The first episodes of this series offer a glimpse into our Moral Ambition Fellowships. We go from an off-grid retreat on a remote island — where fellows build trust and resilience — to the heart of Brussels, where they master the craft of policymaking and lobbying. Applications for the next round of Fellowships open on April 2, 2025 — learn more here.

‍

Addiction can mean many things to many people.

‍

For some, it’s the crippling burden that addictive products like tobacco place on both individual and public health. For others, it’s an addiction to success — a career path they don’t truly believe in but feel unable to leave because of the status, security, or lifestyle it provides.

‍

In this first episode, we meet Eline Goethals and Vaibhav Jain, two fellows in our Tobacco Control Fellowship. Both walked away from successful careers to dedicate themselves to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: combating the tobacco industry.

‍

“Some people think we’ve already won the fight against Big Tobacco,” our co-founder Rutger Bregman explains. “Well, I hate to break the news to you, but they are actually winning. If you look at the vaping epidemic, or the rising number of tobacco-related deaths in middle- and low-income countries, the truth is: we’re not winning this fight yet.”

‍

Read Rutger’s essay: Abolish the tobacco industry — no one should be allowed to addict and poison others on an industrial scale

‍

‍

‍

‍

Eline Goethals

One of the reasons the tobacco industry is so difficult to defeat is that it continues to attract top talent.

‍

Eline Goethals spent 11 years building a successful career in advertising before becoming a fellow. Along the way, she saw firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in the work — so much so that she even found herself working on a campaign for the tobacco industry.

‍

“I think it was my very first job when I started at the ad agency, and back then it seemed normal, right?” she reflects. “No one really questioned it — no one said, ‘This is weird,’ or ‘Maybe this is an industry we shouldn’t work for.’”

‍

"Is the world really improving because I’m selling more fast fashion or getting more people to drink more beer?"

‍

‍

As an ambitious and creative professional, it’s easy to be drawn in by companies offering exciting, high-profile projects with impressive rewards.

‍

“The agency I worked for actually came up with the pretty ‘ingenious’ idea of having a machine roll two cigarettes at once instead of one,” Eline recalls. “It was like a Share a Coke kind of concept. I even joined the team in pitching it to Imperial Tobacco. But now, looking back, I feel embarrassed even sharing the story.”

‍

For many — including Eline — the initial excitement eventually fades, revealing a deeper sense of dissatisfaction.

‍

“That’s when I started asking myself: is the world really improving because I’m selling more fast fashion or getting more people to drink more beer?” Eline says. “I worked for many alcohol brands, helping them sell more, market more, get more people to consume. And looking back, whose lives was I actually improving? In the end, it was only the lives of the shareholders.”

‍

‍

Vaibhav Jain

While some become addicted to success and prestige, for others, addiction is deeply personal.

‍

Vaibhav Jain, born in Mumbai, India, and now living and working in Germany, brings first-hand experience to his fight against the tobacco industry.

‍

“I've personally been affected by the use of tobacco,” he shares. “I’ve gone through the entire journey — being exposed to tobacco products, using them, realizing they were harmful, struggling to quit, and finally letting go completely.”

‍

“For me, it was a surprise to see just how big Big Tobacco really is."

‍

‍

Still, even with his own experiences of addiction, Vaibhav was shocked to learn the full extent of the tobacco industry’s influence.

‍

Vaibhav: “For me, it was a surprise to see just how big Big Tobacco really is. I’d heard the term all my life, but the sheer scale of manipulation — especially how they target kids — that is pure evil.”

‍

Now in a fortunate position, free from addiction and with a successful career, Vaibhav realized he could use his experience to help others.

‍

“If we can help people overcome addictive mindsets and reduce access to the substances that trap them in the first place, it has such a profound impact on a person’s long-term well-being,” he explains. “That’s why I saw this as such a huge opportunity for impact — and why I said yes to this.”

‍

‍

‍

Build a legacy that matters

Because we allow Big Tobacco to hook millions on their products, they can afford to hire the best ad agencies, consultancies, and law firms to protect their interests. Meanwhile, those fighting back operate with a fraction of the support, and are in urgent need of driven professionals willing to join their cause.

‍

“That is also a reason for excitement,” Rutger says. “Because we have found 10 amazingly talented, ambitious people who really want to take the fight to the tobacco industry and rid us of its harmful practices once and for all.”

‍

For too long, the most well-resourced players have been the ones on the side of doing harm, luring talent with prestige and money. If we want to end that cycle, we need to offer an alternative.

‍

“Too often, the smartest, most talented people work for the bad guys — you know, as well-paid lobbyists, corporate lawyers, or whatever,” Rutger explains. “What we want to do is lure these people away from their evil dens and get them to start doing some really good work — to build a legacy that actually matters.”

‍

Applications for the next round of Fellowships open on April 2, 2025 — learn more here. Are you based in the US and eager to join the Moral Ambition Fellowships? Great news: we're launching a US-based fellowship! Stay tuned for more details coming soon.