Company: Philip Morris International (PMI)
Nomination Submitted by: DGC
Company Description: Philip Morris International (PMI) is one of the world’s leading international tobacco companies. In 2020, PMI issued its Statement of Purpose, reaffirming its 2016 commitment to deliver a smoke-free future. Since then, PMI has focused on developing scientific substantiating and responsibly commercializing smoke-free products that—while not risk-free—are a far better choice than cigarette smoking.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications, Investor Relations or PR Executive of the Year
 Nomination Title: Tommaso Di Giovanni
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominee since 1 January 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominee: his or her history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
Tommaso Di Giovanni is Vice President International Communications at Philip Morris International (PMI). As a global business and communications leader, he has spearheaded transformative strategies and programs locally, regionally and worldwide for over 20 years. His diverse experience spans corporate, government & regulatory affairs as well as business development and economics/statistics. Throughout his career, Tommaso's leadership style and strategic approaches have resulted in tangible results and positive impact. He has facilitated change in over 100 markets by promoting strategic, agile mindsets and encouraging stakeholders to actively shape the media environment. Tommaso has genuinely engaged with local media and other stakeholders in four different languages, building connections and demonstrating a proper understanding of regional political landscapes and cultural issues.
He began his career at PMI as a business development supervisor in 2001 and started his communications career in 2003 in France. In 2013, he was promoted to Global Head of Communications for smoke-free products, leading pioneering work to dramatically change the way PMI communicates across the world, from reactive and low profile to proactively generating 75% of the industry coverage worldwide in 2021. He made communications pivotal for the company's transformation away from cigarettes. He is now VP International Communications.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the nominee's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 208 words used.
Since 2020, Tommaso has led a significant effort to increase the impact of PMI’s communications across the world in order to further accelerate PMI’s transformation to a smoke-free future. Tommaso’s communications team of 28 professionals has led over 150 communicators and over 100 agencies in approximately 100 markets through enhanced knowledge sharing, news generation, and organized streams of work across earned, paid, and owned. Tommaso developed the proper tools and equipped the entire company with the skills needed to engage with the media through a full range of activities. These included a platform to share guidance, strategies, messaging, Q&As, backgrounders and all documents needed to be on top of news and engagements as we all navigated the world at home during the height of the pandemic. Through Tommaso’s leadership, PMI enhanced regulatory communications and public affairs and improved guidance and assets for consumer communications in 100+ countries.
His efforts resulted in over 50,000 features relevant to the company’s vision, more than doubling the results of the previous year. Tommaso has effectively elevated PMI’s voice and mission and opened channels for meaningful dialogues in 100+ countries. As a result, PMI’s share of voice represents up to three-quarters of the tobacco industry’s presence in the media in most countries.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
Tommaso’s leadership in helping to transform PMI across the world is one that will impact the industry forever. PMI, a global tobacco company, is on a transformative mission to deliver a smoke-free future where cigarettes are replaced with science-based non-combustible products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, and benefit public health as a whole. Such a dramatic paradigm shift faces many challenges, including skepticism and misinformation. PMI’s smoke-free alternatives also face a lack of understanding of basic concepts around the product category, which is a clear obstacle to its adoption.
A 2021 Povaddo survey, for example, revealed that most people in numerous countries wrongly believe that the primary source of smoking-related diseases lies with nicotine rather than with the approximately one hundred harmful compounds found in smoke and mostly generated by combustion.
To reach the public and key stakeholders, Tommaso mobilized the entire organization around one common goal and common narrative to debunk misinformation and foster awareness and understanding around smoke-free products to create a more welcoming ground for PMI’s vision, fostering support among governments, stakeholders and the public at large.
As a result of Tommaso’s leadership and his team’s efforts to change the conversation, PMI has made remarkable progress in improving its reputation, increasing understanding of the differences in the smoke-free product category by up to 20 points (based on a public opinion research: 2K sample; 30 countries) in some countries, and fostering debate conducive to real change in others.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 225 words used.
- Tommaso as the voice of the company in a number of challenging situation (besides F1). For example: A Belgian radio show, known to oppose tobacco.
- Statements on the partnership with Ferrari were featured globally in media that cover sponsoring. Examples below:
- Speech at the 27th Conference of PR in the Philippines was featured by basically all country’s media because of the call for action PMI made. Examples below:
- Example of local campaigns in the media (not Tommaso as a spokesperson but local initiatives fostered):
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