Altria announces departure of UST executive

RICHMOND — Altria Group Inc. said on Friday that Murray S. Kessler, chief executive of the smokeless tobacco company UST Inc., will leave the company at the end of June after overseeing key elements of UST’s integration into Altria.

Richmond-based completed its $10.4 billion acquisition of UST in January, giving it market-leading brands such as Skoal and Copenhagen.

Since then, Altria said it has identified an additional $50 million in integration cost savings, bringing its savings to about $300 million by 2011. The company also consolidated its sales force to market its products.

Following Kessler’s departure, Dan Butler, president of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., will report to Craig Johnson, executive vice president of Altria.