Jonathan Atwood was appointed BAT’s Group Head of Business Communications in October 2022 and is based in London. Jonathan’s chapter with BAT started in August 2021, when he joined Reynolds American as VP, ESG & Corporate Communications. In this role, Jonathan led the company’s communications efforts related to the Covid-19 crisis, designed and implemented Reynolds’s ESG framework and the subsequent launch of internal ESG campaigns. He also played an important communications leadership role in the Operations function’s transformation. Jonathan’s 25+ years of communications experience started in Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs at US Tobacco (UST) in the United States, where he worked in several key government affairs and communications positions. He later held a variety of communications and sustainability roles, including with Kraft Foods where he established the company’s first Asia Pacific corporate affairs network. After that, he worked at Unilever North America where he was Vice President, Sustainable Business and Communications and then became Unilever’s Vice President & Head of Communications, Global Supply Chain. At Unilever, Jonathan led the efforts to propel the company to the top of the GlobeScan Sustainability Index in 2014, a ranking that continues to be maintained today. He served on the North American leadership team for seven years and worked closely with the global C-Suite leadership in crafting and deploying a robust corporate communications and engagement strategy which leveraged his experience managing media relations, crisis management, change management and government affairs.
