‘I’m non-executive everywhere, is the way to describe me’

Richard Burrows made his name in Irish Distillers before serving as governor of Bank of Ireland. Now he has just delivered a ‘vintage year’ as chairman of British American Tobacco

Richard Burrows Pic: Fergal Phillips

In British American Tobacco’s latest annual report, chairman Richard Burrows describes the multibillion-pound purveyor of a leading cause of cancer as having had “a vintage year, driven by a successful strategy and winning culture”. The cover of the annual report depicts an attractive blonde woman enjoying a smoke, alongside montages of people of various nationalities cheerfully buying or consuming traditional and electronic cigarettes.

The former Bank of Ireland governor is justifiably pleased. Results ...