John Dunne has established a strong reputation in the global vape sector and is currently the Director General, as well as one of the founders, of the UKVIA – the UK’s largest and most influential vape trade body. 

In his role with the UKVIA, John engages with, advises and provides critical evidence to parliamentarians and governments around the world. He also regularly appears on national television and radio, as well as national and international print media, and is a popular guest speaker at many of the world’s leading conventions.

John holds a number of other roles beyond the UKVIA, including Non-Executive Director of Arcus Compliance – one of the UK’s leading compliance companies – and Managing Director of Dyflin Group Consulting, where he advises many leading industry analysts, financial institutions and media organisations looking at the vaping sector.

Dan Marchant is a co-owner of Vape Club, the UK’s largest online vape specialist, and a founding member of the UKVIA. A former 30-a-day smoker who used vapes to kick the habit himself; Dan became a passionate evangelist for the harm reduction potential vaping offers. 

After seeing so many mistruths and junk-science stories in the press he threw himself into the politics and advocacy side of the industry, determined to change the narrative and champion the positive benefits of vaping. 

With over 12 years’ experience in the vaping industry, he has become a prolific commentator in print, broadcast and digital media, and is often invited to attend parliamentary meetings around vaping and regulation. 

Last year, Dan led the creation of a first-of-its-kind Vape Retail and Distribution Licensing Framework, which would generate £50m+ in annual funding for Trading Standards to pro-actively enforce the law and tackle the issues of underage and illicit vape sales.

Business Hub Manger, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Trading Standards

Mark currently manages the Primary Authority Partnership team for Peterborough & Cambridgeshire Trading Standards and has done this since 2011 when the government sponsored scheme was first introduced. The scheme allows businesses to “legally” rely on advice they obtain through such partnerships and helps to create greater certainty when making commercial decisions. Marks involvement with electronic cigarettes started in 2016,initially from a safety perspective with a business requesting support after a “Big Puff” 18650 battery had failed “safely” in a consumer’s pocket.  Working with their Primary Authority Partners Mark and his team have subsequently been extensively involved with many aspects of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) as it applies to manufacturers, distributors and importers of electronic cigarettes. One of the challenges has been the lack of clarity in the current regulations and resulting inconsistency of interpretation. The proposed changes in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and proposed ban on disposable vapes will Mark believes create some additional challenges that he and the team will be working with their partner businesses to resolve.

Director, We Vape and Snus Users Association

Mark Oates is the Director of We Vape and the Snus Users Association, which are both consumer groups standing up for the right of individuals to use safer nicotine products. He advocates for evidence-based harm reduction in a range of areas from tobacco to drug policy, a subject he has written on for the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Adam Smith Institute, where he is a Fellow. He also provided consumer evidence in the 2018 ECJ case to overturn the ban of snus across the European Union.

Dr. Marina Murphy, Head of External Affairs UK & Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group, leads scientific communication and public health advocacy for tobacco harm reduction. With 20+ years’ experience, she champions evidence-based policy and clear science messaging. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and a Master’s in Science Communication from Irish universities.

Kieran Bergholcs is an Associate Director at JBP Communications, where he leads JBP’s Westminster public affairs practice for clients operating across infrastructure, connectivity, agriculture, and regulated sectors. He advises organisations on political strategy, stakeholder engagement, and campaign delivery, helping them navigate Parliament, Whitehall and the wider political environment with clarity and confidence.

At JBP, Kieran has led national campaigns spanning broadband, rural policy and economic development, including high profile industry and parliamentary engagement around competition in the telecoms market. Kieran re-established the Rural Economy Research Group which acts as a body advising Parliamentarians on how policy is working on the ground in rural communities. 

Before joining JBP, Kieran worked in Westminster in the offices of Mark Garnier MP and Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park. Earlier in his career, he was an adviser to the Australian prime minister at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, advising on immigration, agriculture, and disaster recovery policy.

Kieran holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University in international relations and politics, and undertook further study in European politics at the Università degli Studi di Siena.

With extensive expertise in the Vaping & E-Cigarette sector, Chris Kelly has excelled in senior sales roles spanning Insurance, Leisure, Retail, and Medical industries. Notably, he led the Specialist Retail division at JUUL Labs, shaping UK commercial strategy, and served as the National Sales Manager at British American Tobacco.

In October 2021, leveraging his industry network, he founded Phoenix 2 Retail to forge innovative paths beyond traditional brands. Chris, alongside his adept team and strong network connections, earned the Best New Entrepreneur award at the Tees Business Awards 2022, showcasing remarkable achievements and inspiring leadership for fellow industry enthusiasts. With his excellent reputation and being one of the most seasoned professionals within the industry, Chris aims to now embark into projects that will lead into government steering groups, thus helping to revolutionise the Vaping industry.

Patrick has more than 35 years’ experience in newspaper journalism, most of which was spent working for the national press. 

He spent much of his career at The Sun, when it was Britain’s biggest-selling national newspaper and one of the highest-circulation newspapers in Europe and has held positions including,  

Specialising in ‘hard news’ he has worked as a news reporter, features reporter, Northern Ireland correspondent and news editor and his work has been published in other national titles including The Daily Mail, Mirror, Express and The Times. 

Patrick has held a range of senior editorial roles across local, regional and national newspapers, as well as specialist B2B and B2C publications. 

His experience has given him first-hand insight into how stories are shaped, headlines are written and of what makes an issue cut through with journalists and the public. 

Patrick now applies that newsroom experience to strategic communications, advising clients across sectors including logistics, technology, healthcare, transport and tobacco harm reduction. He specialises in producing clear, accurate and audience-focused copy, helping organisations tell their story with confidence, credibility and impact. 

Chris Lawrance has led the UKVIA communications programme for nine years and was the brainchild behind some of its biggest campaign initiatives including Vapril.

Chris started his career in the trade body sector as Head of Press Relations for the Association of Free Newspapers. He then worked for the Central Office of Information providing PR support for a number of Government departments and the Royal Household. He also had a spell working at Number 10 press office during John Major’s tenure.

At JBP, Chris’s leadership has resulted in the company winning many awards for its work including for the UKVIA’s campaign Vapril.

With over two thousand broadcast appearances in a quarter of a century, Joe Twyman is one of Britain’s best known political pollsters and the pioneer of internet-based research in this country. He is the co-founder of the global public opinion consultancy Deltapoll, having previously worked as Head of Political and Social Research at YouGov and was a director at the founding of the company back in 2000. Prior to leading the Political and Social Research Team at YouGov, Joe held a variety of senior positions within the company and was responsible for building the company’s online research operations. He also spent two and a half years in Baghdad as a director of YouGov’s Iraq operation from 2007 to 2010. He has published a number of academic research papers, worked as project director for five British Election Studies and regularly provides expert analysis for TV, radio and newspapers both at home and abroad. You can find him on twitter (which he steadfastly refuses to call X) @joetwyman.

Bubbly Sandhu is the UK’s enforcement lead for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Battery takeback regulations, working with businesses both domestically and internationally to drive compliance and responsible recycling practices. She chairs the cross-UK Government Vape Enforcement Committee, bringing together national efforts across multiple government departments to strengthen regulatory enforcement. Runs several programmes for industry awareness and conducts national enforcement campaigns throughout UK as a national regulator.

With over nine years in environmental enforcement, Bubbly has led more than 3,000 investigations and secured compliance across a wide range of industries. She is a regular speaker at leading regulatory and sustainability events, sharing insights on enforcement strategy, cross-agency collaboration, and compliance challenges.

Prior to this, Bubbly spent 19 years as a strategic analyst and intelligence officer within the UK Prison and Police Services, specialising in organised crime, trafficking, and corruption. Her extensive background in intelligence has enabled her to build strong partnerships across government agencies and the recycling sector, enhancing the UK’s enforcement capabilities in waste recycling and compliance.

Leonhard Kipphan is Head of Track & Trace Sales at osapiens, an AI-powered supply chain transparency and compliance platform. He helps global enterprises implement end-to-end traceability solutions to meet regulatory requirements and build transparent value chains.

Benjamin Elks is the grassroots development manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance. Ben organises local campaigns across the country and writes regularly about tobacco and vaping and wider issues around sin taxes and the nanny state.

Julian Gallie is the head of Research at Merlin Strategy, he has previously worked for other polling firms and on political campaigns.

Ewa Krystosiak is a Senior International Sales Specialist at Chemnovatic and has been part of the company for

9 years. As a sales team coordinator, she works with international B2B partners across regulated markets, supporting them in selecting nicotine solutions and cooperation models adapted to their business needs.

She also played an active role in preparing the sales team to operate under the excise regulations introduced in Poland. Her experience includes working with clients operating under excise regimes and managing sales processes for nicotine products such as pure nicotine, nicotine salts and nicotine dilutions. This gives her a practical, market-facing perspective on the operational challenges businesses face when adapting to new regulatory environments.

Jacob Holder is the senior policy advisor at HMRC working as part of the Vaping Products Duty Team, where he has been involved with legislation, external engagement, and business preparedness. He chairs and convenes the Vaping Industry Working Group, bringing together experts from industry to provide views and insight into the development of policy, and the Vaping Duty Stamps Technical Drop-in Sessions, a group that has been created for the supplier of duty stamps to field questions from businesses wanting to prepare for the upcoming changes. 

Prior to joining HMRC, Jacob spent a number of years in policy roles at other departments, from working on biomass sustainability in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to developing and implementing international travel responses to COVID-19 whilst at the Department for Transport.

Charlie is a Senior Research Associate at More in Common, who has led on research projects for clients across civil society, business and academia, as well as More in Common’s thought leadership work. He has researched public attitudes across a broad range of policy areas, including the future of public broadcasting, the social impact of new technology, online safety and digital parenting, civil liberties and rights, youth justice, and gambling. Prior to joining More in Common in 2025, Charlie worked at the polling company Survation, conducting research for clients in journalism, the third sector and academia, including during the 2024 General Election. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of York and an MSc in International Politics from Trinity College Dublin.

Tim Phillips is the Director and Founder of Tamarind Intelligence, a global independent market and regulatory intelligence service providing data for businesses operating in a number of fast-moving consumer sectors facing regulatory change, including vape, cannabis and tobacco alternatives. Tamarind Intelligence provides market leading insights and regulatory tracking for clients ranging from governments and academic institutions to multinational companies and professional service providers.

Phillips is a UK-qualified attorney, having worked at the European Commission, international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, media companies BSkyB and AOL, and Betfair (now Flutter Entertainment), where he ran global public affairs as the company went through its IPO. He was also a partner in a New York venture capital-funded start-up in the diamond sector. Tim holds a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the University of Law, London and a masters degree in geology from Oxford University. He has run Tamarind Intelligence for the past 11 years.

Andrej Kuttruf is the Founder and CEO of Modern Health Group. He previously founded and built Evapo into the UK’s third-biggest specialist vaping retail chain in the UK with over 60 stores, leading it to a successful sale. Modern Health Group continues to operate its diversified manufacturing plant in Northern Ireland, remains a key supplier to hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, and Stop Smoking Clinics, and is building a fast-growing retail chain in Germany with currently 14 stores. MHG is dedicated to helping smokers quit through responsible alternatives and public-health-focused solutions.

Henry Ashworth is a global leader in responsible industry standards and self-regulation. As former CEO of the Portman Group and the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), he united major producers, rebuilt partnerships with the WHO and UK Government, and set global standards on labelling, marketing, and online sales. He is also a founder and social entrepreneur behind Watergate Bay Hotel, the Extreme Academy, and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall.

Sairah is a chartered health psychologist and award-winning stop smoking clinician with 20 years of experience within the smoking cessation, public health and tobacco harm reduction sector. After her time in public health she worked with Juul Labs within scientific engagement assisting the leadership team within their THR work program. 

She is currently the managing director of Salim-Sartoni Associates (SSA) which provides successful scientific/clinical engagement/consumer research/regulatory and external affairs support for the vaping industry. She also provides training for healthcare professionals on THR.

She is an accomplished board adviser, chair, international public speaker and trainer on tobacco harm reduction with the inspirational goal of leaving no smoker behind.