INNCO Governance Documents
The Governing Board
The General Secretariat
Charles has over 25 years of experience in global health. He has had a varied career including “on the Hill” as a staff person working for the US Congress. Charles has served as a diplomat in India (Health Attaché at the US Embassy), Senior Advisor to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and Director of global health and child health research programs at three major foundations: The Rockefeller Foundation, the Optimus Foundation and the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. Charles obtained his PhD in developmental neurobiology from the University of Michigan, and has over 100 publications. Charles is also a former smoker who lost his father to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He is a fierce advocate for all options to help smokers quit, and for all ex-smokers who use any safer nicotine alternative to toxic tobacco.
Kim Dabelstein Petersen has been the president of the Danish vaping consumer organisation DADAFO since 2014, working to establish collaborations with the various stake holders in public health in Denmark. On the international arena, he has been instrumental in getting a consumer viewpoint represented in the various standardisation efforts through both CEN and ISO. Mr Dabelstein Petersen is now a member of workgroups on both the ISO and CEN efforts to standardise vaping products
Originally the Treasurer for the INNCO Governing board, he transferred to being the INNCO interim Secretary General in 2018, and in 2020 into the position of COO/CFO.
Atakan Erik Befrits is a self-financed Swedish/Turkish tobacco harm reduction advocate, policy researcher, economist and entrepreneur. He serves as the pro bono Chairman of New Nicotine Alliance Sweden and as PR TAC for global umbrella CSO-NGO INNCO.
Mr Befrits ambition is global recognition and adoption of tobacco harm reduction products and strategies as FCTC mandated vital and complementary tools for a greatly accelerated end to smoking (WHO <5%).
COI: Mr Befrits declares no tobacco or vaping industry financial conflicts of interest. Mr Befrits declares non-financial confluence of interests with several product categories, with FCTC 5.3 respecting independence from the producers of such products.
After 25 years of cigarettes consumption, Olivier Théraulaz stopped smoking within 5 days thanks to
vaping in 2013. This personal experience was his Tobacco Harm Reduction advocacy starting point.
His anterior links with Drug Harm Reduction in Switzerland oriented him into his current advocacy for
a united global harm reduction movement including all dependencies, with or without psychoactive
substances.
Olivier Théraulaz has been the President of the Swiss vapers association, Helvetic Vape, from 2014
to 2019. He participated to the CEN and ISO Technical Committees and Working Groups on vaping
products between 2015 and 2018. He is a GREA (Swiss Addictions Study Group) member since
2016. He was a member of the initial INNCO Steering Group during 2017 and is a member of
INNCO’s Secretariat since the end of 2017.
Judy Gibson is currently INNCOs Membership Coordinator having led a Steering Group to establish the organisation in 2016 and acted as its first Secretary General following its registration in Geneva in 2017.
Her diverse career includes; WRAF Aircraft Mechanic, Detective Sergeant and over 30yrs in Artiste management and Theatrical PR & Marketing. Suffering early iterations of e-liquid vapourisers since 2012, she became an ex-smoker in 2014 with the advent of sub-ohm tanks and became a vociferous supporter of safer nicotine products.
Janet has strong organisation skills and is deadline orientated. Her 20+ years in international administration within the corporate arena means she is used to keeping calm in high pressure situations and working with conflicting deadlines. She brings structure to a work environment with a relaxed yet professional manner.
Jeffrey Zamora is the president of Asovape Costa Rica (Pro-THR consumer organization) and board member of ARDT Iberoamerica, an alliance of consumer organizations advocating for tobacco harm reduction in the Iberoamerican region. He smoked for 17 years and is one of those “accidental quitters by vaping” as he tells his story to get involved in THR: “I bought a nicotine vaporizer just to reduce the number of combustible cigarettes I smoked daily, which was around 30, didn’t want it to quit, I have tried quitting many times before with no success but started vaping 6 years ago and the transition to this less risky alternative was so easy, I just quit smoking with practically no effort”. Jeffrey Zamora has been working in Social Media and Marketing with NGOs, Government Entities, and Commercial Brands.