfolios represent significant growth opportunities for the company,” Cassar said. “We look forward to Albert Jose and the entire sales and marketing team working together to expand distribution and build on the strong sales and margin growth our company has achieved over the years.”
Moorpark, Calif.-based Kretek, an importer, marketer and distributor of specialty tobacco products, is parent company to Phillips and King International and TMG. Phillips and King International is a distributor of specialty tobacco and alternative smoking products and accessories in the United States.
TMG is a vertically integrated media and events company that serves the needs of retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers in the tobacco, vapor, hemp and alternative industries. Its flagship trade event is Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE).
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