Keagan Lenihan Joins Philip Morris International as Vice President, Head of D.C. Office

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) announced today that it has appointed Keagan Lenihan as Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, and Head of its D.C. office. Lenihan will serve as the Washington, D.C. lead for PMI’s U.S.-based external affairs efforts as the company continues to advance on its journey away from cigarettes, reporting to members of the company’s senior management team in the U.S. and globally.

Lenihan joins PMI from Altoida, Inc., a medical device company that uses AI and AR to predict neurological disease, where she served as Vice President of Operations. Over the previous two decades, she worked in government and corporate and public policy, most recently as Associate Commissioner for External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In these positions, she oversaw daily management of the agency and provided strategic direction to senior leadership on policy priorities, including efforts to promote medical product innovation, tackle opioid abuse, identify solutions to prescription drug shortages, and pursue a comprehensive plan for tobacco regulation, with an emphasis on preventing youth use of tobacco products.

“We are thrilled that Keagan will be joining us to further accelerate PMI’s journey toward a smoke-free future,” said Deepak Mishra, President of PMI Americas. “Her passion for and expertise in healthcare, life sciences, and policy issues and her commitment to help our company reach the next phase in its ambitious transformation away from cigarettes make her an ideal addition to our global leadership team.”

Prior to the FDA, Lenihan was Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, overseeing an extensive portfolio of policy initiatives and reforms, including comprehensive drug pricing reform, price transparency, and regulatory reform. Before that, she was Special Assistant to the President, charged with managing hiring for the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor, and Office of Personnel and Management.

Earlier, Lenihan was Senior Director of Government Relations for McKesson Specialty Health. She also worked for almost a decade on Capitol Hill, serving three members of Congress who held positions in House leadership, as well as senior members of the Ways and Means and House Rules committees.

Keagan Lenihan commented: “Having spent two decades working to improve public health, I am delighted to join forces with PMI in their mission to move away from cigarettes and help current smokers who otherwise would not quit switch to less harmful alternatives while ensuring we protect youth. PMI is not just transforming its business; with its smoke-free commitment, it is revolutionizing its industry and championing an unprecedented breakthrough for public health, including moving beyond nicotine to meet patient and consumer needs in the wellness and life sciences spaces. I’m excited to have been invited to play a role in making this happen even faster.”

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor and oral nicotine products, which are sold in markets outside the U.S. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of versions of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs), finding that exposure modification orders for these products are appropriate to promote the public health. As of March 31, 2022, PMI's smoke-free products were available for sale in 71 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 12.7 million adults around the world, excluding Russia and Ukraine, had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life-sciences, in February 2021 PMI announced its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and deliver innovative products and solutions that aim to address unmet consumer and patient needs. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.