British American Tobacco PLC appoints new operations director

‘s () operations director will step down from the board at the end of the month, after 32 years at the company.

Alan Davy, who has been on the management board for eight years, will leave the FTSE 100-listed group at the end of May “to pursue new challenges and spend more time with his family”.

Zafar Khan, currently in charge of operations for the cigarette maker’s vaping and other new categories, is being promoted to succeed Davy, effective from the start of next month.

After joining the group 24 years ago in his native country of Pakistan, Khan has since worked as regional operations director for Asia Pacific and the Middle East and been in charge of group logistics.

Chief executive Jack Bowles said the group’s ability to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19 was testament to the supply chain created by Davy.

Bowles said he and Davy were confident that Khan is “the right leader, at the right time”, in part thanks to his experience of expanding capabilities and the supply chain for the group’s smoke-free products.