R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Management
Daniel M. Delen
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Daniel (Daan) M. 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, Delen was the president of British American Tobacco Ltd. (BAT) - Japan.
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, 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, Delen began his marketing career with Sara Lee Corp. in London.
Delen is a board member of the Winston-Salem Alliance, an economic development group.
A native of the Netherlands, Delen earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in international business from Washington State University.
Walton T. Carpenter
Senior Vice President - Strategy and Planning
Walton T. "Walt" Carpenter is senior vice president - strategy and planning of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
In 1988, Carpenter joined Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company as group product director. He was promoted to divisional vice president - value brands in 1994, and was appointed divisional vice president - strategy and planning in 1996. Carpenter also served as manager - strategy for British American Tobacco from 2000-2003. He joined RAI in August 2004 as vice president - strategy and planning and was promoted to senior vice president - strategy and planning in January 2006. In January 2007, he assumed his current position at R.J. Reynolds.
A native of Simpsonville, Ky., he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and English and an MBA in marketing from Indiana University.
Jeffery S. Gentry
Executive Vice President - Operations and Chief Scientific Officer
Jeffery S. Gentry is executive vice president and chief scientific officer for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the largest subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI). He assumed this position in January 2010.
Gentry was previously RAI's group executive vice president, responsible for two of RAI's three operating companies, Conwood Company, LLC and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc., as well as RJRT-Puerto Rico. He was also responsible for corporate-wide regulatory oversight.
Gentry joined R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1986 as a research and development chemist. In 1989, he was promoted to senior R&D chemist. Gentry was named senior staff R&D chemist in 1993 and was promoted to master scientist in 1996. He was promoted to senior manager of new product development in 1998 and was named director of new product development the following year. In 2000, Gentry was promoted to vice president of product development.
Gentry was promoted to executive vice president of research and development at R.J. Reynolds in December 2004. He was promoted to group executive vice president with Reynolds American in April 2008.
Prior to joining Reynolds Tobacco, Gentry worked as an assistant in research and teaching at N.C. State University.
A native of Winston-Salem, Gentry earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also earned a doctorate in analytical chemistry from N.C. State University, with a minor in electronic engineering.
Gentry is a member of the American Chemical Society.
Andrew D. Gilchrist
Executive Vice President - Chief Financial Officer
Andrew D. Gilchrist is executive vice president - chief financial officer for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI). He is also executive vice president and chief information officer of RAI subsidiary RAI Services Company. From July 1, 2008, until Jan. 1, 2010, he was executive vice president - chief financial officer and chief information officer for R.J. Reynolds.
Gilchrist joined RAI in 2004 as senior director – business development. He was promoted to vice president – integrated business management for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company on Jan. 1, 2006, and became senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company on Nov. 1, 2006.
Gilchrist began his career in 1994 as a sales representative with Helene Curtis. In 1997 he joined Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (B&W) as a management trainee. He later held a number of management positions at B&W and its parent company, British American Tobacco. On July 30, 2004, R.J. Reynolds and the U.S. operations of B&W were combined, and Reynolds American became R.J. Reynolds' new parent company.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Gilchrist earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from Purdue University and a master's degree in business administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve.
Daniel J. Herko
Senior Vice President - Research & Development
Daniel J. Herko is senior vice president of research and development for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Herko joined R.J. Reynolds in 1980 in the manufacturing division. After holding a variety of production positions in manufacturing, he became research and development international brand manager in 1992.
In 2000, he joined Japan Tobacco International in Geneva, Switzerland, following the sale of RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp.'s international tobacco business to Japan Tobacco.
In 2002, Herko returned to R.J. Reynolds as director of product development in the company's R&D department. He was promoted to senior director of product development in 2005, and became vice president of reduced risk and applied development in R&D the following year. He assumed his current position in March 2008.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Herko holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from High Point University and a master's degree in business administration from Wake Forest University.
Tommy L. Hickman
Senior Vice President - Operations
Tommy L. Hickman is senior vice president - operations for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Hickman joined the company in 1987 as quality engineer. After working in several areas of operations, he was named vice president - operations planning and quality assurance in 1997. Hickman was promoted to senior vice president - manufacturing in July 2002, and became senior vice president - operations in October 2008.
Prior to joining Reynolds Tobacco, Hickman held the position of quality manager for Anchor Continental, Inc. in Columbia, S.C.
Hickman is a certified quality engineer, a certified quality auditor and a certified reliability engineer. He is a member of the board of directors of Allegacy Federal Credit Union and a board member for the Piedmont Section of the American Society for Quality. Hickman is a member of the Educational Foundation Board at the University of South Carolina. He was awarded the 2001 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award by USC.
A native of Conway, S.C., Hickman earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of South Carolina.
Martin L. Holton III
Senior Vice President - General Counsel and Secretary
Martin L. "Mark" Holton is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. He joined the company in March 2002 as vice president and deputy general counsel.
Holton began his legal career in 1982 as an associate at Ford and Harrison in Atlanta, Ga. He joined Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC in 1984 as an associate and became a partner there in 1990.
A native of High Point, N.C., Holton earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1982.
Holton serves on the board of directors for the University of North Carolina Law Alumni Association and is a member of the Rotary Club of Winston-Salem.
J. Brice O'Brien
Executive Vice President - Consumer Marketing
J. Brice O'Brien is executive vice president - consumer marketing for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the largest subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI). He assumed this position on Jan. 1, 2010.
O'Brien joined R.J. Reynolds Tobacco as a marketing assistant in 1995 and held positions of increasing responsibility before being promoted to marketing manager on the Eclipse brand in 1998. O'Brien left the company in 2000 to work as marketing director at Suntory Water Group, returning to R.J. Reynolds as senior marketing manager on the Doral brand in mid-2001. He was promoted to marketing director in 2003 and a year later he was promoted to vice president of marketing, overseeing the company's flagship Camel brand. In January 2006, O'Brien was promoted to senior vice president of consumer marketing, responsible for Reynolds Tobacco's total brand portfolio. He was then appointed president of Reynolds Innovations, Inc., a subsidiary of RAI, in January 2009. Reynolds Innovations focuses on innovation, consumer and market insights, competitive assessment and maximizing trademark equity across RAI's operating companies.
O'Brien is a native of Isle of Palms, S.C. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from The Citadel and a Masters of Business Administration from Wake Forest University.
Robert D. Stowe
Executive Vice President - Trade Marketing
Robert D. Stowe is executive vice president - trade marketing for R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. He assumed this position on Jan. 1, 2010.
Stowe joined R.J. Reynolds in 2004 when the company merged with Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Stowe began his career with Brown & Williamson in 1981 as a sales representative in Salt Lake City, Utah. After several managerial promotions, he became division vice president of marketing communications, and then held several sales area vice president positions. He was promoted to senior vice president - trade marketing for R.J. Reynolds in January 2006.
Stowe is a native of Sandy, Utah. He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Utah.