Karolis Čekauskas to lead Philip Morris Baltic operations

Karolis Čekauskas has taken charge of Philip Morris Baltic starting in August, bringing fifteen years of experience within PMI companies across commercial, marketing, digital development and business planning roles in the Baltic states and Europe. From 2021 to 2024 he headed PMI's European region consumer experience and digital development division, before spending recent years in Poland overseeing smoke-free product development.

Čekauskas acknowledges that the company faces serious challenges in the Baltics, and especially in Latvia, but says he hopes to apply his international experience to advance science-based innovative products in the country. Among his stated priorities is strengthening cooperation between the private and public sectors to combat the shadow market, which he says has reached record levels in recent years.

Taxes and the illegal market

Philip Morris Latvia ranks among the country's largest taxpayers — in 2025 it was the fifth-largest by total payments to the state budget, contributing €143.116 million, roughly 24% more than in 2018.

Čekauskas argues that the current balance between industry and policymakers has broken down, with the illegal market flourishing, tax revenues falling short of projections, and illegal tobacco and nicotine products freely available even to young people. He wants to see more thoughtful and balanced tax and regulatory policy that would benefit the state, public health and the business environment alike.

Leadership change

The previous head of Philip Morris Baltic, Jigit Dizdarer, has moved to Poland as of August to lead Philip Morris Polska, one of PMI's strategically most important markets in Europe. The move is regarded as a strong recognition of his work and results in the Baltic states. The company notes that under PMI's governance model, senior executives are regularly rotated between central divisions and various international markets to build broader experience.