Letter from the President of the Board:
 

Following Mr Pierre-Marie Guitton’s decision to retire on December 31, 2019, the vacancy for the role of Secretary General of CORESTA was advertised on March 5, 2019, on the CORESTA website and, in parallel, the Association Pour l'Emploi des Cadres (APEC) in France was also contacted. As mentioned in the letter to all members of CORESTA, people were invited to send their CV or recommendation with a cover letter explaining why they were applying, or recommending a candidate, to the President of CORESTA by March 31, 2019. It was also stated that the Board was aiming to appoint an applicant by June 2019, with a view to the role commencing November 1, 2019.

The nominating committee, appointed by the Board, looked into the succession and after careful consideration, the committee unanimously recommended to the Board to offer the role of Secretary General to Dr Stéphane Colard.

It is a great pleasure to inform you that the Board unanimously approved this proposal from the committee and that Dr Stéphane Colard has accepted the offer.

Dr Stéphane Colard has a Master’s degree in Electronics - Science of Materials from the University Blaise Pascal, as well as a Master’s degree in Physics Engineering from the Polytech' School of Clermont-Ferrand in France. In 1998, he obtained his PhD degree in Science (optics and semiconductors). During his professional career, he has worked for Altadis in France, where he was in charge of quality systems deployment and laboratory management. He then worked for Imperial Tobacco Ltd in the United Kingdom as well as in France, where his last position was Head of Scientific Research & Harm Reduction. With his team, he addressed a wide range of topics from leaf research to aerosol science. He participated as an expert on AFNOR, CEN and ISO committees, and was also the Head of Delegation for France and Chairman of a committee. He has been involved in CORESTA activities since 2000, as a presenter of several papers and as a working group member and coordinator, and has also served on the Scientific Commission from 2014 until 2018. He is currently doing an MBA (started in October 2018) specialising in Corporate and Social Responsibilities, in combination with a project supported by CORESTA to identify tools to assess the impacts of the tobacco and alternative product sectors on UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr Stéphane Colard will assume his new role as Secretary General of CORESTA on November 1, 2019, and will be supported by Mr Pierre-Marie Guitton until December 31, 2019. Mr Pierre-Marie Guitton will also assist on an as-needed basis during the first semester of 2020.

I would like to congratulate Dr Stéphane Colard on his appointment and I am convinced that with his experience, scientific knowledge and great networking skills he will be a perfect Secretary General for CORESTA.

Sincerely,

Huub Vizée
President of CORESTA