SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), January 23 (SeeNews) – British American Tobacco (BAT) said on Tuesday it has appointed Antal Bekefi as the new general manager for its Adria region, which was expanded in October to encompass Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.
Bekefi, who began running the Adria region from Croatia on January 1, was previously general manager of BAT's France-based office, BAT said in a statement made available to SeeNews via the company's local media representatives.
The former general manager for Adria region, Ram Addanki, is moving on to a higher position within the BAT Group.
"The team in Croatia has made great strides in business over the past two years, since the takeover of TDR, thanks to which the Croatian organisation is firmly positioned within BAT," Bekefi said in the statement.
Until its expansion in October, BAT's Adria region comprised Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia.
Together with the markets in Bulgaria and Romania, the Adria region is now becoming a part of BAT's new organisation area - South and Central Europe (SCEA).
Besides expansion plans, BAT is also set to continue with its investments in 2018, Bekefi said.
"In the coming period will continue with investments in all parts of the business, the growth of activity, exports and job creation", he explained.
In Croatia alone, BAT's investment in its factory in Kanfanar, Istria, from its acquisition of TDR to end-2018 will total 40 million euro ($49.0 million).
BAT is one of the biggest private investors and exporters in Croatia. It exports 80% of its Kanfanar production, with plans to increase that share to over 90% by end-2018.
The Croatian part of BAT's Adria region employs 1,650 workers.
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