Anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) has named its new CEO as Hazel Cheeseman.
Cheeseman will start the role in October, having worked in senior positions at ASH for the past decade.
She takes over from Deborah Arnott, who is retiring after leading the charity for 21 years. Cheeseman said it was an “incredibly exciting time to take up the helm” given the progress of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the UK now “on track to be the first country in the world to phase out the sale of tobacco”.
She added: “The question for the coming years will not be if we can become a smoke-free country but just how quickly this can be achieved.”
Cheeseman - who became deputy chief executive of ASH in 2021 - has been instrumental in the development of the charity during her time there. She established the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership, a coalition of charities committed to ending premature deaths caused by smoking among people with mental health conditions.
“The future of ASH is in safe hands,” Arnott said. “Hazel is very well-connected and greatly respected in the health community, with all the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to lead the organisation.
“Having worked closely with her for over 10 years I know that she will be an excellent chief executive, and more than that will be an innovative public health leader, breaking new ground for ASH and accelerating progress towards a smoke-free future.”
Arnott announced she was to retire in February. A staunch adversary of big tobacco, she clocked up several campaign wins during her tenure that have changed the way tobacco is sold in the UK. These include putting tobacco products out of sight in shops and the implementation of plain, standardised packs.
The ratcheting up of regulation - including the introduction of a ban on smoking in pubs and public places - has been accompanied by a substantial decline in smoking of more than half among adults.
Arnott has also been supportive of vaping as a tool for quitting smoking among adults, while campaigning against increasing youth use.
Under Arnott, ASH has lobbied the government to maximise the use of vaping as a quitting aid. The charity has called for policy changes including offering vapes as a substitute for smoking alongside accurate information on the benefits of switching; making vapes available on prescription; and providing free ‘Swap to Stop’ packs in deprived communities.
ASH chair Professor Nick Hopkinson said: “Under Deborah, ASH has been a force for change over the last 21 years and we owe her a debt of gratitude for the contribution she has made to the nation’s health.
“Hazel will continue that work ensuring that no group is left behind as we move towards being a country where smoking is obsolete.”
