Bob Gilbreath is a longtime friend of the Pod, fellow P&G Alum, and repeat startup founder with two exits. In this episode, we revisit Bob’s case for a different kind of leadership — one built on love rather than fear. Prompted by a comment from a fellow leader that “people need at least some fear, or they won’t do their work,” Bob challenges a conventional assumption about what motivates people and gets the best out of them. Drawing on his experience building companies and his own personal evolution, Bob explores how letting go of fear and leading with love can create greater financial and emotional benefits. It’s a thoughtful reflection on the kind of leaders we want to be, and the kinds of organizations we want to build.

This essay was originally featured on P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” (behearty.substack.com). Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode — reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple

Three Tips from the New York Chapter on how to grow membership:

1. Strengthen how to articulate the value proposition of the Network so people want to be active. In the New York Chapter we focus on 3 C’s:

• Content–e.g. AI
• Careers–panels to help people explore their next acts
• Community–socials and community service

2. Determine what assets can be provided to the Chapters–e.g., speakers from Cincinnati would be a plus to drive connectivity

3. Leverage “shared interests” –for the NY Chapter, alumni in “tech” would be a powerful source

Read the full presentation from the NYC Chapter’s best practices 👇

Meet our next seven speakers!

Jesper Wiegandt, CEO, ZEISS Vision Care

Daniela Riccardi, Former President P&G Greater China, Former CEO, Moleskine. Guest Professor Master fashion & luxury

James Michael Lafferty, Chairman of the Board, Katapult Digital; Partner, TTA – The Turnaround Artists

Melissa Dawn Simkins, Founder and Author, Athleadership

Chester Twigg, CEO, SELLSTORM LLC

Amanda Teder, CMO, Generac

Scott Lichtenthal, SVP of Product, Analytics Solutions, Mastercard

Seven more leaders. Seven more perspectives. One extraordinary global alumni community where you belong. 

With 28 speakers now announced and more than 75 leaders expected, the 2027 Global Conference is shaping up to be an exceptional gathering of leadership talent, experience and ideas. And there are many more announcements to come!

Introducing meet the authors!

Great leaders have great stories to tell. And many of our P&G alumni have written the books to prove it!

We are delighted to introduce MEET THE AUTHORS — a dedicated space celebrating published authors from our very own global P&G alumni community.

This special experience will give participating alumni authors the opportunity to showcase their books, sign copies, share insights and engage personally with fellow conference delegates at designated times during the conference.

For delegates, it is another exciting opportunity to discover new ideas, meet inspiring alumni authors and learn from the experiences, insights and leadership journeys captured in their books.

Are you a P&G alumni author? We would love to feature you!

If you are a published author and have registered as a delegate for the 2027 Global P&G Alumni Conference, we invite you to apply for a place in our MEET THE AUTHORS Corner.

IMPORTANT: Participation in MEET THE AUTHORS is exclusively available to P&G alumni authors who have registered as conference delegates. Authors must register for the conference before applying for a space. Conference registration does not automatically guarantee participation in MEET THE AUTHORS.

To apply, please email anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com with the following details:

• Name of alumni author
• Date of registration for the 2027 Global Conference
• Title of book and year published
• Number of books you plan to have at the conference
• LinkedIn profile link

Space is limited, and author participation is subject to confirmation.

Important logistics: Participating authors will be responsible for all costs associated with their books, including shipping, delivery, receipt, handling and storage at our host hotel, Hyatt Regency Cincinnati. Books should arrive at the hotel between April 25–27, 2027 and must be removed from the MEET THE AUTHORS Corner by 4:30 PM on May 1, 2027.

Further logistics and participation details will be announced by January 2027.

We look forward to celebrating the authors, ideas and extraordinary experiences of our global P&G alumni community!

Secure your semi-early bird rate — ends November 30!

USD 1,099 per delegate

Join us in Cincinnati for days of inspiration, learning, networking and reconnecting with the global P&G alumni community.

Semi-Early Bird Registration closes November 30, 2026. After this date, the special rate will no longer be available.

28 speakers announced. More than 75 expected. One global alumni community coming together again.

What’s on the agenda? Work is on for both mainstage and breakout sessions

Stay where the action is!

Hyatt Regency Cincinnati | Special Conference Rate: USD 198++ per night
A limited number of rooms are available at the special conference rate.

Book your hotel

Lead as a sponsor

With over 50,000 registered members connected from an estimated 220,000 P&G alumni through 50+ local chapters, executive forums, digital programming, philanthropic initiatives and our once-in-two-years Global Conference, the P&G Alumni Network offers organizations exciting opportunities to engage with a uniquely connected global community.

Early sponsors of the 2027 Global P&G Alumni Conference include The Procter & Gamble Company, Palo Alto Networks, SynFiny Advisors, Lingaro, ZEISS, and Oliver Wyman Forum.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Jeff Wuest at jswuest@pgalums.com

Honor a colleague – past or present

Is there a P&G colleague who made a lasting difference in your life or career? Honor their contribution by naming a table in the conference ballroom in their honor.

For USD 3,000, a custom placard recognizing that colleague and their impact will be displayed throughout the two days of the main conference.

This recognition is exclusively for individuals, past or present, not companies. Naming rights do not include seats at the table, which remain available to registered conference delegates.

Book your honor a colleague at a table

Cincinnati is calling. Will you be there?

Whether you’re leading a global business, building the next great startup, serving on Boards, driving transformation, shaping your next chapter or simply looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, the 2027 Global P&G Alumni Conference is where our global alumni community comes together to discover THE NEXT BIG THING.

Reconnect. Learn. Inspire. Lead. Together.

We look forward to welcoming you home to Cincinnati. Reconnect with old friends. Build friendships with extraordinary new ones! See you in Cincinnati.

SPEAKER QUERIES: Anthony Rose — anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com

(Note all speakers must register as delegates for the conference).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. Make sure you are registered at pgalums.com.
2. Registration for the 2027 Global P&G Alumni Conference is strictly for P&G Alumni (employees who have received at least one paycheck from P&G), alumni spouses, and children (15 years and above) of P&G Alumni. Please do not share conference registration links with non-P&G Alumni.
3. In the coming weeks, we will announce details of the dinners, for which tickets for alumni spouses will be sold separately.
4. Hotel room rates do not include breakfast. Breakfast is included at the conference for all registered conference delegates.

Procter & Gamble and P&G are trade names of The Procter & Gamble Company and are used pursuant to an agreement with The Procter & Gamble Company. P&G Alumni Network is an independent organization apart from The Procter & Gamble Company.

Nancy Brigham, Ph.D., VP & Head of Research Science, Dynata

• Bio: As an expert in research method and strategy, and application of those to business solutions, Dr. Brigham has worked across both the client (P&G) and supplier (Ipsos, Dynata) sides of marketing research. Currently, Nancy furthers Dynata’s leadership position in the first-party data space through research-on-research, sampling methodology/best practices, client engagement, and industry thought leadership. She is a frequent speaker and serves on industry boards.

Eli Moore, Burke Vice President of Data Strategy

• Bio: Eli Moore is the Vice President of Data Strategy at Burke, a data, analytics, and insights leader with extensive CPG experience, and former Head of Global Consumer Analytics at The Coca-Cola Company. With deep expertise spanning AI, consumer insights, marketing strategy, and digital transformation, he will share learnings and business applications of different synthetic data approaches based on Burke’s recent study comparing various approaches.

Kristi Zuhlke, CEO, SevenArrows

• Bio: Kristi Zuhlke is a P&G CMK alumn currently working at the cross section of Insights and Technology. After growing and exiting her technology company, KnowledgeHound, for 10 years, she now consults on generative AI applications in Insights with a focused deep dive into simulating audiences, often referred to as synthetic data. She has a report releasing in late August 2026 that delves into the technology’s ins and outs and the current market landscape.

Chad Reynolds, CEO, Vurvey Labs

• Bio: Chad Reynolds is an American entrepreneur best known as the Founder & CEO of Vurvey Labs. Reynolds is considered one of the leading figures in Human AI models, consumer insights, and co-creation.