Bertrand Bonvin

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Bertrand Bonvin became Senior Vice President Design and User Experience at Philip Morris International (PMI) in August 2017.1

Longstanding Career in Tobacco Industry

Bonvin joined PMI in 1993 as a Senior Project Engineer in Switzerland, and has held numerous senior positions with the company, including:2

  • President PMI Affiliates Russia and Belarus (July 2015 – August 2017)
  • Senior Vice President Research & Development of Philip Morris International (December 2011 – July 2015)
  • Vice President Operations, Asia Region (May 2008 – December 2011)
  • Director Operations Russia (2005)
  • Director Operations Turkey (2002)
  • Various management positions Kazakhstan and Russia (1996 – 2002)

Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products

In his capacity as PMI’s Senior Vice President Research & Development, Bonvin was involved in the development of the company’s heated tobacco products (HTPs). In 2014, he briefed investors about PMI’s Next Generation Products, claiming that PMI had “a portfolio of over five hundred granted patents worldwide RRPs Reduced Risk Products and a pipeline of around one thousand pending patent applications”.3 Although he had criticised e-cigarettes a year earlier for “concerns about quality and the lack of regulation”4, Bonvin said that PMI was also developing next generation e-cigarettes “which we believe can address these issues”.3 In 2018, Bertrand was quoted as echoing PMI rhetoric of harm reduction when accepting a design award for the company’s flagship HTP, ‘‘IQOS’’: “Being recognised for the first time by the GOOD DESIGN® Awards is a notable achievement in our journey towards a smoke free future”.5

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References

  1. ↑B. Bonvin, https://ch.linkedin.com/in/bertrand-bonvin-06701755, LinkedIn profile, undated, accessed February 2020
  2. ↑Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russia-Switzerland: Diversifying Economic Relations and the Role of Localization, 2017, accessed February 2020
  3. ↑abB. Bonvin, M. Peitsch, F. de Wilde, Investor Day 26 June 2014, Reduced-Risk Products presentation, Philip Morris International, Lausanne
  4. ↑G. Thesing, Marlboro Man dons lab coat to find next big tobacco hit, Bloomberg via Kind Consumer website, 9 October 2013, accessed July 2017
  5. ↑S. Griffiths, ‘Philip Morris International’s IQOS receives prestigious design award’, 11 April 2018, accessed February 2020

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