Kaival Brands Expands Senior Management Team with the Appointment of Barry Hopkins as Executive Chairman

40-year tobacco industry veteran will work with existing management team to refine corporate vision and execute on Kaival Brands revenue generation and operational strategies

GRANT-VALKARIA, Fla., Nov. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaival Brands Innovations Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL) ("Kaival Brands," the "Company," or "we"), today announced that it has expanded the role of Mr. Barry Hopkins, Chairman of the Board, to the new position of Executive Chairman. In this role, Mr. Hopkins will serve as Kaival Brands’ principal executive officer. Current President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Eric Mosser, will continue to manage day-to-day operations of the Company.

Mr. Hopkins joined Kaival Brands as Chairman of the Board in March 2023. He is a 40-year tobacco industry veteran with deep operational experience and industry contacts. With his expanded responsibilities, Mr. Hopkins will play a more active role in the strategic direction and oversight of the Company with a focus on accelerating revenue growth, improving operational efficiencies and executing on Kaival Brands’ strategic initiatives.

“Since I joined Kaival Brands in March, I have become even more energized by the opportunities for our company and look forward to working with Eric and our excellent senior leadership team to refine our strategic business plan and reignite growth,” said Mr. Hopkins. “I aim to foster a culture of performance and accountability and to establish clear decision-making processes and strong communication which are essential for moving our promising business forward. I look forward to working with and supporting Eric and the team to build upon their past success and lead Kaival to the next level.”

Eric Mosser, Chief Executive Officer & President of Kaival Brands, said, “Barry has a distinguished and accomplished career with decades of experience in the tobacco industry. With a proven track record of growing sales, penetrating markets, and operational excellence, he understands what it takes for a company like ours to rapidly gain market share. We are fortunate to be able to tap his expertise and leverage his network of industry relationships to expand distribution and accelerate revenue growth.”

Mr. Hopkins spent most of his decades-long career primarily in senior sales and marketing roles for Turning Point Brands and Altria. Most recently, before becoming a management consultant, Mr. Hopkins served as Senior Vice President of Executive Organizational Development of Turning Point Brands, where he led that company’s senior management team in building the infrastructure for an enhanced performance management system and development of a new strategic planning process with a focus on mission critical initiatives to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. These initiatives contributed to eight record-setting quarters of revenue growth.