Top Takeaways:

• Jerome Abelman to step down Dec. 31 after 23 years with BAT, including 11 on the board.
• Paul McCrory will assume the General Counsel role Jan. 1, 2026, after serving as designate from Oct. 1.
• Corporate and Regulatory Affairs portfolio shifts to Chief Corporate Officer Kingsley Wheaton.

British American Tobacco announced changes to its management board on Thursday, revealing that longtime executive Jerome Abelman will step down as Director, Legal and General Counsel at the end of the year after 23 years with the company.

Abelman has been the General Counsel and a board member for 11 years. He will officially step down from his role on December 31, 2025.

BAT announced that Paul McCrory, currently the Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, will become the Director, Legal and General Counsel Designate on October 1 and will fully assume the role on January 1, 2026. McCrory has been with BAT for over 18 years and joined the management board in 2023.

As part of the changes, responsibility for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs will move to Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s Chief Corporate Officer, starting October 1.

Chief Executive Tadeu Marroco thanked Abelman for his contributions and welcomed McCrory to the new role, citing his “deep experience and collaborative leadership.”