New RJR COO put dough riding on Joe. (People).

Lynn Beasley started smoking only after she was hired by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. as a marketing assistant in 1982. She quickly set about winning other converts.

Five years later, as senior brand manager for Camel cigarettes, she helped create the cartoon figure Joe Camel. The ad campaign starring Joe won awards and boosted Camel's market share. Promotions followed for Beasley. In January came the 44-year-old's latest step up -- from head of marketing, her job for the last five years, to president and chief operating officer of Reynolds Tobacco. She took over COO duties from Andrew Schindler, chairman and CEO of both the subsidiary and its parent company, Winston-Salem-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings.

Beasley grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and came to Reynolds after earning a bachelor's in business administration and finance and a master's in marketing from University of Wisconsin. By the time she became senior brand manager for Camel in 1987, sales had sunk to 24.2 billion cigarettes, from a high of 100 billion in 1947. Worse, it had a reputation, based on the stubby, unfiltered smoke that had borne the brand since its beginning, as an old man's cigarette. Beasley's Joe Camel cartoon character, introduced late that year, turned filtered Camels into the hippest smoke since the Marlboro man rode onto the scene.

The campaign won praise from Beasley's marketing peers -- Adweek named it one of 1989's 10 best, though by then she was vice president of the Winston marketing unit -- and helped Camel increase market share nearly 20% in five years. Industry critics contended that the cartoon character was aimed at adolescents. She spent a lot of time deflecting criticism that Joe Camel's job was to addict the next generation of smokers.

Despite lawsuits and other challenges, tobacco continues to light up big profits. RJR's net income for the past year was $444 million, compared with $404 million for 2000. It's the nation's second-largest cigarette maker, with brands such as Winston, Salem and Doral The company has retired Joe Camel, but Camel remains the company's best-selling brand, commanding about 5.3% of the national market.

Beasley admits that her 20 years in marketing has not completely prepared her for the COO position. "I have credibility with the marketing group, as part of a team that works very closely together. Do I have a learning curve for the other areas? Sure. And I think all these people will give me a chance."

Her brand? Doesn't matter -- as long as it's Reynolds'.