Alison Cooper

"Trying to force a percentage of woman on boards – I'm completely against all that."

"People talk about glass ceilings but it is not something I have particularly experienced – but that is only my experience."

"There should be more freedom of choice. People should be free to decide whether to go to a smoking establishment or a non-smoking environment."

"I am not someone who supports quotas because quotas are around the demand side of the equation and you need to look at the supply side. And quick fixes on the supply side are not necessarily quality fixes."

"I don’t like to think we’re a commodity.” Speaking in a television interview with Bloomberg TV, she added: “It’s not a quick thing to sort."

"It is just a fantastic relaxation and it’s good for the core and voice projection"

"I’m hoping it is, but it’s too early to call. It’s the only sign I’ve got at the moment"

"The down-trading dynamic has been in place in Western Europe for a very, very long time"

"Display bans don’t make a difference; bigger warnings on packs don’t make a difference"

"The only thing we have ever seen make a difference is bans on smoking in public places, because they reduce the occasions to smoke."

"There is an adult choice piece here and there are plenty of adults who still choose to smoke despite decades of reasons not to. That needs to be respected at some point"

"Fixing demand isn’t the answer, and that is all quotas do. It does nothing for fixing supply and also, if I’m being straightforward, it does nothing about the quality of supply. It is going to take a while and hard yards to fix some of this"

"“I do carry quite a lot of data in my head, but a lot of it is song lyrics.”"

""There are plenty of adults who still choose to smoke despite decades of reasons not to. That needs to be respected at some point.”"

"All I have ever done with my career is just try and maximise the opportunity and challenge for whatever role I have been in, and that has led to me to this seat.”"

"‘Haraka, haraka haina Baraka’ which means in Swahili ‘Hurry, hurry brings no blessing’."

""If you work for me it doesn’t mean I don’t drive quite hard for things, but there are times in business when you just have to sit back and let things take their course — maybe let the decision brew a bit before you jump in.”"