Pierre de Labouchere resigned as president and chief executive of Japan Tobacco International (JTI), and was replaced by former chief operating officer Thomas McCoy effective immediately, JTI said.

Labouchere’s abrupt departure on 18 Dec was due to differences on company strategy, according to a Sky News report. JTI confirmed the management change in an e-mailed statement.
McCoy, "brings in-depth knowledge of the business and a wealth of experience to this new responsibility. His 14 years with JTI have generated a proven track record of success in leading the international tobacco business at JTI", the company said. "We will not comment any further at this time."
JTI was created in 1999 by parent company Japan Tobacco following JT's purchase of the non-US assets of RJ Reynolds. In 2007 de Labouchere led the acquisition of British cigarette maker Gallaher, which roughly doubled JTI’s size. The international branch of JT is headquartered in Switzerland.