22nd Century Group (Nasdaq: XXII) Appoints Katherine Rouse-Bailey as Vice President of Marketing

About this update from 22nd Century Group, Inc

XXII investing in expanded marketing initiatives to drive VLN ® brand awareness and growth MOCKSVILLE, N.C., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a tobacco products company focused on reducing the harms of smoking through nicotine reduction, today announced the appointment of Katherine Rouse-Bailey as Vice President of Marketing. The enhanced marketing initiatives are designed to strengthen brand awareness, increase consumer trial and support retail sell-through across the Company's growing commercial footprint. "We are sharpening our focus on marketing and VLN® cigarette brand awareness to drive trial and support repeat purchase," said Larry Firestone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group. "We believe the addition of Katherine to the team will greatly enhance the marketing tools in our toolbox which will materially strengthen our commercial position in the back half of 2026 and beyond. Katherine brings deep consumer health and brand-building expertise, a strong record of bringing meaningful innovation to market, and a data-driven approach that we believe will help elevate our marketing effectiveness, deepen consumer connection and support stronger retail performance." Mrs. Rouse-Bailey is a results-driven marketing leader in the consumer health sector with 20 years of experience building iconic brands, bringing meaningful innovation to market, and delivering revenue and market share growth. She has managed large consumer brand portfolios across Johnson & Johnson, Galderma (formerly Nestlé Skin Health) and Nestlé Health Science. She is known for leveraging a data-driven approach to uncover consumer insights, executing integrated multi-channel marketing initiatives, and building long-term business strategies. Mrs. Rouse-Bailey holds an MBA from Clark Atlanta University and bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and Chemistry from North Carolina State University. "The addition of Katherine demonstrates the investments we are making as we continue to build the foundation of our growth company. These investments reflect where we are in our evolution as a company," Firestone added. "We have built a differentiated platform, and now we are increasing our emphasis on the marketing programs, consumer-facing capabilities and leadership talent that can help us reach more adult smokers and better support our retail partners. We have already established an initial base of VLN® cigarette smokers from the launch in Q4 2025 that has been growing month over month. We are now driving expanded awareness to continue to drive that growth."

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