Bernd Mayer was appointed at the University of Graz as a full Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in 1999. His main research area is cardiovascular pharmacology, focusing on vascular endothelial cells and oxidative stress. In 2006 he was presented with an e-cigarette made by RuyanTM in China. Since then, he has advocated e-cigarettes as much less harmful alternatives to conventional cigarettes for smokers. In 2013 he studied documented historical cases of nicotine poisoning. As a result, he raised the then generally accepted lethal oral dose from 60 mg to 500-1,000 mg, indicating that regular use of nicotine products won't lead to considerable poisoning.

Christopher Russell, Ph.D. is a psychologist and Director of Russell Burnett Research &

Consultancy Ltd (RBRC), a contract research organization that specializes in the design,

conduct, and reporting of perception and behavioral studies of the potential population health

risks and benefits of candidate tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, such as ENDS,

heated tobacco products, and modern oral tobacco products. RBRC designs studies to

characterize adults’ use and perceptions of new tobacco products, longitudinal tobacco

product use transitions, and understanding of product labels, labelling, and marketing

materials. Results of these studies help to inform PMTA, MRTPA, and other applicable

regulatory assessments of the potential impact of candidate THR products on future tobacco

use behavior and population health.

Konstantinos Farsalinos, MD, MPH, is a physician and senior researcher specialising in Public Health at the Universities of Patras and West Attica in Greece. He has conducted extensive research on smoking, tobacco harm reduction, and vaping since 2011, publishing over 90 studies and articles. Notably, he authored the first systematic review on the safety and risk profile of e-cigarettes in 2014; his research was influential in shaping the EU’s regulatory framework on vaping. In 2020, he was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for his significant impact in global science. During the pandemic, he published studies exploring the relationship between smoking, nicotine, and COVID-19.

Peter Beckett is co-founder of Clearing the Air (www.clearingtheair.eu), an information resource that helps users of safer nicotine products become advocates. Clearing the Air launched in February 2024 and covers campaigns across Europe and Latin America in both English and Spanish. In addition to the site, Clearing the Air offers free campaigning and lobbying help to organisations advocating for safer nicotine products. Before that, Peter spent ten years across a variety of political and regulatory roles in the vaping industry, starting as the campaign lead for the then-nascent vaping industry during the revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive in 2013. He is a partner at EU public affairs firm Three Six One.

Clive Bates has had a diverse career in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Starting out with IBM, he then switched career to work in the environment movement. From 1997-2003 he was Director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK), campaigning to reduce the harms caused by tobacco. In 2003 he joined Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit as a civil servant and worked in senior roles in the public sector and for the United Nations in Sudan. He is now Director of The Counterfactual, a consulting and advocacy practice focussed on a pragmatic approach to sustainability and public health.

Since graduating with a degree in Politics and Government in 1978, Paddy has worked in a number of aspects of public health and social care, including alcohol and drug services, the probation service and public health advocacy. In addition to these he has worked in event management, including directing five editions of the International Harm Reduction conference. Since 2012 he has been mainly involved in the development and promotion of Tobacco Harm Reduction, including directing the Global Forum on Nicotine.

Riccardo Polosa is the Founder of the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR - University of Catania, Italy). Dr Polosa is Full Professor of Internal Medicine for the same University and Director of the Center for Smoking Prevention and Treatment at the University Hospital "Policlinico-V. Emanuele” of Catania. Dr. Polosa and the CoEHAR team of researchers conduct several high-profile clinical and behavioral research in the field of smoking-related diseases. According to a bibliometric analysis, Professor Polosa is considered the most productive scientist in the world in the field of electronic cigarette research.

Derek Yach MBChB MPH, is a global health expert focused on addressing major chronic diseases, mental health and their underlying risks. He has led major initiatives to address tobacco use, healthy diets, and mental health at the World Health Organization, Yale, PepsiCo, the Vitality Group, and most recently as President and founder of the Foundation for a Smoke Free World. Derek has published over 250 peer reviewed publications. He has served on several advisory boards including those led by the World Economic Forum, Wellcome Trust, NIH's Fogarty Center, and Cornerstone Capital. He currently is a member of APCO's International Advisory Board. He lives in Connecticut, USA and swims most days.

Professor Marewa Glover is one of New Zealand’s leading tobacco control researchers. She has worked on reducing smoking-related harm for 31 years. She is recognized internationally for her advocacy on tobacco harm reduction; and locally was a Finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Supreme Award in 2019 recognising her contribution to reducing smoking in NZ. In 2018, Dr Glover was appointed Tobacco Section Editor for the Harm Reduction Journal. In that year she also established the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking, an international program of research aimed at reducing smoking-related harms among Indigenous peoples globally. The Centre’s research was funded with grants from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Inc. (“FSFW”), a US nonprofit 501(c)(3) private foundation.

Barnaby Page is editorial director of Tamarind Intelligence, the publisher of ECigIntelligence, TobaccoIntelligence and CannIntelligence. As a journalist he has been covering the worldwide reduced-risk nicotine sector since 2014, with a particular focus on public health and regulatory issues; in his current role he manages Tamarind’s editorial and reporting teams, producing a wide range of nicotine-related content. He has been participating in the Global Forum on Nicotine since its inception. Before coming into this field, Barnaby spent 30 years as a reporter and editor for newspapers, magazines and online services, specialising in technology and business. He is based near London.

Carmen Escrig received a PhD. in Cell Biology and Genetics from the Autonomous University of Madrid, and is the founder, coordinator, and/or scientific advisor of different organisations related to smoking harm reduction, such as the Spanish Medical Platform for Smoking Harm Reduction, composed of about 30 doctors, professors, and health professionals, as well as the Spanish Association of Personal Vapourisers Users (ANESVAP). She is the organiser of THR SUMMIT SPAIN, the first scientific congress on smoking harm reduction in Spain, now in its second edition. She has attended or participated as a speaker in several congresses related to tobacco harm reduction. Carmen also collaborates actively with users and scientific organisations in Latin America.

Doctorada en Biología Celular y Genética por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, es fundadora, coordinadora y/o asesora científica de distintas organizaciones relacionadas con la Reducción de Daños por Tabaquismo, como la Plataforma Médica Española por la Reducción de Daños por Tabaquismo, compuesta por cerca de 30 médicos, catedráticos y profesionales sanitarios, así como de la Asociación Española de Usuarios de Vaporizadores Personales (ANESVAP). Esorganizadora del THR SUMMIT SPAIN, primer congreso científico sobre Reducción de Daños por Tabaquismo en España que ya va por su segunda edición. Ha asistido o participado como ponente en varios congresos relacionados con la THR. También colabora activamente con organizaciones de usuarios y científicos hermanas en Latinoamérica.

Professor Gerry Stimson is a leading advocate for tobacco harm reduction and an Emeritus Professor at Imperial College London. A public health social scientist, with over 50 years’ experience of research and advocacy, he was one of the founders of drugs harm reduction in the 1990s, helping to develop and evaluate harm reduction in the UK as a response to HIV/AIDS. Gerry has advised the UK Government, WHO, UNAIDS, UNODC, the World Bank and numerous governments around the world on issues relating to drugs, HIV infection and AIDS, and alcohol. He has also published over 220 scientific publications and several books. Currently, Gerry is advisor to Knowledge•Action•Change, and is involved in the FSFW-funded Global Tobacco Harm Reduction Initiative. He is also a co-founder of the Global Forum on Nicotine, which has been delivered by KAC Communications since 2014.

Riccardo Polosa is the Founder of the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR - University of Catania, Italy). Dr Polosa is Full Professor of Internal Medicine for the same University and Director of the Center for Smoking Prevention and Treatment at the University Hospital "Policlinico-V. Emanuele” of Catania. Dr. Polosa and the CoEHAR team of researchers conduct several high-profile clinical and behavioral research in the field of smoking-related diseases. According to a bibliometric analysis, Professor Polosa is considered the most productive scientist in the world in the field of electronic cigarette research.

Konstantinos Farsalinos, MD, MPH, is a physician and senior researcher specialising in Public Health at the Universities of Patras and West Attica in Greece. He has conducted extensive research on smoking, tobacco harm reduction, and vaping since 2011, publishing over 90 studies and articles. Notably, he authored the first systematic review on the safety and risk profile of e-cigarettes in 2014; his research was influential in shaping the EU’s regulatory framework on vaping. In 2020, he was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for his significant impact in global science. During the pandemic, he published studies exploring the relationship between smoking, nicotine, and COVID-19.

Clive Bates has had a diverse career in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Starting out with IBM, he then switched career to work in the environment movement. From 1997-2003 he was Director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK), campaigning to reduce the harms caused by tobacco. In 2003 he joined Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit as a civil servant and worked in senior roles in the public sector and for the United Nations in Sudan. He is now Director of The Counterfactual, a consulting and advocacy practice focussed on a pragmatic approach to sustainability and public health.