Daniel (Daan) M. Delen is chairman, president and chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Before joining R.J. Reynolds as president in January 2007, Delen was the president of British American Tobacco Ltd. (BAT) - Japan. Delen joined the BAT family of companies as a brand manager in Guatemala in 1989. In 1992, he became an international brand manager for BAT in London. He became marketing director in Singapore in 1994, moved to Chile as marketing director in 1995, and assumed that role in Argentina in 1996. In January 2001, Delen was promoted to senior vice president of marketing and sales for BAT's U.S. subsidiary, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. He became president of BAT's business unit in Japan in August 2004. Prior to joining BAT, Delen began his marketing career with Sara Lee Corp. in London. Delen is a board member of the Winston-Salem Alliance, an economic development group. A native of the Netherlands, Delen earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in international business from Washington State University.