Kingsley Wheaton

Kingsley Wheaton has been a member of the British American Tobacco (BAT) management team since 2012.¹²

Wheaton succeeded Andrew Gray as BAT’s Chief Marketing Officer in January 2019.³

He was appointed Chief Strategy and Growth Officer in September 2023 and then Chief Corporate Officer in September 2024.⁴⁵

Career with British American Tobacco

Wheaton joined tobacco company Rothmans (which was later acquired by BAT) in 1996 and has held several marketing leadership positions in both companies, including:¹⁶⁷

• Regional Director Americas and Sub Saharan Africa President (2017-2018)
• Managing Director Next Generation Products, BAT (2015-2017)
• Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Director, BAT (2012)
• Global Brand Director, BAT (2010)
• General Manager Russia, BAT (2007)
• Marketing Director Russia, BAT (2004)
• Marketing Director Nigeria, BAT (2001)
• Marketing Development Manager West Africa, Rothmans (1999)
• Brand Manager for the Middle-East, Rothmans (1996)

In Charge of BAT’s Newer Nicotine and Tobacco (2015-2017)

In 2010, BAT set up Nicoventures in order to develop newer nicotine and tobacco products. Nicoventures later split into two arms (both still wholly owned by BAT); one for medically licensed nicotine products, called Nicovations and one for unlicensed (i.e. commercial) nicotine products. Wheaton was appointed the Managing Director of Nicovations in January 2015.⁸

On 31 August 2017, BAT announced it would be integrating its newer products, including its e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, into its core business and that Wheaton, Managing Director of newer, or “Next Generation” products, would lead this integration process.⁹ Previously, BAT had kept the development and production of Next Generation Products separate from its core business, tobacco.

• For more information see Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products: British American Tobacco.

Regular Speaker at Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum

Wheaton has been a regular invited speaker at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, an annual tobacco industry event.

• For more information see: Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum

TobaccoTactics Resources

• British American Tobacco
• Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products: British American Tobacco
• Nicoventures
• Nicoventures, A Tobacco Company, Or Not?
• CN Creative

TCRG Research

• Understanding the emergence of the tobacco industry’s use of the term tobacco harm reduction in order to inform public health policy, S. Peeters, A. Gilmore, Tobacco Control 2015, 24:182-189