Latest news with #Rothmans
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
1 Writing Class, 35 Years, 113 Deals, 95 Books
The night before the start of his final semester teaching, after 35 years, Sam Freedman had a dream that he was going to miss class. He woke up with a strange jolt of relief. What comfort, he thought, to know that after three decades he still couldn't shake his pre-semester agita. The most difficult work, he has always believed, ought to evoke fear. 'All these years later I'm still anxious the night before, still concerned about getting here at 7:15 in the morning to be ready for all of you,' he said, facing his students on a Monday morning in January, wearing the same dark suit that he purchased in 1989 at Rothmans when he was first starting to teach and realized he needed formal professional attire. The seminar that Freedman teaches at Columbia Journalism School began in 1991 as something of an experiment, testing whether students could, in the course of a semester, produce a book proposal to sell and hopefully publish. The results have proved his hunch: The class has led to 113 book contracts and 95 published books, out of some 675 people who have taken it. This spring Freedman taught the course for the last time. He didn't want to become one of those fading professors he remembers from college, the types who used laminated notes and made students wish they'd been around to take the class in its glory years. The journalism school does not have plans to continue the class in the same form after his departure. 'The course is an institution in itself and you could almost say that about Sam — his retirement is certainly the end of an era,' said Jelani Cobb, the dean of Columbia Journalism School, who regularly meets with Freedman at an Upper West Side diner to trade ideas about books and teaching. Freedman began his career as a reporter at the Courier-News in Bridgewater, N.J., and later worked on the culture and metro desks at The New York Times. He went on to write 10 books, including one following a New York City public-school teacher for a year. But he realized, at a certain point, that teaching the book-writing seminar for young journalists was one way of creating something that would outlive him. 'This is a big part of my life's work,' he told the class on their first day of the semester. 'Teaching this class, it feels like it's OK for me to keel over.' The day had echoes of a religious induction, as Freedman told his students to be 'worthy of the ancestors,' his term for class alumni. He projected onto the whiteboard at the front of the room a photo of his office 'shelf of honor,' crammed with most of the 95 books that came out of the class. Midway through that first day, four ancestors came to speak. 'If he believes you have a book in you,' said Grace Williams, the author of a 2024 history of a women-owned bank, glancing around the classroom, 'you definitely have a book in you.' The relationship between books and authors is obvious and glorified, but the relationship between books and teachers is less clear. The teachers behind books are often invisible, not the hand stirring the ladle to make the stew but the hand that once wrote the recipe down on some well-worn index card. When I wrote a book in 2020, about young doctors graduating from medical school early in the pandemic, I reached out for guidance to Freedman, the father of a childhood friend, because I'd heard about his Columbia course. He shared audio clips and met with me, over Zoom, to explain his approach to narrative writing. What struck me then was the exactitude with which he approached the craft, the lessons he pulled from his own career and then passed around the room: that the reader should never know more than the character, that authors should master methods before trying to subvert them, that narrative is an equation comprised of character, event, place and theme (N = C + E + P + T). 'Nothing in the class is contingent on having a gift, or having the muse speak to you,' said Leah Hager Cohen, who studied with Freedman in 1991, which led her to write 'Train Go Sorry,' about a school for the deaf. Freedman focuses particularly on demystifying the book proposal, a piece of writing that he likens to the albino alligators which, according to urban legend, once lived in the New York City subways — surviving without exposure to the public world, and therefore evolving to be mysterious and often misunderstood creatures. During the semester, his students draft such proposals. Afterward, he sometimes connects them to agents who he feels might be interested in their reporting topics, though he emphasizes that this won't always lead to representation. 'He's been the godfather to an awful lot of publishing over the years,' said George Gibson, the executive editor at Grove Atlantic. Over the decades that Freedman has taught, the publishing industry has gotten far more corporate. And other mentors who work with aspiring authors noted a recent increase in programs that support young book writers outside of journalism school, which can be costly to attend. What has stayed consistent, Freedman insists, is the need for an obsessive work ethic, and many of his lectures are paeans to just that. He emphasizes that there is no such thing as writer's block, only a failure to have done enough reporting, or an ego that's getting in the way of putting words on the page. He closes the classroom door at 9 a.m. and those who are late have to wait outside until the first break, at least an hour later. ('Latecomers will be seated at intermission,' read the sign he used to post on the door.) He tracks every grammatical error a student makes, with the expectation it will never be repeated. Kelly McMasters, who took the class in 2003 and went on to co-teach with Freedman, recalled that when she was his student, he got so fed up with her use of parentheses that he drew her a picture of parentheses, curling up like an old pet near a rug and a bowl of food, and showed it to the whole class. 'Your parentheses are fine,' she recalled him saying. 'Here's the rug they can lie down on, here's their food bowl. You may never use parentheses again.' 'I was so mad and hurt,' McMasters said. 'But you know what? He was one hundred percent right.' If Freedman enters his classroom a bundle of nerves, his students do far more so. One current student, Ally Markovich, 29, was so intent on getting into the class that she flew to Ukraine last summer to begin reporting her book proposal even before she had applied. Another, Carl David Goette-Luciak, 33, made a ritual of meeting his girlfriend for cheap pizza every Monday night so he could share with her the notes he took during Freedman's lectures. 'You can't go to the bookstore to tell the reader what you meant,' one of them read. 'It's this calculated measure of tough love,' Goette-Luciak said. 'He's developed some kind of algorithm of how hard he can push each individual person.' Freedman said that he holds himself to the same standards. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and was recovering from surgery, he took meetings with his students from home with his catheter concealed in a cloth Barnes & Noble bag. After his father died on a Saturday in 2010, he was in the classroom Monday morning with his line edits complete, ready to facilitate the writing workshop. 'As observant a Jew as I try to be,' he said, 'It was more important for me to be in the classroom teaching book class than to be observing shiva.' Back on that first day of the semester, Freedman gave the class marching orders that were impishly hyperbolic, though not far from what he really wanted out of them. 'Pull the heart of your work out of your chest and lay it out there for the gods, that's all I'm asking of you,' he told them. 'Not much.' During the farewell session, in early May, he told students that he expected that same exertion from all who left his classroom. 'In your book-writing life, I'm not going to be there to tell you what the deadline is,' Freedman said. 'All that is going to be on you.'
Cision Canada
15-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
ONTARIO TAKES STEPS TO ADDRESS CONTRABAND TOBACCO
Federal leadership needed to address illegal tobacco sales TORONTO, May 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Ontario's 2025 Budget has announced positive steps to address the province's growing illegal contraband tobacco trade. New provincial action includes increasing fines, enhancing enforcement measures and calling for federal leadership to address online sales of contraband cigarettes, often shipped through Canada Post. According to a recent report by Ernst and Young and commissioned by the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC), a growing number of online websites sell and deliver contraband cigarettes anywhere in Canada in violation of Canadian laws. The products often include age and health warnings that mirror past Health Canada requirements on labelling to give an air of legitimacy. Some websites even offer volume discounts for more than one carton purchased. The CICC report cites and as examples of these sites. Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH) is encouraged by Ontario's progress through its commitments in Budget 2025, joining Alberta and Saskatchewan in tackling this public safety issue head-on. RBH urges Ontario to work with its federal and provincial counterparts to find ways to address all contraband tobacco sales – both in person and online. Ontario's contraband tobacco market is controlled by, and funds organized crime. Criminal groups involved in contraband tobacco use profits generated from the contraband tobacco trade to fund other illegal activities, including guns and drug trafficking, mostly across the USA / Canada border. QUOTE "Today's Ontario Budget takes important steps forward to address the province's growing contraband tobacco trade that fuels organized crime. Left unchecked, illicit tobacco means lost government revenue for vital social services, increased youth access to tobacco and dangerous activities in communities across Ontario, including gun, drug and human trafficking. The measures announced today should assist law-enforcement in tackling this public safety issue." - Kory McDonald, Head, External Affairs, RBH To learn more about RBH, visit: About Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine companies and is working to deliver a smoke-free future. RBH is committed to sustainability and creating a positive impact on communities, the economy, and the environment. Currently, RBH employs nearly 800 people across the country with its headquarters in Toronto and a factory in Québec City. Discover more about the company at and stay updated on RBH's transformation by following Twitter and LinkedIn. SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Penny Mordaunt joins British American Tobacco
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is taking up a part-time paid role with British American Tobacco as a member of its "transformation advisory board". Details of the appointment were published on the website of Acoba, the watchdog that provides advice on jobs politicians accept after they leave government. In a letter to Acoba, British American Tobacco said Mordaunt would be "asked to contribute her insights on the topics of tobacco harm reduction". Mordaunt told the watchdog the role would also involve testing the company's strategy "to reduce its combustible products i.e. cigarettes". British American Tobacco has produced some of the world's most famous cigarette brands including Lucky Strike and Rothmans, but in recent years has begun selling vapes. The company says it wants to build "a smokeless world" by moving smokers to smokeless alternatives. It aims to become a "predominantly" smokeless business by 2035. A very quick guide to Penny Mordaunt Tobacco giant sees sunset for US cigarette business How many people still smoke in the UK? All former ministers are expected to seek advice from Acoba (the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments) on any job they want to take up two years after leaving government. The committee considers whether the job could be seen as a reward from a prospective employer for favourable decisions made by the politician when they were in power. It also looks at whether the former minister could have access to insider information. If the committee has concerns, it can advise the politician to delay taking up the job or avoid particular activities while in the role. In its advice letter to Mordaunt, Acoba said the risk that her role with British American Tobacco could be seen as "a reward for your decisions in office" was "limited". It added that Mordaunt had not had access to specific information that would "offer an unfair advantage to British American Tobacco". "It is also relevant that you have been out of office for five months, creating a gap between your access to information in government and your role with British American Tobacco," it added. Acoba noted that Mordaunt had said she would not lobby for the firm, but it advised her to have "no direct engagement with government on behalf of the company as to do so would raise significant risks under the government's rules". During his last months as prime minister, former Tory PM Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would have made it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1 January 2009. Although Sunak was keen to push the legislation through, many of his Conservative MPs had doubts. Mordaunt herself did not vote on the bill when it came to Parliament. Labour backed the proposals, and since coming into government has reintroduced a similar bill to Parliament. Mordaunt is not the first politician to work for British American Tobacco. After losing the 1997 Tory leadership election, former chancellor Ken Clarke took up a deputy chairmanship with the company. During her time in government, Mordaunt served as a minister in several departments, including the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. She stood in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race, but was eliminated in the penultimate round of the contest that was ultimately won by Liz Truss. Had she not lost her seat in Portsmouth North in 2024, she would have been a potential contender to lead her party in opposition. In addition to taking a role with British American Tobacco, Mordaunt is planning to produce and appear in a series of short films about Ukraine, entitled "Do Not Look Away". She is also taking a paid role with Sub Sea Craft Limited, a Portsmouth-based engineering company that produces maritime technology. Mordaunt was approached for comment.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ex-minister Penny Mordaunt joins British American Tobacco
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is taking up a part-time paid role with British American Tobacco as a member of its "transformation advisory board". Details of the appointment were published on the website of Acoba, the watchdog that provides advice on jobs politicians accept after they leave a letter to Acoba, British American Tobacco said Mordaunt would be "asked to contribute her insights on the topics of tobacco harm reduction".Mordaunt told the watchdog the role would also involve testing the company's strategy "to reduce its combustible products i.e. cigarettes". British American Tobacco has produced some of the world's most famous cigarette brands including Lucky Strike and Rothmans, but in recent years has begun selling company says it wants to build "a smokeless world" by moving smokers to smokeless alternatives. It aims to become a "predominantly" smokeless business by 2035. All former ministers are expected to seek advice from Acoba (the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments) on any job they want to take up two years after leaving government. The committee considers whether the job could be seen as a reward from a prospective employer for favourable decisions made by the politician when they were in power. It also looks at whether the former minister could have access to insider information. If the committee has concerns, it can advise the politician to delay taking up the job or avoid particular activities while in the role. In its advice letter to Mordaunt, Acoba said the risk that her role with British American Tobacco could be seen as "a reward for your decisions in office" was "limited". It added that Mordaunt had not had access to specific information that would "offer an unfair advantage to British American Tobacco". "It is also relevant that you have been out of office for five months, creating a gap between your access to information in government and your role with British American Tobacco," it noted that Mordaunt had said she would not lobby for the firm, but it advised her to have "no direct engagement with government on behalf of the company as to do so would raise significant risks under the government's rules". During his last months as prime minister, former Tory PM Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would have made it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1 January 2009. Although Sunak was keen to push the legislation through, many of his Conservative MPs had doubts. Mordaunt herself did not vote on the bill when it came to Parliament. Labour backed the proposals, and since coming into government has reintroduced a similar bill to Parliament. Mordaunt is not the first politician to work for British American Tobacco. After losing the 1997 Tory leadership election, former chancellor Ken Clarke took up a deputy chairmanship with the company. During her time in government, Mordaunt served as a minister in several departments, including the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. She stood in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race, but was eliminated in the penultimate round of the contest that was ultimately won by Liz she not lost her seat in Portsmouth North in 2024, she would have been a potential contender to lead her party in addition to taking a role with British American Tobacco, Mordaunt is planning to produce and appear in a series of short films about Ukraine, entitled "Do Not Look Away". She is also taking a paid role with Sub Sea Craft Limited, a Portsmouth-based engineering company that produces maritime technology. Mordaunt was approached for comment.
Gulf Business
20-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Meet Soraya Benchikh: The CFO driving BAT's global growth and inclusion
BAT Group's Chief Financial Officer, Soraya Benchikh. Sipping her coffee in a modern, well-appointed office on the 39th floor of BAT's Dubai headquarters, with the city's iconic skyline stretching out below, Soraya Benchikh exudes calm, approachability, and poise. As BAT Group's Chief Financial Officer, Benchikh was in Dubai on a brief business trip in January, connecting with staff and overseeing operations. Based in the UK, Benchikh has been in her current role for eight months. Yet, she is no stranger to BAT, having spent over two decades with the company before a high-profile stint as President of the European region at beverage giant Diageo. In the buzzing Dubai offices, the excitement was palpable as staff and senior leaders gathered for meetings and events organised to mark her visit. If you didn't know her story, you might not guess the immense journey that has brought Benchikh to this point. Raised in Beirut during the turbulent 1980s, she and her family fled to Europe as refugees. 'I ended up in Europe as a refugee. I went to school there for a few years and later attended university to study my passion — mathematics. I didn't overthink it; I just pursued what I enjoyed,' she recalls. The challenges of displacement taught her resilience and adaptability. After graduating, she faced the uncertainty of life on a refugee visa. Benchikh saw the chance to return to a company she knew intimately while embracing a fresh challenge as CFO during a pivotal period. 'I needed to find a job, and at a career fair, I came across a stand for accountancy and thought I'd give it a shot. That's how I joined a management trainee programme at Gillette,' she explains. This first role proved to be a critical launchpad for her career. Early in her professional life, Benchikh excelled in finance, taking on foundational roles that demonstrated her leadership potential. A move to General Electric expanded her horizons as she travelled extensively, leading system implementation projects. She then joined Rothmans just before its merger with BAT, where her career trajectory accelerated. 'At Rothmans, a year later, the merger with BAT happened. I started my career in finance as a qualified accountant, and my first finance director role was in North Africa. This was particularly exciting as it was my first professional role in the Middle East,' she says. In Cairo, she was immersed in Middle Eastern business cultures while managing diverse challenges. 'The role offered incredible diversity: starting up a business in Egypt, bidding for the Moroccan monopoly, managing a joint venture in Tunisia, and overseeing market entry in Algeria. It was an incredible experience,' she adds. Turnaround Expert During her regional finance role, she noticed how closely finance and general management intersected at BAT, sparking her desire to transition into general management. Her first such opportunity came in France, where she turned around a struggling company in just three and a half years. Building on this success, she was promoted to lead one of BAT's largest businesses in the Southern African region, based in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This role brought complex challenges, including collaboration with governments to address trade issues. Again, her leadership transformed the company's performance, earning it a Group award after four years. Her reputation as a transformative leader led to her recruitment by Diageo, where she took on the role of Managing Director for Northern Europe, overseeing 11 countries from a base in Hamburg, Germany. Taking on this role during the COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges. 'The pandemic was a period of immense learning for me,' she reflects. 'Navigating a new industry remotely taught me the importance of resilience and collaboration.' Despite these hurdles, her fresh perspective helped identify market opportunities and capitalise on shifts in consumer behaviour, resulting in significant business growth. After two and a half years, her achievements earned her a promotion to Diageo's executive committee as President for Europe. In this capacity, she spearheaded the establishment of Diageo's Middle Eastern head office in Dubai, which became one of the group's fastest-growing units. Driving Inclusion and Empowerment at BAT Soraya Benchikh is fully committed to BAT's transformative journey, and she is highly supportive of ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the organisation. She firmly believes in the power of inclusivity to create a thriving workplace. 'At BAT, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of our values. These principles drive initiatives designed to help women excel and advance into leadership and management roles,' she shares. To nurture a truly inclusive culture, BAT has implemented key initiatives such as 'Women in BAT,' 'Women in STEM,' and 'Women in Leadership.' These programmes provide mentorship, training, and essential resources to empower women in industries where they have historically been underrepresented. Highlighting the measurable impact of these initiatives, Soraya explains, 'By 2025, we aim to have women make up 40 per cent of senior leadership teams and 45 per cent of management roles. Programmes like Women in Leadership, which now supports around 1,000 female managers, are accelerating careers and creating lasting impact.' A Leadership Style Shaped by Heritage Soraya Benchikh's Middle Eastern heritage has profoundly shaped her leadership philosophy. 'As a Lebanese woman with extensive experience working for leading corporations in many parts of the world, I've been deeply influenced by the incredible women I've had the privilege to work alongside,' she shares. Her upbringing instilled resilience and adaptability, qualities that have been instrumental in her success. The Gulf region's remarkable progress in empowering women resonates deeply with her. 'Witnessing the progress across the Middle East today is truly inspiring. The efforts of GCC governments to empower women are commendable,' she states. Highlighting initiatives like Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE's Gender Balance Council, she adds, 'These efforts are similar to BAT's global vision to empower women and enable them to excel in every sphere of life.' BAT's Vision and Growth in the Middle East Since its founding in 1902, BAT has transformed into a multi-category consumer goods business. Soraya explains, 'We're not just talking about change — we're driven by it. Our vision focuses on offering alternatives with lower-risk potential to traditional products, empowering consumers to make informed choices.' The company's commitment to innovation extends to new markets and sustainability. 'Our investments in innovation, production, and market expansion demonstrate our commitment to creating a sustainable business that transcends traditional boundaries. We engage with regulators, policymakers and industry stakeholders to support evidence-based policies on new category produts,' Soraya adds. BAT invests over £300m annually in research and development for its New Category products, a testament to its dedication to reshaping the industry and prioritising the importance it places on consumer choice. The Middle East has emerged as a crucial growth market for BAT, given the region's openness to innovation and progressive regulatory frameworks. 'The opportunities in the Middle East are immense, particularly in New Categories,' Soraya shares. The Dubai office has become a hub for innovation, driving initiatives like artificial intelligence to enhance supply chain efficiency and consumer insights. 'AI has infinite applications, and the work being done in our Middle Eastern offices is absolutely critical to our global vision,' she notes. The GCC has been integral to BAT's strategy for over six decades, aligning with the region's push for innovation and economic diversification. 'The region's openness to innovation, coupled with its progressive regulatory landscape, makes it a key growth area for us,' Soraya adds. Collaborating with governments, regulators, and communities, BAT contributes to shared goals of sustainability and economic progress. Soraya's leadership highlights how resilience and innovation can redefine an industry. 'The GCC is a vital part of our global strategy,' she concludes. 'Through our initiatives and partnerships, we're not just transforming our business but also contributing to the transformative journey of the region.'
