Tackling big challenges one step at a time
Former pharma leader applying her knowledge to open new conversations and quash misconceptions about today’s tobacco industry
Kory Mcdonald has a passion for taking on complex challenges. The Ottawabased resident has completed 10 marathons, six Ironman triathlons and several long-distance cross-country skiing competitions.
With years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry, the new Head of External Affairs at Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH) is now turning that drive toward helping adult Canadian smokers find reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes.
“I love tackling what initially appears insurmountable,” Mcdonald says. “With endurance sports, if you look at the whole day knowing you’re going to be out there for 17 hours, you might never start, but if you break it down into smaller steps, you can get there, and it’s very fulfilling.
“It’s the same thing with breaking down misconceptions about reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes: it may not be an easy journey, but it’s encouraging to see the progress we’ve made already.”
Mcdonald is working to help Canadians have information about, and access to, heated tobacco, vaping products and oral smokeless tobacco products as alternatives to smoking.
Coming from over 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Mcdonald knows firsthand how important it is for people to have the right information to make the right choices for themselves and their health. With this in mind, she is working for regulatory change to improve public health outcomes.
“We have a saying at RBH: ‘If you don’t smoke, don’t start; if you smoke, quit; if you don’t quit, change,” Mcdonald says referencing the company’s commitment to becoming smoke-free while noting that change is possible, but it also requires that governments ensure regulations and laws keep pace with these innovations.
Philip Morris International (PMI), of which RBH is a subsidiary, has invested over US$10 billion to research and develop a range of smoke-free alternatives. Mcdonald finds that opening up the conversation goes a long way in quashing stereotypes about the industry.
“We’d love to see an ability to communicate information about relative risks of smoke-free products so that people have access to that information,” Mcdonald adds, referencing the company’s willingness to add information about alternatives on cigarette packages, for example, along with the current health warnings.
Mcdonald points to countries such as Sweden and New Zealand as leaders when it comes to differentiating smoke-free alternatives from cigarettes, with progressive programs she’d like to see Canada emulate.
Mcdonald is working to give Canadians access to relevant scientific information by calling for changes to government regulations surrounding tobacco and vaping products. This includes the ongoing review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, which regulates the sales, promotion and use of tobacco and vapour products.
“Information — when it comes to all aspects of our lives — is so vitally important in ensuring we can make the right decisions for ourselves,” she adds.
Born in Winnipeg and raised in Edmonton, Mcdonald, who’s a mother of four grown children, developed an interest in politics and political science in university. Much of her career has involved government affairs; she admits that she never expected to work for a tobacco company.
“What the company is trying to do — fundamentally transforming — is a huge challenge. I knew that being the face of that and carrying the message in Canada would be very difficult, but it’s also the right thing to do.
“Once I understood what RBH is trying to do, I really believed in the mission. And I wanted to be the one to take on that challenge.
“There are still five million Canadians smoking cigarettes, and we can’t leave them behind. It starts with having conversations. The journey is one step at a time and it involves ensuring Canadians have access to information to evaluate the risks and understand there are less harmful alternatives,” says Mcdonald.
To learn more, visit rbhinc.ca.