Summer Hanna, PhD serves as Head of Scientific Regulation on behalf of BAT. She is responsible for Group-wide scientific engagement to drive the awareness and acceptance of Tobacco Harm Reduction and the development of science-based regulatory approaches for reduced risk products globally. Dr. Hanna has held a variety of US and Global roles across Scientific Research & Development and Regulatory Affairs. She most recently led the development of the cannabinoid discovery science programme as part of BAT’s Beyond Nicotine strategy. Previously, Summer led teams within Reynolds’ FDA Submissions & Engagement team focused on their smokeless tobacco portfolio, along with previous roles in Analytical Research. Before joining Reynolds American in 2011, Hanna received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Wake Forest University. She currently serves as treasurer to the US Technical Advisory Group for ISO/ TC 126.

Riccardo Polosa is the founder of the Center of Excellence for Accelerating Harm Reduction (CoEHAR - University of Catania, Italy). Dr. Polosa is a full professor of Internal Medicine at the same University and together with the 100-member CoEHAR research team with different specializations, they 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 e-cigarette research.

Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi is a pharmacist and epidemiologist committed to advancing equitable health research and strengthening responses to health emergencies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). After earning a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Ibadan, he completed an MSc in Global Health Science & Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Adebisi now serves as Director for Research at Global Health Focus, a think tank that builds research capacity across the Global South and beyond. He was also an inaugural Kevin Molloy Fellow of Knowledge•Action•Change, receiving support to expand the evidence base for tobacco harm reduction. His current projects map research gaps and policy priorities for tobacco-harm-reduction strategies in LMICs while championing wider health-equity initiatives and capacity-building across Africa. He is particularly interested in infectious- and non-communicable-disease epidemiology through the lens of equity and has authored numerous studies in key areas of population-health 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.

Gabriel Oke is a Medical Laboratory Scientist and communications professional with expertise in tobacco harm reduction (THR) research and advocacy in low- and middle-income countries. He leads THRJourno, an initiative advancing THR in Africa through research, social media campaigns, workshops, and training programs. Gabriel holds a Master’s in Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity, an MBA from Chester Business School, and is completing a Medical Leadership MSc at Lancaster University under the Commonwealth Scholarships. His experience spans organizations including the Foundation to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance, Nigeria Health Watch, Irish Global Health Network, Costello Medical UK, and THRJourno under the OLGNova Equity Programme. Gabriel has led high-impact campaigns on antimicrobial resistance and THR, developed cross-continental grant programmes, and published global health research. He bridges research, storytelling, and strategy to drive public health innovation, with a strong focus on health equity, youth leadership, and African health system development.

Professor Marewa Glover is one of New Zealand’s leading tobacco control researchers. She has worked on reducing smoking-related harm for 32 years. She is recognized internationally for her advocacy on THR and was a Finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Supreme Award in 2019 recognising her contribution to reducing smoking in NZ. In 2018, Marewa was appointed Tobacco Section Editor for the Harm Reduction Journal. In 2018 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 through to 1 September 2024 with grants from Global Action to End Smoking (formerly known as Foundation for Smoke-Free World), an independent U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization, accelerating efforts worldwide to end the smoking epidemic. Neither Marewa nor the Centre have any commercial interests in any nicotine or tobacco products.

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 100 studies and presenting in more than 80 conferences. He authored the first systematic review on the safety and risk profile of e-cigarettes in 2014 and the first book on e-cigarettes, published by Elsevier. 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.