According to a report from Kommersant on November 13th, the Russian branch of the British American Tobacco (which includes brands like Kent, Rothmans, Dunhill, etc.) has been acquired by a company based in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. This acquisition has made it the third largest tobacco supplier in Russia.
The company is jointly owned by three former senior executives of British American Tobacco and two individuals potentially associated with the СНС Group’s distributors. This structure will enable access to foreign banks and potentially facilitate global trade.
The former Russian division of British American Tobacco, including AO BAT-SPb and AO MUMT, has now been acquired by BFI Holding in Abu Dhabi. The shared owners of these companies include Faruk Ener, Oleg Barvin, Elena Zavarzina, Andrey Osavolyuk, and Sergey Kudinov.
In particular, Ener previously served as the general manager of the British American Tobacco company in Russia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Belarus. Balvin held a leadership position in the legal department, while Zavarzhina’s role on LinkedIn is listed as the marketing director for British American Tobacco in Russia.