Soraya Benchikh

Soraya Benchikh

Soraya Benchikh

Chief Financial Officer

I am thrilled to serve as Chief Financial Officer at BAT from May 2024, making my return to the Group where I spent over two decades contributing to our strategic direction across three continents.

I started my career as a management trainee with Gillette before moving on to various Finance roles with Gillette and then General Electric before starting my BAT journey. At BAT, I progressed through various pivotal roles; from Duty Free to Finance Director across Egypt, France, Russia, and then Europe. Eventually, I advanced into general management, spearheading our operations in France and later overseeing our Eastern and Southern Africa region as CEO.

 

Before rejoining BAT, I spent the last four years at Diageo, initially leading as Managing Director for Northern Europe and later ascending to President for Europe on the Global Executive Committee. These roles further honed my passion for transformative leadership and my commitment to fostering creative and empowered teams. 

 

 

A Better Tomorrow™


I am excited by the vision of building a Smokeless World and have a steadfast belief in the power of business to drive transformation in society to create A Better Tomorrow™ for all stakeholders.

Nationality: French

 

Education

 

  • CIMA certified 

  • BSc (Hons) in Mathematics 

 

Personal interests

 

My heritage is Franco-Lebanese. I am married and we are proud parents of our son. I am also an avid world explorer, a foodie, and a yoga enthusiast.