William has a long history in the nicotine space, beginning as a Researcher at BAT in their Regulation and Strategy team, Operations Manager at the GTNF conferences for 8 years, and most recently as the Assistant Director of External Affairs at the Tobacco Merchants Association. He has also worked across political, corporate and international sectors, namely in Westminster as a Senior Parliamentary Assistant. He graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University and in 2024 received the Freedom of the City of London.

Flora Okereke is Group Head of Global Policy at BAT, responsible for developing and advancing priorities in global fora to unlock sustainable policy solutions that address key societal challenges and support the responsible transformation of BAT’s business.

Over the past 20 years, Flora has held senior country, regional and global legal, corporate and regulatory affairs roles across BAT’s multi-category business, including at BAT headquarters, in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, as well as in the United States, as international policy lead for Reynolds American Incorporated.

Flora holds an LLB (Hons) Law degree at University of Buckingham and is qualified as Barrister of Law at Inns of Court School of Law, Middle Temple, United Kingdom

Shane MacGuill conducts research and provides strategic analysis on all aspects of the global tobacco, nicotine and cannabis industries, working with a range of stakeholders to map the potential evolution and intersection of these industries. Collaborating with a broad spectrum of players, including international brand owners, companies in the supply chain and regulators, he leads conversations on consumer and industry trends and strategic developments. He is a frequent contributor to the mainstream and business media on industry-related topics, including Reuters, BBC, CNBC, The Economist, Bloomberg, the Financial Times and the Times of London.

Erik Bloomquist has covered and worked in global tobacco & nicotine for over 20 years and global consumer staples for over 25 years, including consulting for alternative nicotine delivery companies and investment managers. His current role is leading investor relations for Haypp Group. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

While working for J.P. Morgan and Berenberg, he consistently attained top rankings in internal and external investor surveys, including the European Extel and Institutional Investor (II) surveys and uniquely earned concurrent top ranks for tobacco in the European, U.S. and Japanese II surveys. At J.P. Morgan, he was the first to cover tobacco as a global sector, at one point covering firms from the US, UK, Japan, Sweden and Brazil directly. He has been quoted in publications including The Economist, Financial Times, and Bloomberg and appeared in the BBC tobacco & reduced risk products (RRP) documentary, Burning Desire. He has presented or moderated the GTNF investor panel since its inception in 2008 and participated in numerous other conferences focused on tobacco or RRPs.

His interests include tobacco harm reduction and the implications and comparative effects of regulation. He has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA focused on international political economy from the Henry M. Jackson School at the University of Washington.

Jana Siouzou is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in strategy, marketing, and corporate communications. Currently, she serves as the Head of Strategy, Marketing, and Corporate Communications at Körber Technologies GmbH. Jana has a strong background in strategic marketing, having previously held leadership roles at Hauni Maschinenbau GmbH and LMT-FETTE GmbH. She holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Hamburg and has completed executive education programs at ESMT Berlin and IMD. Jana is fluent in German, Greek, and English, and has a passion for volunteering, boxing, yoga, and photography.

Joe Thompson is Group Science & Regulatory Affairs Director at Imperial Brands. He is responsible for the science that substantiates Imperial Brands' next generation products as potentially reduced harm relative to continued smoking, the stewardship of Imperials products, and engaging on the science. He leads a large multi-disciplined specialist team responsible for product safety assessments, compliance with technical regulation, obtaining regulatory approval of products and a laboratory network spread over several countries. Joe has 23 years' experience in the science of nicotine containing products.

Joe is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a European Registered Toxicologist (ERT) with degrees in Toxicology (MSc) and Physiology (BSc).

Dr. (Douglas) Ming Deng is a professor and the head of NGPs Industry Studies at Yunnan University. Dr. Deng started to conduct tobacco-related research in 2004, and in recent years, he and his team have engaged in the study of NGPs. As a research professor with global vision, Dr. Deng has presided over numerous research initiatives, focusing on topics such as the regulation of e-vapor products in Asia, the economic and societal pay-off of introducing Heated Tobacco Products, and the significance of leaf tobacco in the NGPs era. Dr. Deng's recent research pursuits encompass the evolutionary study of the transition from combustible cigarettes to NGPs, as well as the innovation of NGPs through consumer-centric R&D. Dr. Deng actively participates as a key-note speaker at prominent tobacco industry forums, including the GTNF.

Thomas Compernolle Is currently responsible for providing strategic alignment, project management and external and internal engagement expertise to maximize the organization’s ability to inform global regulatory processes.

Since joining BAT in 2010, Thomas held roles at market, EU- and global level; working on national and EU issues and illicit trade research and prevention. Prior to joining BAT, Thomas worked as spokesperson for a leading Belgian business federation and as a journalist and editor.

William has a long history in the nicotine space, beginning as a Researcher at BAT in their Regulation and Strategy team, Operations Manager at the GTNF conferences for 8 years, and most recently as the Assistant Director of External Affairs at the Tobacco Merchants Association. He has also worked across political, corporate and international sectors, namely in Westminster as a Senior Parliamentary Assistant. He graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University and in 2024 received the Freedom of the City of London.

Anthony Hemsley has spent over twenty years focusing on regulatory policy at global, regional and national level. He started his career in 1998 and since led corporate affairs departments in the US and Eastern Europe. He studied and worked on tobacco regulation spanning from the EU Tobacco Products Directive, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the US FDA regulation. He has a fundamental knowledge about the drivers and consequences of illegal trade of tobacco products. Today, Anthony is leading the Anti Illicit Trade Strategy team based in JTI headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sam Peskin is the co-founder and CEO of Early Studies. He is a leading figure in engaging audiences through culture, having been part of the executive team at VICE Media, where he led the company’s expansion in the UK, Europe and MENA, and part of the founding team of 180 Strand, central London’s foremost cultural centre. While at VICE he helped to launch IQOS ‘Heat not Burn’ for Philip Morris International, and a global digital platform for Marlboro. Early Studies have recently helped to launch pioneering tobacco-free nicotine pouch brand Klar by Emplicure. Both as a media executive and as a consultant, Sam has worked on multiple award-winning campaigns for leading brands including Heineken, Mercedes, Nike and Adidas.

Tim Phillips is the Managing Director of Tamarind Intelligence, a global independent market and regulatory intelligence service providing data for businesses operating in a number of fast-moving consumer sectors facing regulatory change, including vape, cannabis and tobacco alternatives. Tamarind Intelligence provides market leading insights and regulatory tracking for clients ranging from governments and academic institutions to multinational companies and professional service providers.

Phillips is a UK-qualified attorney, having worked at the European Commission, international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, media companies BSkyB and AOL, and Betfair (now Flutter Entertainment), where he ran global public affairs as the company went through its IPO. He was also a partner in a New York venture capital-funded start-up in the diamond sector. Tim holds a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the University of Law, London and a masters degree in geology from Oxford University. He has run Tamarind Intelligence for the past 10 years.