Career
Durante joined BAT's Brazilian subsidiary Souza Cruz in 1981. In January 2008, he was appointed BAT's chief operating officer (COO), and in March 2011 became the company's first non-British CEO. During his initial tenure as CEO, BAT's shares began to climb in value, and had doubled in price by 2016. [1] However, in 2018 BAT's share price collapsed, returning to levels last seen in 2011; [2] it appeared that Durante had misjudged the FDA's attitude towards menthol cigarettes, and that BAT had overpaid in the acquisition of the Reynolds American tobacco company minority interest in July 2017. At the time, this amounted to the largest foreign investment ever made in a US firm, costing $49 billion and "creating the world's biggest listed tobacco company". [3] In Dec 2023, the Reynolds American asset was impaired by BAT for $31m USD; concrete evidence of the over payment when Durante was at the helm of BAT. [4]
In 2015, Durante reportedly earned almost £8 million as CEO of BAT. [5] In 2016, he asked for his salary to be raised to £10 million, claiming that he deserved another £2 million. [5]
In late 2018, BAT announced that Durante would retire at the end of March 2019. [6] His retirement came at a highly controversial time in the firm's history.
In September 2022, it was announced that Durante had been appointed as temporary CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, the Anglo-Dutch multinational consumer goods company, after the unexpected resignation of former CEO Laxman Narasimhan. [7] Durante joined Reckitt's board of directors in 2013, and was its senior independent director prior to becoming CEO. [8]
A cigar is a tobacco product made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf, for appearance and flavor, which is often the highest quality leaf used. Often there will be a cigar band printed with the cigar manufacturer's logo. Modern cigars can come with two or more, highlighting special qualities such as age and origin of the tobaccos used.
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reynolds American, after merging with the U.S. operations of British American Tobacco in 2004.
British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London. As of 2021, it is the largest tobacco company in the world based on net sales.
Swedish Match AB is a Swedish multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm. The company manufactures snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, tobacco- and nicotine-free pouch products, chewing tobacco, chew bags, tobacco bits, cigars, matches, lighters, and other fire products with operations in Sweden, Denmark, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. The company's origins can be traced back to 1868, and Ivar Kreuger. Swedish Match has played an important part in Sweden's industrial development.
José Serra Chirico is a Brazilian politician who has served as a Congressman, Senator, Minister of Planning, Minister of Health, Mayor of São Paulo, Governor of São Paulo state, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, trading as Reckitt, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, England. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition products. The company was formed in March 1999 by the merger of British company Reckitt & Colman plc and Dutch company Benckiser N.V.
Reynolds American, Inc. is an American tobacco company which is a subsidiary of British American Tobacco and is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States. Its holdings include R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, American Snuff Company, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, and Niconovum AB.
Kent is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and British American Tobacco elsewhere. The brand is named after Herbert Kent, a former executive at Lorillard Tobacco Company.
The Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, locally known as PUC or the Catholic University, is a private and non-profit Catholic university. It is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo. The university is also responsible for the St. Lucinda Hospital (Sorocaba) and the TUCA theatre
Christopher A. Sinclair is an American businessman. He is the chairman of Reckitt. He is the former chairman and CEO of Mattel. Previously, he was chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.
Susan M. Cameron is an American businessperson who is the former chairman, president, and CEO of Reynolds American, Inc.
Mead Johnson & Company, LLC is an American company that is a leading manufacturer of infant formula, both domestically and globally, with its flagship product Enfamil. It operates as an independent subsidiary of Reckitt.
Lambertus Johannes Hermanus "Bart" Becht is a Dutch businessman. An executive with more than 35 years of business experience working with consumer brands, Becht is the former Chief Executive Officer of Reckitt, which he led from 1995 to 2011 and former Partner at JAB Holding Company, which he joined in 2012. Becht announced his retirement from JAB in 2019.
Dr. Scholl's is a footwear and orthopedic foot care brand originating in the United States, marketed in some countries as simply "Scholl". Since 2021, global rights to the brand have been owned by investment firm Yellow Wood Partners through subsidiary Scholl's Wellness Company, having purchased the North American rights from Bayer in North America in 2019, and the international rights from Reckitt in 2021.
Smoking in Iran has been banned in all public places since 2007. This includes all state bodies, hotels. A smoking ban for all car drivers nationwide was implemented in March 2006, and although offenders can face fines, the ban has been widely ignored. The sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited and is punishable by the confiscation of the vendor's tobacco products and a fine.
Rakesh Kapoor is an Indian businessman. He was, until September 2019, chief executive (CEO) of Reckitt plc, a UK FTSE-listed multinational consumer goods company, a major producer of health, hygiene and home products.
Indivior is a specialty pharmaceuticals business. Established as a division of Reckitt Benckiser in 1994 and demerged from that company in December 2014, the company has been fined for false marketing claims about the safety of its drug, Suboxone. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It is also listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
Nurofen is a brand name range of pain-relief medication containing ibuprofen made by the British multinational Reckitt. Introduced in 1983, the Nurofen brand was acquired following Reckitt Benckiser's acquisition of Boots healthcare international in 2005 for £1.93 billion, which included Nurofen, Strepsils, and Clearasil. The brand is primarily marketed and sold in the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 2016 it was the biggest selling branded over-the-counter medication sold in Great Britain, with sales of £116.8 million.
Jack Marie Henry David Bowles is a French businessman, and was chief executive (CEO) of British American Tobacco (BAT) from 2019 to 2023.
Laxman Narasimhan is an Indian-American business executive and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Starbucks.
