This initiative is a virtual accelerator for P&G Alumni-led startups and scale-ups that offer a product or a service with a proven business model that is already generating sales.  The purpose of this initiative is to accelerate the enterprises of P&G Alum founders by connecting them to potential advisors and investors, while elevating their global visibility.

Selected finalists will present at a Global Virtual Pitch with top global leaders from VC Funds and Global Accelerators (during Feb-Mar 2025). Don’t miss this opportunity to have global reach.

We will also recognize key enterprises for their Climate Impact, Socal Impact and Diversity.

The top companies will get free accelerator-like support from a diverse P&G Alumni team of investors and seasoned start up leaders; and will also present their businesses to the global audience at the P&G Alumni Global Conference on June 12-14, 2025, in Berlin. The overall winner will be recognized as the P&G Alumni Star Entrepreneur of 2025.

You could be the one!  Apply before January 31st, 2025.

If you have any doubt, please write us to catapult@pgalums.com.

Kind regards,

The Global Business Catapult team

Drew studied engineering at THE Ohio State University and was hired by P&G for his technical skills. He worked on global roles in his hometowns of Cincinnati and New York City, yet, it was humor—not engineering—that became his edge in the workplace. By using humor, he diffused tension, built strong relationships, influenced others, and accelerated his career. In fact, he became P&G’s first-ever corporate humorist (self-proclaimed).

Ultimately, Drew made the entrepreneurial leap, founding Humor That Works, a company that has helped 10,000+ leaders in over 100 organizations—including IBM, GE, the FBI, AND P&G —harness humor to lead effectively. His TEDx talk on the skill of humor has been viewed 15MM+ times. You can learn more about Drew’s work at drewtarvin.com. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how humor can add depth, purpose, and fulfillment to even the most serious work.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Sharad Lal’s top podcast “HOW TO LIVE.” For lots more great conversations with Sharad and thought leaders, subscribe to How To Live wherever you get your favorite podcasts or visit howtolive.life 

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

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Sound promising? Well, this is just the beginning! Our list of speakers grows as we move forward with our planning. You can also look forward to:

• Bracken Darrell, CEO of VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies
• Karl Krainer, Chief Thinker & Founder at Gedankenfabrik,
  a reinvention consultancy
• Veronika Rost, Managing Director of Philip Morris Germany,
  working on the vision of delivering a smoke-free future
• Jutta dos Santos Miquelino, co-CEO of the consultancy dos Santos and author of the recently published book “The Glass Elevator”,
  a transformative leadership program

See the full list of speakers on our website which is updated continuously. Forward this link to P&G alumni of your personal network and invite them to join and meet you in Berlin!

We are looking forward to sharing one highlight in 2025 with many of you in Berlin and will make sure to keep you regularly updated about the planning.

Wishing you magical holidays with your families and friends and a healthy, optimistic start in 2025!

I am pleased to report that 2024 finds the Network and our Foundation to be very healthy, continuing to grow and positioned well for the future.

Following our successful  2023 Global Conference held in Washington, DC we are well into the execution of our 2025 conference in Berlin—continuing our history of alternating these events between North American and other key geographies.  The event is being organized by our German Chapter and led by Board Vice Chair Ute Hagen and German Chair Otmar Debald.  The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt in the center of Berlin and will run from Thursday evening, June 12 through Saturday evening, June 14. Among many others, David Taylor has agreed to be an important part of the agenda.  We hope many of you will attend.

Financially, we continue to be on very solid footing and the Foundation had a banner year which you can track in the Impact Report. Rest assured that our conservative approach to financials has the Network and the Foundation protected with the funds needed to operate for several years and plans underway to expand our ability to generate the funding required to grow our offerings for our alumni.

In 2024 we added several new faces to the Network Board and thank several of our peers who have moved on. Joining the Board are Hanxi Zhao from China, Neil Comerford from the UK and South Africa, Fer Jimenez Riveroll from Mexico, and Kendra Speed from the US. We want to thank Stevi Carr, Lisa Reynolds, and Michelle Solano for their service. Our board continues to reflect the diversity of our membership and the global reach of our mission.

Consistent with our mission, we continue to expand our offerings, adding them to our existing enrichment programs, and dramatically improving our communications tools and processes, all in order to serve our members better.

Notable successes, among our programs and initiatives, include:

• Our “Learnings from Leaders” podcast continues to grow its audience.
• Our webinar series, including those in Spanish, continues to secure compelling speakers.
• Our Coaching Program – designed and managed by our Women’s Leadership Forum— expanded out of the test and continues to receive very positive feedback. Moreover, we are exploring ways to bring the expertise of our coaches to the employees of companies run by our alumni.
• Our Peer-to-Peer leadership teams—CEOs, CMOs, and C-Level Women—in >$1B companies continued to gain traction and were an integral part of the global conference. We are exploring groups for CFOs, CIOs, and others.
• Our entrepreneur Business Catapult program has been revised to provide opportunities to alumni entrepreneurs, coaches, and investors – with a financial benefit for the Network.
• Our Younger Alumni efforts are being bolstered by the addition of several younger alumni to the Board.

Further:

• We executed a new event at the Conference dedicated to our Black Alumni with the objective of better serving this community. Kendra Speed has taken on the leadership of that forum.
• We continued to add and build our chapter organization and had several chapter leaders in attendance at the Conference. Ranu Gupta who leads our chapter efforts has helped us add chapters in several cities and countries around the world.
• As can be seen in the 2024 Alumni Foundation Impact Report, our Foundation had another remarkable year in terms of both fundraising and grants, dramatically increasing our impact against the objective of alumni involvement in fostering economic empowerment around the world.

As we enter 2025 in a world of greater uncertainty than we have encountered in some time, we continue to believe that the shared values that connect us as alumni will allow us to deal with whatever comes our way.  My own belief has always been that when we harness the experience, expertise, and creativity of Procter people, we can make great things happen.

As we move forward, I am pleased to report that the Network and the Foundation are healthy and thriving – and it’s all thanks to you.

From our families to yours, our sincere wish for 2025 of Peace On Earth and Goodwill toward Everyone.

Ed Tazzia, Chairman

Whether it’s a struggling company or a city with challenges, investing to spruce things up is not necessarily painting over problems. Celebrating success is essential, as is celebrating our existence together. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide, Mr. Clean, and more. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” – which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode – reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

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