Cigarette and tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) announced the appointment of Suzanne Rich Folsom as senior vice president and general counsel, effective July 1. Folsom will lead legal, ethics, and compliance in the role.

Folsom succeeds Marc Firestone, who will retire later this year. Since January 2018, Firestone has held dual roles at PMI: president, external affairs and general counsel. He will continue to lead the company’s external affairs function until a successor is appointed.

Folsom joins PMI from law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, where she co-chaired the Investigations, Compliance, and Strategic Response Group and was a member of the Government & Regulatory and Cyber & Privacy groups. Before that, she was the general counsel, chief compliance officer, and SVP, government affairs and global public policy at United States Steel Corporation.

Folsom will report to PMI CEO André Calantzopoulos. Leading the legal, ethics, and compliance teams, she will be an ambassador for the company across legal and regulatory environments; influence conversations aimed at creating a climate of change for better consumer choice as the company drives forward with its smoke-free transition; serve as counselor to PMI’s executive leadership team, board of directors, and other leaders; and build support for appropriate, risk-proportionate regulatory frameworks, among other functions.

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