Winston Salem, N.C., USA - October 15, 2010,Winston Salem, N.C., USA - Reynolds American, Inc. announced the retirement of chief executive officer Susan Ivey, effective February 2011.
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Ms. Ivey is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Reynolds American Inc., as well as president of RAI Services Company. She became chairman of Reynolds American on Jan. 1, 2006, and president, chief executive officer and a director of Reynolds American in January 2004.
Ms. Ivey became president of RAI Services in January 2010. She also served as chairman of RAI's largest subsidiary, R.J. Reynolds, from July 2004 through April 2008.
Ms. Ivey was formerly president and chief executive officer of Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (B&W), a subsidiary of British American Tobacco that was the third-largest manufacturer and marketer of cigarettes in the United States prior to the merger of its U.S. operations with Reynolds Tobacco in July 2004. At that time, Reynolds American became the new parent company.
With more than 20 years of U.S. and international experience, Ms. Ivey served as head of international brands and earlier as director of marketing in China for British American Tobacco.
Ms. Ivey joined Brown & Williamson Tobacco in 1981 as a sales representative, and held various trade and brand positions, including division manager and brand director, prior to her international assignments in 1990. She returned to Brown & Williamson in 1999 and served as senior vice president of marketing and a member of the company's executive committee prior to her elevation to president and CEO in January 2001.
Ms. Ivey is ranked No. 26 in Fortune magazine's 2009 listing of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and is No. 58 in Forbes magazine's 2009 World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She is also ranked No. 33 in the Financial Times' 2009 Top 50 Women in World Business.
Ms. Ivey serves on the Women's Leadership Initiative for the United Way of America. She is a board member of the United Way of Forsyth County, Winston-Salem YWCA, Senior Services, Inc. in Winston-Salem and Salem College. She also serves on the boards of the University of Florida Foundation and RR Donnelley.
Ms. Ivey received an MBA degree from Bellarmine University in May, 1987 and a bachelor of science - business degree from the University of Florida in 1980.
The company has also announced that Daniel Delen, chief of the cigarette division, will replace Ms. Ivey.
Mr. Delen is chairman, president and chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the largest subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. Before joining R.J. Reynolds as president in January 2007, he was the president of British American Tobacco Ltd. (BAT) - Japan.
Mr. Delen joined the BAT family of companies as a brand manager in Guatemala in 1989. In 1992, he became an international brand manager for BAT in London. He became marketing director in Singapore in 1994, moved to Chile as marketing director in 1995, and assumed that role in Argentina in 1996.
In January 2001, Mr. Delen was promoted to senior vice president of marketing and sales for BAT's U.S. subsidiary, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. He became president of BAT's business unit in Japan in August 2004. Prior to joining BAT, he began his marketing career with Sara Lee Corp. in London. ■