ANNOUNCEMENT: After 27 years I am leaving Allen Carr’s Easyway

8 min readFeb 7, 2025

If you had told me when I was a 30-year-old chain-smoker that I’d not only manage to quit smoking myself, but help tens of millions of others find freedom from addiction I would’ve thought you mad. Yet, after 27 years with Allen Carr’s Easyway (the last 11 as Global CEO) and as co-author of Allen Carr books covering more than a dozen addictions and behavioural issues I am, with humility, incredibly proud to have achieved exactly that!

I have been truly blessed and honoured to have led the most sensational team in London but also our incredible teams across 50 countries worldwide. An extraordinary group of people bound together by a common objective. Without those amazing teams in London and abroad we would have achieved nothing.

My years with Easyway, spanning four decades, have been a whirlwind of excitement. Developing and expanding the method across the globe, modernising and growing the organisation beyond recognition while protecting and maintaining “the heart and soul” of Allen Carr’s Easyway through so many huge challenges.

From the beginning it was a time of extraordinary growth, the modernisation and application of the method to cover issues beyond smoking, the tragedy of Allen’s diagnosis with terminal lung cancer and his eventual passing, the global banking crisis which impacted the business in such profound ways in so many territories, wars and terrorism that struck at the hearts of some our international teams, successful clinical trials proving the effectiveness of the method leading to approval by NICE with our live seminars subsequently being made available on the NHS, working and advising the World Health Organisation, and a global pandemic — to list just a few!

I am proud of our ability to not only navigate those challenges but to have helped deliver 27 consecutive years of profitability since I joined in 1998. Not only that, but to have done so whilst keeping the heart and soul of Allen’s amazing method and organisation intact; there remains today a stubborn righteous, commitment throughout the head office team (& beyond) to do what we do with an emphasis on compassion and kindness.

I am told that we have helped more than 50 million people worldwide, selling tens of millions of books in dozens of languages and still, to this day, we provide free of charge advice and guidance to any readers of our books who struggle to quit. By every measure I depart Allen Carr’s Easyway at its highest point in history and extend my very best wishes to those tasked with reaching even greater heights going forward.

We could not have achieved our success without the support of some truly extraordinary people, and I want to recognise as many of them as possible here.

First and foremost of course, the late great Allen Carr whose genius method not only set me free (and saved my life) but created a map that allowed me and others to help anyone captured by addiction or behavioural issues to find their way to freedom.

Secondly, the indefatigable Sue Bolshaw whose energy, dynamism, great skill, talent, and business acumen helped me along every step of the way. I will be forever grateful for her incredible support, and she has been, without doubt, a formidable driving force and much of the brains behind Easyway’s extraordinary achievements over a quarter of a century.

I also want to give huge credit to Cris Hay, Colleen Dwyer, and the late Sam Carrol — three heroes of Allen Carr’s Easyway, without whom the modern-day organisation simply would not be what it is. Great colleagues and friends, I remain forever in their debt.

I owe Sam Kelser, Rob Fielding, Rob Groves, Emma Hudson, Gerry Williams, Debbie Brewer West, Mark Keen, Jim McCreadie, Paul Melvin, Mike Connolly, and Kim Bennett huge thanks for their amazing support and contributions over so many years: ‘Top Gun’ Allen Carr therapists each and every one of them…and valued, trusted friends. Likewise, the more recent members of the head office therapist team who are busy earning their spurs.

I also want to thank some exceptional Head Office team members who have risen up the ranks over the years and truly personify who, and what, Allen Carr’s Easyway is. Firstly, the exceptional Monique Peters, who joined us as a bright eyed 21 year old graduate and nearly 15 years later is a bright eyed, accomplished senior member of the management team with the brightest of futures still ahead of her after being the most supportive and loyal colleague anyone could ever wish for.

I’m also eternally grateful for having the amazing Joan Halley and Indi Flahive-Gilbert by my side for so many years — helping us to be what we are, and do what we do — they both also have huge futures as the organisation continues to grow. Following on from Jennie Gillian (especially remembered from “back in the day”) they have laid the ground for the amazing team that follows in their footsteps; Emme, Ciara, Cat, V, Carol, Christine, and the two Bens.

Around the world there are so many brilliant, dedicated, Allen Carr superheroes who have made the last 27 years so hugely enjoyable, fun, and successful; the most supportive people in the world; the great Francesca Cesati (Italy), Jorge Davó Schinkel & Isabel Sainz (Mexico), Artem Kasyanov, Alexander Fomin, & Tatiana Татьяна Евсеева (Russia), Erich Kellermann (Germany), Natalie Clays (Australia, USA and beyond), the inimitable Emre Ustunucar & Ilknur (Turkey), Asaf Ashkenazi, Merav Niran, Orit Rozen, Omer Richman, Eli Dohan (Israel), Mette Fønss (Denmark), Charles Nel (South Africa), Damian O’Hara (formerly of Allen Carr Canada/USA), Andras Barath (formerly of Allen Carr Hungary), and Brenda Sweeney (formerly of Allen Carr Ireland). Working so closely with you all over the years has been an honour and a pleasure, as has your friendship.

I know my list of thanks is way too long but so many people have worked tirelessly for our mission and I’ve loved every minute of the time that we worked (and shared great times) together: Agi Barath (Hungary), Andreas Damianou (Cyprus), Aya Ono (Japan), the spectacular Claudia Sarmiento (Chile), Cyrill Argast & Martin Böhler (Switzerland), Cristina Nichita (Romania), Erick Serre (France), Gillian Scott (Australia), Grega (Slovenia), Han & Jan (Netherlands), Heidi Steppe (Mauritius), Henry Jakobson (Estonia), Jaime Reed (S Australia), Janne Ström (Finland), Lilian Brunstein (Brazil), Luis Loranca (Peru), Maciej Kramarz and Konrad (Poland), Marysia Kabat (Poland), Michelle Binford (Guatemala), Pam Oei (Singapore), Panos Tzouras (Greece), Paula Rooduijn (Belgium), Ramy Romanovsky (formerly of Allen Carr Israel), Ria Slof & Mafalda Megre (Portugal), Rumyana Kostadinova, Krassi, and Martina Mihaylova (Bulgaria), Wayne & Laura Spaulding (USA), Yousung Cha (S Korea) and so many more that I cannot mention or this message would go on forever!

I also want to remember forever those who we have lost over the years — beautiful people and beautiful souls taken too soon; Rene Adde (Norway), Ania Kabat (Poland), Ann Emery (UK), and Charles Holdsworth Hunt (UK) who all contributed so much.

I want to thank my colleagues and friends at Arcturus publishing. The brilliant Niko Heyng and Charlie Cooper as well as the exceptional editorial support delivered by Nigel Matheson and Vanessa Daubney. Everyone at Allen Carr owes the magnificent Tim Glynn-Jones their thanks for his incredible contribution to our publishing exploits over so many years. I regret that I have failed to present Tim with a special lifetime achievement award before I move on. Without Tim we simply would not have achieved our momentous publishing ambitions over the past 10+ years! Hopefully there is still time for me to present that award before I step down.

A special mention for an amazing publisher and a truly great human being (& friend) Roman Kozyrev. I will remain eternally grateful for Roman’s incredible exploits which have helped millions of addicts to freedom. And also, a special mention for Francesca Cesati who, with her publisher’s hat on has sold more than 1.7 million Allen Carr books in Italy alone; a truly great Allen Carr therapist, a spectacular Allen Carr publisher, and a dear friend. I am also grateful for the great assistance, over many years, provided by Akiko Sakamoto in London and Japan — Akiko introduced millions of Japanese smokers to Allen Carr’s Easyway.

Huge thanks, respect, and admiration also to Claire Doherty who spent so many years handling our PR so effectively. We rose to some amazing challenges together and I consider myself to have been blessed to have had Claire with us throughout those.

Last but not least, thank you to my amazing wife (Jackie) and (now grown up) kids (Emily & Harry). You were all so amazingly supportive during those long years of 18-hour days. My new future, in spite of exciting new ventures to come, will definitely allow me a little more time with you all, “Hallelujah!!”.

I will miss all my friends and colleagues at Allen Carr’s Easyway Head Office and around the world very, very much but sadly it is clear that my future lies elsewhere. I remain blessed with energy, drive, and good health so I am sure that exciting times are ahead.

In the meantime, between now and 17th April I am looking forward to handing over the reins to my successor, Paul Baker, and am certain that an even brighter future for Easyway beckons.

John Dicey, Global CEO & Senior Therapist of Allen Carr’s Easyway & co-author of Allen Carr books

Bibliography — credited co-author