Marconi Wachholz

• Current Leaf and Blending manager in the BAT Leaf Operation Mexico, responsible for the entire Leaf team (31 people), fundamentally responsible for the reorganization of the Leaf operation in Mexico and implementing several improvements in field production, yeld, quality, team building, mechanization, internal grading system and packing Standards, making the operation grow 30% in volume in 2 years.

From 2011 to 2022 I was in the position of Cigarette Blender at BAT, already worked with all factories in Americas and Africa. Lead the complete Blend management, blend maintenance according to the deliveries targets for each product and market, Inventory management, durations, finance calculation, ensure taste signature for each brand during the time.

• Develop new blends for product upgrades, line stations and taste signatures. Conduct product maintenance with the factories to ensure the levels of Tar/Nic/Co and according to leaf durations, maintain and set targets for regulated markets.
• Responsible for the Crop assessment in the leaf operations, provide the complete physical & Smoke evaluation, adjust grades by internal grade to stay in the standards of quality by each grade. Evaluate leaf opportunities for third parties and define the utilization in the blend portfolio, also visit third parties to do complete smoke assessment for tabacos available.
• Lead new blend developments and cigarette developments, micro blends, prototypes in factory or in Pilot Plant, laboratory, smoke panels and the complete NPI process.
• Provide technical product knowledge and support the factory in qualification of new equipment’s in PMD and SMD. Support Leaf team to define the crop size, grade recipes, process parameters, inventory management, implement best practices and do the unification of tobacco standard in each leaf operation.
• Support Casing and Flavor team in new taste developments and the qualification of new ingredients in factory.
• Lead initiatives of complexity reduction, cost saving and product optimization.
• Large sensory experience in Tobacco, including regular cigarettes and the tobacco taste wheel (Virginia, Burley, Dark, Comun, Carmen Cubita, dark fire cured, Aromatic virginia, Amarelinho, organic tobacco, Sun Cured Tobacco, dark for Cigars, and experience of the tobacco tastes around the world (African Burleys, Indian tobaccos, Indonesian tobaccos, USA tobaccos and some exotics), Knowledge in Cigars tobacco (Wrapped, Binder and Filler) Experience in Toxicants levels in cigarette and tobacco Responsible for Deer and Fibex (reconstituted tobacco) formulations in factory.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPER: During 6 year in the product team i also performed the roll of Product Developer, manager responsible for the complete product development (Blend and cigarette design).
• PD responsible for for projects in tobacco first, F&S (single, double and triple capsule), combinations with sensate tipping and flavor on road, Switch and Boost product. Develop Cigarette design according the project brief and TAR deliveries. Manager responsible for over 150 projects in PD responsible for delivering the complete NPI cycle.
• Support the Brands and Insights Team to understand the consumer preference and develop the correct brand strategy for each brand or country.

• Started my tobacco journey at Leaf Operation Brazil (GLT in Santa Cruz do Sul) from 2003 at 2011, passing through positions of: Tobacco commercialization (Buyer), internal grading system and Leaf Blender