Dr. Carsten Wehrmann (Reemtsma/Imperial Brands) is the new Chairman of the Board of BVTE / Gökhan Bilgic (BAT) new board member

(Berlin, 27.04.2022) Dr. Carsten Wehrmann, Spokesman of the Board and General Manager of Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH, was elected unanimously as the new Chairman of the Board of the Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE).

"I am pleased to be able to help shape the future of the German tobacco and nicotine industry in future as Chairman of the Board of BVTE. My main focus will be on open dialogue with politics and society to put the opportunities of new, lower-risk products at the centre of future regulations. Under my leadership, BVTE will continue to stand up for the sovereignty of consumers. As a responsible industry, we will make our contribution to science-based regulation," Wehrmann said today in Berlin.

Carsten Wehrmann thanked his predecessor Oliver Engels (BAT) very sincerely for his outstanding commitment to the further development of BVTE, which was founded in September 2019 as the top industry association for the entire value chain of the German tobacco industry and manufacturers of novel products.  

The election of a new Chairman of the Board was necessary as Oliver Engels had been appointed Head of Marketing Asia-Pacific & Middle East at BAT and had thus left the management of British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbH as well as the BVTE Board.  

Gökhan Bilgic, who has taken over the role of Area Director Central Europe North from Oliver Engels and the role of spokesperson for the management of the German BAT companies, was unanimously elected as another new member of the BVTE board on 1 April 2022.  

The establishment of the new interest group at national level in 2019 was a great success. The federal association bundles different company sizes and product groups under its umbrella. The initiators succeeded in bringing together manufacturers of classic tobacco products with manufacturers of novel products and other partners from the value chain. The federal association, which has a large number of members and high turnover, represents the interests of the entire value chain of the smoking, vaping and oral tobacco and nicotine consumption industry. Strengthening consumer sovereignty and freedom of choice as well as

the protection of minors, raising awareness in environmental protection, education about potential risks and the topic of risk reduction are focal points of the association's work.