Flora Okereke
Group Head of Global Policy, Insights & Foresights, BAT
Flora Okereke is a leading global voice in the tobacco/nicotine sector and a supportive architect of the industry’s advocacy to supranational global institutions including UN agencies and regional bodies . As a key champion of BAT’s “Better Tomorrow” transformation, Flora shepherds the global engagement effort to transition the industry towards a smokeless future through evidence-based policy and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
With a remit spanning over 170 markets, Flora’s responsibilities include overseeing the synthesis of future industry trends and geopolitical foresights as well as providing strategic counsel on the evolving global nicotine and tobacco policies.
Flora has held several senior country, regional and global roles at BAT, including legal, corporate and regulatory affairs director for West Africa; head of regulatory affairs for Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe (AMEA); global head of regulatory strategy and engagement; and senior director of government affairs and international policy at Reynolds American Incorporated Services, a subsidiary of RJR Tobacco based in Washington, D.C.
An acknowledged multilateral diplomacy expert, Flora is a leading industry interlocutor for inputs into the UN Agencies and a seasoned diplomat within the private sector. She steers the mobilization of global dialogue with supranational organizations to encourage science-led innovation, remaining at the heart of international regulatory frameworks.
Flora is recognized as a keen industry collaborator and her unwavering commitments to credible regulatory solutions, pioneering an industry-wide frameworks for underage access prevention. An ardent supporter of the Global Industry Policy Coalition, leading cross-sectoral initiatives to establish gold-standard frameworks for Digital Age Verification and retail compliance. By balancing public health objectives with commercial acumen, she has become a persuasive contributor to policy makers and a frequent speaker before national parliaments, health ministries and other global forums, articulating the intersection of innovation, technology, public policy, and the investor community's role in driving global progressive regulatory framework, harm reduction and effective risk minimisation measures.
A passionate advocate for Leadership Excellence, Flora nurtures and cultivates a global team of corporate affairs professionals, fostering a culture of rigorous policy acumen, diplomatic engagement and personal leadership development.
Flora is a long-term Board member of the BATN Foundation and voluntarily provides guidance on 'Diplomacy in Business' for Corporate Affairs professionals in high-level stakeholder engagement and public policy design.Flora was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) and later admitted as a solicitor by the Law Society and is a current member of the Bar UK Association for Commerce Finance and Industry.
Other Education and Certificates:
LLB (Hon), Law, Bachelor of Laws - University of Buckingham, UK
WTO Rules, Trade Policy Implementation –World Trade Institute University of Bern, Switzerland
Executive Programme in Business Leadership Course – Instead, France
University of Cambridge – Online Evidence Analysis and Decision Making in Public Policy, UK
