Clifford Fleet has been replaced as CEO at Philip Morris USA by K.C. Crosthwaite, who was PM USA’s vice president for strategy and business development, the company website shows.
News accounts cited a PM USA spokesman confirming the management change, which has not been formally announced by parent company Altria. Fleet joined PM USA in 1995 and served as CEO and president since late 2013. Crosthwaite has taken on all of Fleet’s positions, including overseeing operations at cigar maker John Middleton, according to the Altria website.
Fleet told the company he would leave in April, according to a PM USA spokesman cited by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. An earlier account posted by the online publication Richmond BizSense says archived records show Fleet was listed as CEO on the PM USA website until 29 May.