LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) has been recognized among this year’s most awarded winners in the program, an initiative acknowledging business and professional excellence in industries around the world. The company earned four awards for its achievements in delivering a smoke-free future from the more than 50 judges, who represent a wide spectrum of global industry experts.

PMI received Gold awards in the Achievement of the Year in Diversity and Milestone of the Year categories in recognition of becoming the first multinational company to achieve global EQUAL-SALARY certification; PMI’s president of South & Southeast Asia, Stacey Kennedy, was awarded Gold in the Woman of the Year in Business & the Professions category; and the company earned a Grand Trophy for being among this year’s most-awarded winners.

“We are passionate about our work at PMI to achieve a smoke-free future and make better alternatives to cigarettes available for men and women who would otherwise continue to smoke,” said Stacey Kennedy, PMI’s president of South & Southeast Asia. “It’s an honor to be recognized by other business leaders for the progress we’re making and for our drive to transform our company internally and externally to unsmoke the world.”

For PMI, cultivating an inclusive, diverse and gender-balanced workplace is a key priority as it transforms from a cigarette manufacturer to a science- and technology-driven company with a pipeline of innovative smoke-free products.

“To be successful in our mission, we have to foster the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our people, enabling their skills and ideas to flourish in an inclusive and diverse environment,” said Charles Bendotti, PMI’s senior vice president of People & Culture. “Our global EQUAL-SALARY certification was an important step in our work to achieve greater gender balance, and I am hopeful that our recognition by the One Planet Awards further highlights the role of the business community in championing positive change.”

In March 2019, PMI became the first multinational company to be certified globally for equal pay by the independent third-party EQUAL-SALARY Foundation. The company’s global EQUAL-SALARY certification confirms its commitment to equality and verifies that PMI pays all its employees, in more than 90 countries worldwide, equally for equal work, regardless of gender.

For more information about PMI’s transformation, visit .

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future

Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the United States. In addition, PMI ships a version of its IQOS Platform 1 device and its consumables authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Altria Group, Inc. for sale in the United States under license. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI’s smoke-free IQOS product portfolio includes heat-not-burn and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of September 30, 2019, PMI estimates that approximately 8.8 million adult smokers around the world have already stopped smoking and switched to PMI’s heat-not-burn product, available for sale in 51 markets in key cities or nationwide under the IQOS brand. For more information, please visit and .

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