A Conversation with André Calantzopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris International

André Calantzopoulos, chief executive officer of Philip Morris International (PMI), addressed the May 3 meeting of the Boston College Chief Executives Club. Calantzopoulos spoke about the company’s vision to create a smoke-free future backed by science, technology, and innovation to offer less harmful choices to those who would otherwise continue smoking. In discussing the current state of the company’s work to bring new products to market, Calantzopoulos said, “It’s only through working with regulators that you can find solutions. And our industry, in particular, has to be much more collaborative.” To date, PMI has invested more than $6 billion in the research and development, manufacturing, and commercialization of smoke-free products, with approximately 400 dedicated scientists and engineers. Calantzopoulos and other company officials have said that at least 38 percent of their net revenues will come from smoke-free products like the IQOS heated tobacco line by 2025. Currently, PMI employs approximately 77,000 people worldwide, and at the close of 2018, it reported net revenues of $29.6 billion.