Philip Morris International has a new CEO

Philip Morris International (PMI) has a new CEO. Jacek Olczak, who replaced André Calantzopoulos, has taken on a new role at the helm of PMI with a commitment to accelerate its transformation towards a smoke-free vision that began in 2016. PMI is now focusing on scientific research, development and responsible commercialization of smokeless products, with a view to replacing cigarettes with less harmful alternatives as soon as possible. "I take PMI's leadership on our path to a smoke-free society with enthusiasm and humility. PMI is a leader in scientific research and innovation, and our goal is for sales of smokeless products to account for more than half of our net profit by 2025. Our rapidly growing portfolio of smokeless products is a way to fulfill PMI's long-term vision, ”says new CEO Olczak. "We will build on our own scientific research and expertise, using all our experience, skills and imagination to push our innovations beyond our existing product offering and explore new areas of development," said Olczak. 56-year-old Olczak joined PMI in 1993. He gradually held a number of management positions, including responsibility for all PMI activities in Germany and Poland, and subsequently as President of PMI for the European market. In 2012, he was appointed Global Chief Financial Officer. He held this position until 2018, when he accepted his current position of Global Chief Operating Officer of PMI. Olczak is a key figure in PMI's transformation towards a smoke-free future. In 2014, he was responsible for the first-ever launch of the IQOS device in Nagoya, Japan. Under his leadership as Global Chief Operating Officer, PMI increased its net profit from smokeless products to 28 percent in the first quarter of this year, while expanding the geographic coverage of its smokeless products offering to 66 markets.