A Mother of two has outlined plans to boost the fortunes of one of the UK’s largest tobacco manufactures.
In an interview with the Telegraph, ahead of her appointment to chief executive of Bristol-based Imperial Tobacco, Alison Cooper says the future of the company is all about increasing sales.
"In recent years at Imperial it’s been about deal, cost out, integration; deal, cost out, integration," she told the news provider.
"This is the logical next move. We’ve acquired assets; the next stage is leveraging them. The focus now is out-and-out on driving sales."
If she succeeds in increasing production, against the government’s aim to cut the rate of smoking, this could create new processing and handling facilities within the UK.
Ms Cooper will take over from Gareth Davis, who has spent 14 years in the role, in May and admits that she has big boots to fill but, she reveals, she is ready for the challenge.
The 43-year-old has spent the past year acting as the company’s chief operating officer and is familiar with the firm’s make-up.
For now, Ms Cooper and her the Imperial Tobacco colleagues will be waiting eagerly for the chancellor’s 2010 Budget Speech in which he is expected to reveal a hike in tobacco duty tax.
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