Panel discussion: The flavours debate

Dustin Dahlmann from Hamburg, Germany is the president of the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA), the German vaping industry association BfTG (Bündnis für Tabakfreien Genuss e.V.) and owner of the successful e-cigarette wholesale InnoCigs. He fights for an autonomous regulation of vaping products as a means to harm reduction independent from tobacco industries throughout Europe.

Rob Burton is Plxsur’s Group Scientific and Regulatory Director and has 11 years of experience in the vaping industry.

Rob was previously Senior Consultancy & Compliance Officer at Nerudia, sold to Imperial Brands in 2017, where he helped grow the Company into a global, science-led business, in a highly-regulated space. This included development of scientific and regulatory engagement platforms across Vape, Oral Nicotine, Heated Tobacco and CBD. Spending a period of time based in Washington D.C., Rob was responsible for developing the Company’s FDA multi-platform engagement strategy. During his time at Nerudia, Rob developed a close working relationship with Co-Founders David Newns and Chris Lord.

Prior to this, Rob headed up Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at US-based electronic cigarette company White Cloud, which he joined after five years at BAT as Group Head of Public Health and Scientific Affairs. At BAT, Rob led a team of industry-respected scientists focused on delivering the Company’s global external scientific engagement.

Before joining BAT in 2008, Rob spent over 20 years in the pharmaceutical sector working for AstraZeneca and SmithKline Beecham (GSK). During this time, Rob held several senior, international, commercial and scientific roles, including Global Commercial Director for Respiratory Products at AstraZeneca and General Manager and Area Director for Eastern European markets at SmithKline Beecham and AstraZeneca.

He has also held non-executive roles with several biotech start-up companies and regularly consults in both Commercial and Regulatory disciplines in the UK and Europe.

Rob is on the Advisory and Scientific Boards for Cannabis For Children (a US not-for-profit organisation), is an Advisory Board member for Blossom Genetics and is a Director and Board Member of AAN Medical and a member of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society.

An industrial chemist by training, Rob began his career working in the laboratories of Reckitt & Coleman, before moving into sales and marketing functions within Beecham’s UK. Throughout his global career Rob has spent over 13 years living in the USA, Sweden, Czech Republic and Estonia.

Dr Nveed Chaudhary has over 20 years of experience in lung disease with a focus on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma and Pulmonary Fibrosis across the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and nicotine industries.

Having had several senior roles in global multinational companies, most recently Nveed was the Chief Scientific and Regulatory Officer at a consultancy firm, advising international clients on nicotine and other drug delivery to the lung. At British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Imperial Brands and latterly at Broughton Life sciences, Nveed had significant roles in the development and assessment of reduced risk nicotine products, across Heated Tobacco Products, E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches and he has been involved in the PMTA and UK MAA processes of over 20 individual product lines covering over 100 different SKUs.

Nveed has had an international career, working in Germany, Italy, UK, Singapore, Switzerland and since Jan 2024, has taken a position as Vice President for Technology and Innovation at Medad Technologies based in Abu Dhabi.

Vivien Wenzel is not just an expert in the flavour industry, but also lives her passion with heart and soul for vape flavors.

After qualifying as a chemical technician in Berlin, her professional career led her to Institut Kirchhoff Berlin GmbH, a company of the Mérieux NutriScience Corporation.

Her area of responsibility there was first in food analysis and later also in smoke and enviromental analysis. Further she has also worked for 5N Plus Inc. a pharmaceutical company and later at Hela Gewürzwerk Hermann Laue GmbH, one of the largest and oldest spice houses in Europe.

Since 2017, Vivien has been at Hertz & Selck GmbH & Co. in Hamburg, one of the longest-established aroma houses in Germany.

Among other things, she is responsible for the Vape division, global sales and development.

Barbara Zhavoronkova is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of the INFLAVE company. INFLAVE is one of the leading brands of e-cigarettes in Russia entering international markets. Along with the development of its own portfolio of strong brands and products, INFLAVE provides services of product development to other companies and aims to supply a high-quality alternative to classical tobacco products compliant with government regulations and ethical standards.