Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has announced that its CEO Deborah Arnott will be retiring on 30 September after 21 years, according to an ASH press release.

Deborah Arnott has been with ASH for 21 years and has developed and led ASH and the Smokefree Action Coalition which ASH coordinates, to substantial campaign successes including legislation prohibiting smoking in public places, putting tobacco out of sight in shops, and plain standardised tobacco packs, the press release states. Arnott will be retiring from ASH on 30 September and the Board of Trustees has already started the recruitment process for her successor to enable a smooth transition.
“I am proud to be leaving ASH at a good time and in safe hands, well on the way to delivery of our mission to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco. Our values, the strength of our team, the quality of ASH advocacy and networking, and our reputation and influence all stand us in good stead for the future. Whoever takes over from me is inheriting the leadership of an outstanding organisation,” Arnott said.
“I want to thank Deborah for her passion and determination over the last twenty one years. While everyone at ASH will be sad to see Deborah go, she leaves ASH in a robust position, with sound finances and a talented staff team. The next chief executive will inherit a highly-motivated group of colleagues and supporters. Now is an exciting time for tobacco control, with government commitments to a smokefree future and raising the age of sale to create a smokefree generation overwhelmingly supported by the public and parliament,” said Prof Nick Hopkinson, Chair of Trustees at ASH.
Two health organisations, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation also paid tribute to Arnott with Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, saying: “Deborah Arnott’s highly effective leadership of ASH over the past two decades has helped pave the way for the world-leading progress made in reducing the burden of tobacco – the biggest preventable cause of cancer and death in the UK. Deborah’s impact extends worldwide. She has been a key figure in the global tobacco control community, helping to secure stricter tobacco control measures around the world, which prevent cancer cases and save lives.”
British Heart Foundation Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “For two decades, Deborah has been the inspirational and tireless leader of an incredibly effective public health organisation. The dramatic reduction in tobacco smoking over that period, and the many lives saved, would not have happened without the landmark policies relentlessly driven by Deborah and her team at Action on Smoking and Health. For this, the BHF and wider cardiovascular community owe her their most heartfelt gratitude.”