BAT poaches Diageo president to be new CFO

Tobacco giant British American Tobacco said on Thursday that it is stealing back a BAT veteran from Diageo to serve as its new chief financial officer.

Soraya Benchikh, currently serving as president of European operations at drinks group Diageo, will become BAT's new CFO from May 2024.

Benchikh joined Diageo in 2020 as the head of its Northern European division, but prior to that had spent 20 years at BAT, serving as head of various regional operations, including regional finance director for Europe.

BAT has been looking for a new finance lead since its former finance director Tadeu Marroco stepped up to become chief executive in May. Director Javed Iqbal has been serving as interim finance director since then, and will continue in his position until Benchikh joins.

"I am excited to re-join the leadership of BAT as chief financial officer and executive director, and share their passion for the transformation strategy," Benchikh said.

Commenting on the appointment, chair Luc Jobin said "[Benchikh] brings a wealth of leadership experience and commercial acumen from across both finance and commercial roles.

"Soraya's excellent track record in different geographies and in depth understanding of the sector make her ideally suited for the role."