Leading U.S. importer, marketer and distributor of specialty tobacco products Kretek International announced a series of senior management promotions to advance company growth across its subsidiaries.
Jason Carignan, currently chief marketing officer of Kretek, will become president of Phillips & King International and TMG International. Carignan’s new role will involve the strategic expansion and digital transformation of the Phillips & King and TMG businesses to serve the evolving needs of independent retailers across the country.
Sergio Montolfo, executive VP and general manager, will report to Carignan and will continue in his role overseeing sales and operations of the business.
Carignan joined the company in 2014 and is credited with the strong growth of Kretek’s many proprietary brands and subsidiaries. Most recently, Carignan served as president of Dryft Sciences, a Kretek subsidiary, where he led the start-up, manufacture and commercialization of the successful line of Dryft nicotine pouches until the company’s sale to Modoral Brands in November 2020.
Jason Carignan, new president of Phillips & King International and TMG International, subsidiaries of Kretek International.
“I have tremendous confidence in Jason Carignan, who has championed many of the company’s key successes over the years,” says Kretek President Sean Cassar. “With Jason at the helm of Phillips & King, we’re ready to rapidly advance our business modernization efforts in order to capitalize on the many growth opportunities ahead and to achieve our corporate objectives.”
Albert Jose, currently director of Kretek marketing, has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing for Kretek. Jose joined Kretek in 2012, when he began as a brand manager, and over the past nine years has led marketing and brand management efforts for many of the company’s most important products, including Djarum and Cuban Rounds. In moving into his new role, Jose’s duties will expand to include oversight for all of Kretek’s dedicated sales channels and their related marketing programs and product development efforts.
“The Djarum and Cuban Rounds product portfolios represent significant growth opportunities for the company,” commented Cassar. “We look forward to Albert Jose and the entire sales and marketing team working together to expand distribution and build on the strong sales and margin growth our company has achieved over the years.”
Both Carignan’s and Jose’s roles take effect immediately.
Kretek International is the parent company of Tobacco Media Group, publisher of Tobacco Business magazine and organizer of the annual Tobacco Plus Expo.
