British American Tobacco general counsel Withington to retire
British American Tobacco (BAT) group legal director and general counsel Neil Withington is to retire after more than two decades at the company.
November 20, 2014 at 12:22 PM
2 minute read
British American Tobacco (BAT) group legal director and general counsel Neil Withington is to retire after more than two decades at the company.
Responsibilities for the group's legal and regulatory affairs will be assumed by assistant general counsel Jerry Abelman, who will move into the role of group corporate and regulatory affairs director at the beginning of 2015, following a senior management reshuffle.
Withington (pictured) started his career at BAT in 1993 as an M&A lawyer, after moving from Imperial Chemical Industries. He joined the tobacco company's management board in 2000, and was a director of BAT's associate business in the US, Reynolds American, for the last decade.
"Neil's farewell to the business comes after a distinguished 21 years with the group," commented BAT chief executive Nicandro Durante. "Leading the legal function he has been an outstanding general counsel and a trusted advisor to the board. Neil [who leaves on 30 April 2015] also leaves a very significant legacy."
Abelman has been at BAT for 12 years, previously as GC for the Asia Pacific region.
Today's (20 November) announcement came on the same day as a report by consultancy group McKinsey & Company listed smoking as the greatest social burden generated by human beings, at an annual cost of around $2.1tn of global GDP.
For a 2010 Legal Week interview with Withington, see: the smoking section – British American Tobacco's GC in profile
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