By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Industry veteran: Luis Sanches, Greenbutts’ chief strategy officer and former BAT executive, has died.
- Three decades at BAT: Sanches spent 31 years with British American Tobacco before joining Greenbutts in 2022.
- Tributes pour in: Colleagues remembered him as a mentor, innovator and respected leader in the global tobacco industry.
Greenbutts Chief Strategy Officer Luis Sanches, a longtime British American Tobacco executive who spent more than three decades developing next-generation tobacco and nicotine products, has died.
Greenbutts Founder and CEO Tadas Lisauskas announced Sanches’ passing on Monday in a LinkedIn post. “It is painfully hard to say goodbye to such an amazing man as Luis Sanches. He was loved by all and such an amazing and critical part of Greenbutts,” Lisauskas wrote.
Calling Sanches “far more of a mentor than an employee,” Lisauskas said he was “universally loved and respected” in the industry for his intelligence and insight. “I would not be where I am today had our paths not crossed. You were the big brother I never had and will be missed by all who knew you. Go with God, Luis,” he said.
Tributes also poured in from across the nicotine industry. Elise Rasmussen, founder and CEO of the World Nicotine Congress, shared Lisauskas’ announcement, writing, “The world has lost a true gentleman. The industry has lost an icon. Condolences to his family.”
Sanches joined Greenbutts in 2022 as chief strategy officer, after a 31-year career at British American Tobacco and Reynolds American. Throughout his career, he held senior research and development leadership roles, including senior vice president of R&D at Reynolds American, group head of product development at BAT in the United Kingdom, and vice president of Kentucky BioProcessing, where he helped lead innovation in plant-based technologies.
At Greenbutts, Sanches was responsible for the company’s global expansion strategy and helped advance the commercialization of its biodegradable cigarette filter technology, supporting efforts to develop alternatives to conventional cellulose acetate filters.
No additional details about funeral arrangements or memorial services were immediately available.
