Sven Löhr Appointed as New Managing Director of British American Tobacco Austria GmbH, Plans to Lead Company's Smoke-Free Strategy to Reduce Smoking Rates in Austria to 5% by 2040

Sep.03.2025
Sven Löhr Appointed as New Managing Director of British American Tobacco Austria GmbH, Plans to Lead Company's Smoke-Free Strategy to Reduce Smoking Rates in Austria to 5% by 2040
Sven Löhr appointed as new Managing Director of British American Tobacco Austria, focusing on smoke-free future and market leadership.

Key Points:

 

·New Managing Director: Sven Löhr will take over as Managing Director of British American Tobacco (BAT) Austria on September 1, 2025.

·Extensive Experience: Löhr has been with BAT since 2009, holding various management positions in Germany.

·Smoke-Free Strategy: Löhr will be responsible for implementing the global corporate strategy “A Better Tomorrow™ – Building a Smoke-Free World” in the Austrian market.

·Market Leadership: BAT holds a leading position in the Austrian nicotine pouch market with its Velo brand and a strong share in the e-cigarette market with the Vuse brand.

·Future Goals: Löhr plans to expand the smoke-free product portfolio and collaborate with regulators to support the EU’s cancer plan, aiming to reduce the proportion of smokers in Austria from 20% to 5%.

 


 

2Firsts, September 3, 2025 - According to ots on September 1, Sven Löhr took over as the Managing Director of British American Tobacco's (BAT) Austria subsidiary. He was born in Hamburg and has been working at the company since 2009, holding various management positions in Germany over the past 16 years, most recently as Head of Trade Marketing and Distribution.

 

Sven Löhr Appointed as New Managing Director of British American Tobacco Austria GmbH, Plans to Lead Company's Smoke-Free Strategy to Reduce Smoking Rates in Austria to 5% by 2040
Sven Löhr | Image source: ots

 

Sven Löhr has extensive experience in sales, marketing, and brand management. In his new position, he will be responsible for implementing the global corporate strategy of "A Better Tomorrow™ - Building a Smoke-Free World" in the Austrian market.

 

One of Sven Löhr's key goals is to continuously increase the share of non-combustible products, thus driving the transformation of British American Tobacco towards a smoke-free future: "In Austria, we will actively shape the path to a smoke-free future by continuously expanding our portfolio of smoke-free products and strategic partnerships with tobacco retailers and regulatory agencies.

 

British American Tobacco has become the leader in the Austrian nicotine pouch e-cigarette market with its VELO brand, and holds a strong market share with one of the world's leading e-cigarette brands, Vuse.

 

For Sven Löhr, the "Austrian mission" is very clear: "We hope to strategically expand our market strength in a targeted manner and make sustainable contributions to the implementation of corporate strategy. At the same time, we aim to support the goals of the EU Cancer Plan, which aims to reduce Austria's smoking rate from the current 20% to 5% by 2040. However, this requires a clear and reliable legal framework based on the principle of risk reduction - avoiding excessive regulation at the national level and not adding extra layers of bureaucracy beyond EU directives.

 

British American Tobacco Austria sincerely thanks Aziz Aliev for his excellent work. Under his leadership, the nicotine pouch brand VELO has further solidified its market leadership position in Austria and set important strategic directions for the future. The British American Tobacco Austria team wishes him every success in his new role as Head of Insights and Outlook for the Southeast Europe region.

 

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