The P&G Alumni Foundation Ambassadors represent a diverse and passionate network of P&G alums spanning various cities worldwide. Bound by a shared belief in the talent and collective power of the P&G Alumni Network to create a global force for good, these Ambassadors play a pivotal role in advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving lives by giving charitably and championing causes that help people in need economically thrive. With 215 Ambassadors in 120 different cities, the program offers a unique platform for P&G alumni to give back and stay connected within the wider 25,000+ strong P&G Alumni Network.

Ambassadors like Mary Kallio Brady, Akihiro Ueda, and Ayman Amed are shining examples of the passion and dedication exhibited by this group. 

P&G Alumni in Portugal recently celebrated renewed connections, enriched lives, and philanthropic spirit at a set of events over three days in Lisbon.

The three-day event was led by P&G Alumni Foundation Board member, Enrico D’Onofrio, with the kickoff being held at P&G Portugal Headquarters on May 5, 2023, where Alums joined General Manager Claudia Lourenco and P&G Portugal employees. A panel event followed at NOVA Business School, Chaired by P&G Alum Andrew Harrison. P&G Alumni panelists Mohan C. Mohan, Luisa Delgado, Ana Marques, and Deb Kielty spoke to 150 MBA students about shared values and business lesson.

Recently P&G Alumni Co-host Rajiv Satyal sat down with Crossroads pastor and podcast host Bryan Tomes on his show “The Aggressive Life.” What started as an exploration of Rajiv’s comedy career and approach turned into an open and honest conversation between two very different perspectives on politics, faith, and culture.

Mohit Das is a Senior Solution Architect for Retail and CPG customers at Microsoft. Prior to his current role, Mohit built a 26-year career in Consumer Products & Retail, Health Care, and Strategy consulting. Most recently, Mohit was with the Kellogg Company as the Vice President for the Global Commercial Analytics Centre of Excellence, driving data and analytics transformation across the entire commercial value chain.

Before  Kellogg’s, Mohit worked at McKinsey, Abbott Nutrition, and Procter & Gamble, where he started his career and later served in several Strategy, Insight & Analytic roles within categories like Fabric & Home care, Hair & Beauty Care, and Pet Foods in Asia and the US.  Mohit earned a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management.

On the personal front, Mohit has lived with his family in Singapore, Bangkok, Mumbai, Cincinnati, and Chicago, where he currently resides. He enjoys outdoor activities and is regular at tennis and practicing yoga. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the importance of finding balance in life.

Fatima  (Fama) D. Francisco is P&G’s CEO of Global Baby, Feminine, and Family Care—the company’s second-largest sector with $20 billion in sales from brands like Pampers, Always, Bounty, and Charmin. Throughout her career, Fama has been a true trailblazer, including being the first female sales manager hired in P&G Philippines in 1989, among the youngest women promoted to President, and the first Asian female Sector CEO in P&G’s 186-year history.

Angie Hicks is the Co-founder of Angie’s List & Chief Customer Officer at Angie Home Services. Angie Co-founded Angie’s List in 1995 and served as CMO and on the company’s Board of Directors. In 2007 she led the merger with IAC Home Advisors to form Angie Home Services. Angie received her MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from DePaul University, which has honored her with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Management and Entrepreneurship, and with the Robert C McDermott Medal for Excellence and Entrepreneurship. Angie’s also the recipient of numerous awards including the Indiana Commission for Women Torchbearer Award for Entrepreneurial Accomplishments, the TechPoint Trailblazer Award, Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award, and Woman Tech Founder of the Year. In this P&G Alumni Enrichment webinar, you’ll enjoy hearing about Angie’s personal story of entrepreneurship and navigating through work and life’s many changes. 

Jaideep Bansal is the CEO of Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) Impact Ventures and one of the P&G Alumni Leaders Under 40.  Jaideep worked with P&G in Product Supply for almost 6 years before becoming a social entrepreneur. With GHE, Jaideep is bringing sustainable development to the remotest communities in India. 

Would you have invested in a Zoom at $3 per share?
Perhaps, if you’d had a crystal ball to see the future and, more importantly, a mechanism to execute the investment. 

For more than 80 years, investing in exciting early-stage companies was available only to accredited investors, the wealthiest 2% of Americans. This changed when Reg CF went into effect, enabling the general public to crowdfund promising innovators. This capability is now available to our network via a partnership developed by the Catapult team.

Since 2019, P&G Alumni’s Catapult team has been focused on identifying high-potential, alumni-led startups around the globe and connecting them to alum investors and advisors able to contribute to the startup’s success. 

As of mid-2023, the Catapult program will be extended with a new online platform to streamline the investment process for both the startups and the investors and will provide opportunities for P&G alums to offer mentoring and industry expertise to the companies. This capability is being brought to the network through a partnership with a leading global private equity investment platform provider. 

Investing in startups is risky, no doubt about it. But imagine that you’d invested $100 at $3/share in Zoom pre-IPO. What would that investment be worth today? The answer is $2,170. That is an annualized total return of 47%. Quite a bit higher than the S&Ps 9% average rate of return.

Stay tuned for details on this new program in upcoming newsletters.

Shankar Vishwanathan was P&G’s SVP E-Business leader for Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa — a 32-year veteran of the company starting in India as an Account Manager, with a career in brands and categories across India, USA, Russia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines. For Shankar, leadership starts with people — he believes in the power of relationships to unleash the best in others. Shankar is also a practitioner of yoga and mindfulness and is a trainer instructor in both. A proud husband and father, Shankar is very involved in philanthropy, having led the Force for Good program in Singapore, started a school for orphans in Vietnam, and helped educate children through direct support and coaching. You’ll enjoy this candid, vulnerable conversation with an accomplished international leader.

In real life, Bich Minh Nguyen now goes by the name Beth Nguyen – Beth is an award-winning writer and professor. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we wanted to share a conversation from the other podcast Modern Minorities – which features minority voices for all of our majority ears.

Shailesh Jejurikar is P&G’s Chief Operating Officer, where he has profit/loss responsibility for P&G’s Enterprise Markets – Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe – and leads Information Technology, Global Business Services, Sales, Market Operations, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Distribution and New Business for the company. Previously, Shailesh was the Chief Executive Officer of  P&G’S largest business sector, Fabric & Home Care, which includes many of P&G’s most-iconic brands: Tide, Ariel, Downy, Gain, Febreze, Swiffer—and represents about one-third of total company sales and net earnings.

VEN A SER PARTE DEL EVENTO EXCLUSIVO DE CELEBRACIÓN DE
LOS 75 AÑOS DE P&G MÉXICO

ENLACE EN VIVO CON EVENTO CORPORATIVO
PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
BOCADILLOS
DRINKS
NETWORKING

CUPO LIMITADO

APROVECHA EL EARLY BIRD Y PARTICIPARÁS EN LA RIFA DE 5 BOLETOS PARA EL ACCESO AL EVENTO CORPORATIVO (M.SOUMAYA)

Link para pago: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SY3GJDXGH8UJA

Franz Dill is a retired P&G Technologist and independent consultant in AI and analytics. We wanted to tap into Franz’s experience and expertise in technology to talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) – a topic that is suddenly,  everything, everywhere, all at once. Franz worked at P&G for 30+ years, where he served as a Chief Scientist for analytics and as an emergent technologist. He founded P&G’s groundbreaking contextual innovation centers, established the company’s Web 2.0 capabilities, wrote one of the most-read blogs in the organization, and was also a member of the Cognitive Alliance Analysis Council. 

Ed Artzt served as P&G’s CEO and Chairman from 1990 to 1995. During his extensive 41-year career, Ed worked in multiple business sectors. To each, he brought strong leadership, strategic insight, remarkable decisiveness, and an unrelenting drive to be number 1. His time as the Chief Executive was a period of unprecedented change in the global marketplace. Ed foresaw and implemented innovative transformations from restructuring the organization’s design, the divestiture of non-strategic businesses, new acquisitions, opening up new markets, and building the diversity of P&G’s leadership. He addressed these decisions with courage and conviction in ways that reflected the company’s Purpose, Values, and Principles. Ed is credited as the principal architect of P&G becoming a global business. During his tenure, international sales grew from less than 10% to accounting for over half of P&G’s worldwide sales. He oversaw the transformation of US and European brands like Pantene, Always, Pampers, and Ariel into global brands. P&G’s reach quintupled from one to five billion consumers.

Daniela Riccardi is a proven CEO with extensive experience operating businesses and brands in the international consumer and retail industry. She’s currently the CEO of Moleskine and has also led as CEO of iconic luxury and fashion brands like Baccarat and Diesel. Daniela got her career start over 25 years ago at Procter & Gamble, where she held numerous senior roles including Vice President in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. From 2001 to 2004, she worked as Vice President and General Manager for Eastern Europe and Russia, based in Moscow. From 2005 to 2010, she was President of Procter & Gamble Greater China.

Your gift to the P&G Alumni Foundation will be doubled by The P&G Fund for Gender Equality. They will match all donations (up to $50,000). This is a great time to make your first or new contribution.

Your $50 becomes $100 to support loans used to start pharmacies, expand tire and recycling businesses or purchase cows for a new farm. Listen to Fama Francisco, P&G’s Executive Sponsor for Gender Equality, as we spotlight the great work of the Loden Foundation and Grant Champion Gaby Franco. Gaby is another one of our unsung heroes, helping people in Bhutan acquire loans through the Loden Foundation and reach their goals of owning their own businesses.

Your support of the P&G Alumni Foundation will make more dreams become reality for those in need around the world. For those who are first time donors, using our credit card donation process is quick and easy. Just click on the link below.

Edwin L. Artzt, Procter & Gamble’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, passed away on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

Ed joined P&G in advertising in 1953 and quickly made a mark on the brands in his care. His first success was Comet, a fledgling household cleanser that became the market leader; he then worked on Zest, Charmin, Bounty, and Folgers. He transformed P&G’s advertising capability as the head of Copy Services and step-changed brand promotion while there.

Soon after, as Manager of Advertising for P&G’s struggling Paper business, Ed combined the superior technology of the new CPF process paper with ‘first-in-the-industry’ transparent poly packaging. This, along with the compelling advertising copy of Mr. Whipple, resulted in Charmin quickly growing to national category leadership.

Jon Moeller is P&G’s current CEO & Chairman. Jon has been an integral part of P&G’s leadership team for over two decades, developing strategies that P&G people are executing with excellence to drive the company’s growth today. Prior to becoming CEO, Jon served as P&G’s Chief Operating Officer for six years, and also held the role of P&G’s Chief Financial Officer for more than twelve years Since joining P&G in 1988 as a cost analyst, Jon has held various senior leadership roles in categories, sectors, and regions, including assignments in China, as the company’s Treasurer, Global Beauty, Health, Feminine Care Finance Senior VP, and Corporate Forecasting & Analysis. Jon is active in the business, civic and cultural leadership of Greater Cincinnati, serving in an advisory role on local Boards, and is a Trustee Emeritus and Former Chairman of the Cincinnati Art Museum Board of Trustees. In this P&G Alumni Enrichment webinar conversation on meeting the moment – Jon talks about the journey that P&G has been on recent years – and looks ahead to the future. 

Bracken Darrell is President & CEO of Logitech, where for more than a decade he’s been the driver for Logitech’s continued growth and profitability. Prior to joining Logitech, Bracken spent a decade in executive roles at Whirlpool, Braun, and General Electric—and also worked in brand management at P&G. Prior to receiving his MBA from Harvard, Bracken worked at Arthur Anderson and PepsiCo.

Misha Euceph is a Pakistani-American writer, podcast host, and producer. She also happens to be the Founder & CEO of Dustlight Productions, the critically acclaimed podcast studio that has created podcasts with Spotify, Bruce Springsteen, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Rolling Stone, REI, Subaru, and many more. She’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Tell Them, I Am” – a series about the small defining moments in our lives—where the voices are all Muslim, but the stories are universal. The NY Times, LA Times, TIME, The Atlantic, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, and Huffington Post, have named it among their best podcasts. Misha is also frequently featured in The Wall Street Journal, IGTV, and McSweeney’s. Misha and Dustlight want to make mission-driven podcasts for and with awesome people—but they also train those who want to push the boundaries of audio and tell beautiful stories.

Calling all charitable organizations whose efforts align with the Foundation’s mission of economic empowerment, and where a P&G Alum is actively and meaningfully involved. We are now in our 19th year of grant-making, and we invite you to apply between April 3 and May 13, 2023

The Foundation invests in programming across the globe that contributes toward real employment, financial independence, and the economic well-being of those served. The core areas supported are:

• Job skills development & vocational training
• Business-related skills education & training
• Entrepreneurial or business ventures viable in local communities

The P&G Alumni Foundation has economically empowered hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world and has awarded over 112 grants totaling almost $1.8 million spanning 40 countries on 5 continents!

That first step is always the hardest.

But don’t fret! The P&G Alumni Coaches are here to lend a helping hand through the entire process. Have a chat with us if you’re struggling in any of these areas. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Proudly Sponsored by the P&G Alumni Women’s Leadership Forum.

Charlotte Otto served as P&G’s Global External Relations Officer for 13 years, and later as Senior Corporate Advisor to PR industry leader Weber Shandwick for six. At P&G, Charlotte led the company’s external relations activities worldwide—including media relations, employee and shareholder communications, government and community relations, and corporate contributions.

Have you seen the buzz on social media as alums honor their Unsung Heroes? Do you have someone you’d like to recognize?

Join the celebration by making a tribute donation to the P&G Alumni Foundation in honor of your unsung hero. Even better, The P&G Fund for Gender Equality will double all donations (up to $50,000).

With donations like this, the Alumni Foundation can make more dreams become a reality—creating new, sustainable paths to prosperity for those in need around the world. Join us and Fama Francisco, P&G’s Executive Sponsor for Gender Equality, as we spotlight the great work of Cooperative for Education and help people thrive.

A leader’s legacy is shaped by their choices, what they choose to do, and equally what they choose not to. P&G: The Globalization Years is the story of those pivotal choices that transformed Procter & Gamble from an American marketer to a formidable global powerhouse, quintupling its global reach and revenue in a short span under the leadership of Ed Artzt.

Written in an easy-to-follow conversational style, it is a no-holds-barred, back-and-forth between two iconic corporate leaders, Ed Artzt and John Pepper with vivid stories that make for an easy and interesting read.

Bob Gilbreath is a longtime friend of the pod, a career friend, and a mentor to many. He is also a 2x-exit entrepreneur and co-founder of Hearty, a curated matchmaking service that combines top software developers with early-stage, venture-backed startups. He recently wrote a post entitled “Thinking of a Career Change? Try the Minimum First” – so we decided to sit down with him to learn more.

You can read more of Bob’s writings at behearty.substack.com

Peg Wyant is the Founder & CEO of Grandin Properties. But before that, Peg broke the glass ceiling at Procter & Gamble in 1967 – a decade before the phrase entered the lexicon. When the company tried to put her in the typing pool, she responded with, “All I can do is think, don’t you have a test for that.”

The P&G Alumni Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Forum are telling stories of women around the world who are changing lives through contributions like yours. These women are true unsung heroes, who are quietly making a difference in the lives of their families and communities.

Help us honor Unsung Heroes with your donation. What’s more, The P&G Fund for Gender Equality will double your donation (up to $50,000). 

Join us and Fama Francisco, P&G’s Executive Sponsor, Gender Equality, as we help women at Street Business School and even more organizations to thrive. Learn more about Street Business School Here.

Susan Baba Oguche is the Cleveland Cavaliers EVP and Chief Communication Officer. For nearly two decades she has had the honor of leading communications and PR for some of the world’s most beloved companies and brands.

Ed Rigaud was the Founder & CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which pays tribute to all efforts to abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people.

Anne Sempowski Ward is CEO & Board Director at CURiO Brands, a consumer goods company that manufactures and sells personal care and home fragrance products.

Kirk Perry is CEO of IRI Worldwide and one of our first guests (his threepeat!), returning for another learnings “deep dive” where we go deeper into a topic folks are passionate about. For Kirk, that topic is his faith. In this authentic, vulnerable, and revealing conversation you’ll hear of the grounded humility of Kirk’s faith, and how it permeates into the leader he chooses to be.

On Christmas Day, 2022, we lost Norm Levy. He meant so much to so many. For me, he made you feel privileged to be at Procter & Gamble–the absolutely best place you could be. What follows is a note from PGAN Chairman Ed Tazzia as well as brief remembrances from those who knew him.
Jack McFadden, Co-chair Communications, BS&HCP, Class of 1971.

Ten agencies worldwide received $200,000
for life-changing grants.

Thanks to record donations made by you, our alumni, ten charitable agencies received a total of $200,000 in grants ranging from $15,000-$25,000 in November 2022! Our dedicated Alumni Grant Champions write recommendations and help ensure the funds achieve maximum benefit. On behalf of the P&G Alumni Foundation Board, we wish to thank our donors, grant champions, and volunteers. You are unsung heroes bringing our shared values to life around the world.

James Veraldi is the CEO & Co-founder of Loop.co—a company focused on Improving the world’s social and mental health. So many of us—including the people we love and work with—have had struggles with mental health, and solving these challenges aligns with “touching lives, improving life.”

Marlon Hernandez is Director of Innovation at Molson Coors Beverage Company where he’s leading the creation and expansion of the company’s new non-alcoholic beverages division, a part of the company’s revitalization plan launched in 2019. Marlon has spent 6 years rising through the innovation ranks of Molson Coors, and another 10 years in the spirits industry working in innovation for companies like Corby Spirit & Wine, and Pernod Ricard.

With a new year comes a desire to get better—so we wanted to share a powerful conversation on tackling imposter syndrome AND the power of coaching. Research shows that 70% of people experience imposter feelings at some point in their careers. Recently, this important topic was discussed by several P&G Alumni Coaches: Carol Yang, Heidi Piper, Carol Fusek, and Ilhiana Rojas—all accomplished executives with global career experiences AND certified coaches from the P&G Alumni Women’s Leadership Forum.

As 2022 comes to a close, we compiled some of the year’s learnings…from leaders. So sit back with your beverage of choice and enjoy. And give us a gift—leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts—hearing from YOU, our fellow Alumni, makes a big difference for our team as we reflect on the year. THANK YOU for the continued support of our podcast and our amazing guests…

• Suzy Deering: Ford Motor Company CMO
• Claire Elvers, Wayfair’s Head of Global Brand Management & Insights
• Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor and producer
• Nitin Gajria, Google’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa
• Christine Fisher, Possip Co-Founder & COO
• Marissa Solis, National Football League (NFL) SVP of Global Brand & Consumer Marketing
• Tristan Walker, Walker & Co, CEO & Co-Founder
• Sharon Hall, Walmart’s VP of Global Executive Recruiting
• Seaphes Miller, Founder & CEO of Fusion Integrated Solutions
• Andrew Tarvin & Raman Sehgal reflecting on 100+ episodes
• John Pepper & Qaisar Shareef on Understanding Ukraine & Russia
• Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global Founder & CEO
• Raj Rao, IBM’s GM for Blockchain Ventures
• Malcolm Gladwell, Author & Journalist
• Dian Alyan: GiveLight Foundation Founder & CEO
• Kevin Hochman, Kentucky Fried Chicken, President, Yum! Brands
• Ikdeep Singh, Mars Petcare President, North America
• Qaisar Shareef, P&G’s former head of Pakistan & Ukraine
• P&G Alumni Comedians: Greg Warren, Josh Sneed, Rajiv Satyal, Andrew Tarvin
• Mahzarin Banaji, Harvard Psychologist & ‘Blindspot’ Author
• Mike Shangkuan, Lingoda CEO
• Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX) & Bracken Darrell (Logitech): Masters of Digital Disruption
• Aftab Pureval, Cincinnati Mayor
• Kevin Shapiro, Coty SVP of US Marketing
• Julie Eddleman, DoubleVerify’s Global Chief Commercial Officer
• Jay Sethi: Diageo Beer Company CMO & SVP of Diageo Convenience
• Shelly McNamara: P&G’s Chief Equality & Inclusion Officer
• Guy Raz, NPR Producer & Journalist
• Jakub Kocinski, Digital Safety & Trust (P&G, Google, TikTok, Meta)
• Poliana Sousa, Latin America’s Coca-Cola™ Lead
• Vivek Sunder: Cuemath CEO
• Katie Couric, TV Journalist, Producer, & Author
• K Patrick Davis: Blue Buffalo VP & General Manager
• Ana Maria Henao, PepsiCo’s VP of Global Marketing Excellence 
• TEDx Talks with P&G Alums: Drew, Ida, & Rajiv
• John Pepper & Ursula Burns’ (Xerox former CEO) on Race & Understanding
• Tom Asacker, P&G Trainer & Author 
• David Youn, Master Lock, President
• Alonya Tkachenko, Nommi CEO & Co-founder
• Paul Polman, Unilever xCEO on “Net Positive”
• Kyle Schlegel, Weber’s VP Americas Marketing & DTC
• Judy Okten: The Power of Disconnecting
• Edward Norton – Actor, Director, Activist, Entrepreneur (from P&G’s “More Than Soap” Podcast)
• Jim Lafferty, Fine Hygienic Holding, CEO
• JOHN SMALE – John Pepper & David Taylor’s reflections on John Smale
• Chip Bergh, Levi’s CEO: Advocacy, Activism & John Smale
• Bob McDonald & Bob Gill’s reflections on John Smale
• Janet Reid & Gordon Brunner’s reflections on John Smale
• A.G. Lafley & Charlotte Otto’s reflections on John Smale
• Oya Canbas, Bayer Global Brand Director
• Vahe Ayvazian, Abbott Divisional Vice President of Marketing & Core Diagnostics
• Sudha Ranganathan, LinkedIn’s Director of Product Marketing
• David Taylor, P&G’s Former CEO & Chairman

Heard something you missed? Be sure to go back and check out each guest’s full episode.
Got a suggestion for a future episode? Send a note to pgalums@gmail.com—we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for your continued support of our Learnings from Leaders podcast!

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

David Taylor served as P&G’s Chairman & CEO from 2015 to 2022—having worked at P&G for more than 40 years. Throughout his career, David held leadership roles within both operations and marketing, managing P&G manufacturing sites, and eventually leading various consumer brands across North America, Europe, and Asia. David reinvigorated P&G’s growth during his tenure, returning it to sustainable, balanced growth and value creation by simplifying the company’s management structure and empowering business leaders to drive operational excellence in their specific areas of responsibility. David also led the company during the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving both worker safety and supply chain resiliency. It goes without saying that David is among one of the great modern CEOs of P&G, steering the company through a trying time, and demonstrating the purpose, values, and principles that continue to make P&G not just the sustaining, successful business we know it to be, but also a culture of some of the best people in the business. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation covering not just the highlights of David’s storied career, but the reflections on his learnings along the way.

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Sudha Ranganathan is LinkedIn’s Director of Product Marketing in the Talent Solutions business—helping employers worldwide hire and develop strong talent in the new world of work. Sudha’s advocacy of consumer-centric marketing comes from a career spanning consumer insights and product marketing. Prior to LinkedIn, Sudha worked at Paypal as Senior Manager, Strategic Customer Insight, as well as at Affinova as VP of Strategic Account Development. Sudha got her start at P&G in Consumer Insights where she spent 7+ years working across Asian markets. Sudha earned her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Mumbai. Sudha has a track record for developing high-performing, psychologically safe teams. As a trained CTI (Co-active Training Institute) coach, Sudha has a passion for unlocking the highest potential within individuals and teams. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the importance of emotional intelligence for modern leaders.

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Oya Canbas is Global Brand Director and I&D Lead for Bayer Consumer Health—leading Bayer’s biggest nutritional brand, Elevit, globally—which has a purpose of giving every baby best start in life. She is also the global lead in Inclusion and Diversity. In her 8 years in Bayer Consumer Health, Oya held two GM roles in UK and Ireland, as well as in Turkey. Prior to Bayer, she established her career at Gillette and then in Procter and Gamble for 18 years in leadership roles across Turkey, the UK and Russia on brands like Pampers, Ariel, Fairy, Always, Head & Shoulders, Gillette and Oral-B. Born in South Africa, raised in Turkey, and now living in the UK, Oya is a passionate leader, brand builder, and a proud mother of two children. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about being a passionate learner, developing high-performing teams, and bringing out the best in people.

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Vahe Ayvazian is Abbott’s Divisional Vice President of Marketing & Core Diagnostics. Having served at Abbott for 8+ years, Vahe’s work is focused on delivering measurably better healthcare performance through innovation to the healthcare ecosystem. Vahe got his start at P&G, spending twelve years in marketing and category management roles, from Prilosec OTC to Pantene—where in haircare he helped turn around a decade of brand decline through simpler innovation and retailer understanding. Vahe earned his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and International Business at Indiana University, and has received executive certifications from the CMO program and Big Data from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business. A proud husband and father of two, Vahe is also on the board of a local school district educational foundation in the Chicago suburbs. Always curious, Vahe has honed his passion for building teams and organizational culture for sustainable growth. Through his early years in sports that greatly shaped his team player attitude, to the mentors at P&G that believed in him and demonstrated the importance of listening and being curious, Vahe pays it forward on the global teams he now leads through leadership, learning, and mentorship.

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

A.G. Lafley and Charlotte Otto return to our podcast — as two P&G Alumni whose career was directly and influenced by John Smale and his unique style of leadership. A.G. Lafley served P&G’s CEO & Chairman twice, from 2000-2009 and 2013-2015. Charlotte served as P&G’s Global External Relations Officer for thirteen years—the company’s first female corporate officer. Both have a lot to share about the purpose-inspired, caring, yet demanding and principled leader that was John Smale. 

This episode is the last of our series featuring reflections from leaders on John Smale, P&G’s former Chairman & CEO, who led P&G from 1981-1990, and served as General Motors’ Chairman  from 1992-1995. These conversions are in honor of the new book “Here Forever: The Timeless Impact of John Smale on Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and the Purpose and Practice of Business” by Rob Garver, available now. While John Smale passed away in 2011—he is arguably one the most influential leaders of the modern era, growing P&G more than six-fold in his tenure. And yet Smale is largely unknown to many leaders guiding American and global businesses today. John’s leadership in developing a vision for corporate purpose was decades ahead of its time. This was a book years in the making by not just the author, but many of some of the biggest leaders in business. “Here Forever” is a compelling and insightful read we’d highly recommend, and will make a great holiday gift for the admired, or aspiring leaders in your life. Pick up a copy wherever you get your favorite books!

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Janet Reid and Gordon Brunner are two P&G Alumni who had the privilege of coming up at the company during John Smale’s rise to leadership at P&G. Janet Reid is Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of BRBS World, and spent 10 years as an early Brand Manager at P&G from 1980-1990. Gordon Brunner, a familiar guest on this podcast, was P&G’s former Chief Technical Officer, one of the company’s most renowned R&D executives, and the first R&D’er to sit on the company’s Board. Both have a lot to share about the purpose-driven, caring, demanding, and principled leader that was John Smale.

Throughout this month, we’ll be hearing reflections from leaders on John Smale, P&G’s former Chairman & CEO, who led P&G from 1981-1990, and served as General Motors’ Chairman  from 1992-1995. These conversions are in honor of the new book “Here Forever: The Timeless Impact of John Smale on Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and the Purpose and Practice of Business” by Rob Garver, available now.

While John Smale passed away in 2011, he was arguably one the most influential leaders of the modern era, growing P&G more than six-fold during his tenure. And yet, Smale is largely unknown to many leaders guiding American and global businesses today. John’s leadership in developing a vision for corporate purpose was decades ahead of its time. This was a book years in the making by not just the author, but many of Pick up a copy wherever you get your favorite books.

LISTEN ON APPLE    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Bob McDonald & Bob Gill are two P&G Alumni who share many things in common, least of which is their first name. The first is no stranger to this podcast — Bob McDonald, who served as P&G’s former CEO from 2009-2013, and was the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2014-2017. And our second guest is another well known Alum to many P&G Executives — Bob GIll – who served at P&G for 28 years in many senior leadership positions – from 1974 to 2002, where he had more than a few interactions with John Smale. Both of this episode’s Bobs – McDonald and Gill — have a lot to share about the purpose-inspired, caring, yet demanding and principled leader that was John Smale.

For this month’s podcasts, we’ll be hearing reflections from leaders on John Smale, P&G’s former Chairman & CEO, who led P&G from 1981-1990, and served as General Motors’ Chairman  from 1992-1995. These conversions are in honor o f the new book “Here Forever: The Timeless Impact of John Smale on Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and the Purpose and Practice of Business” (by Rob Garver), available now. While John Smale passed away in 2011 – he is arguably one the most influential leaders of the modern era, growing P&G more than six-fold in his tenure. And yet, Smale is largely unknown to many leaders guiding American and global businesses today. John’s leadership in developing a vision for corporate purpose was decades ahead of its time. This was a book years in the making by not just the author, but many of some of the biggest leaders in business. “Here Forever” is a compelling and insightful read we’d highly recommend, and will make a great holiday gift for the admired, or aspiring leaders in your life. Pick up a copy wherever you get your favorite books

• Johnsmalehereforever.com
• goodreads.com/book/show/62350265-here-forever
• amazon.com/Here-Forever-Timeless-Practice-Business/dp/1667864068
• /bookshop.org/p/books/here-forever-the-timeless-impact-of-john-smale-on-procter-gamble-general-motors-and-the-purpose-and-practice-of-business/18846027?ean=9781667863818

Chip Bergh is President & CEO of Levi Strauss & Company—and a returning podcast guest (2020). Chip spent 28 years at P&G in leadership roles from Folgers to Swiffer, from Asia to Gillette and Old Spice. He got his start in the US Army as a paratrooper, rising to the rank of Captain. 

Chip came back on the pod to talk about something he’s passionate about: the evolving role of the CEO—going beyond the P&L to advocacy and activism. Chip learned the idea of “the Responsible CEO” from P&G’s former CEO John Smale (1981-1990), arguably one of the most influential leaders of the modern era. Chip shares his thoughts from the new book about John Smale “Here Forever: The Timeless Impact of John Smale on Procter & Gamble, General Motors and the Purpose and Practice of Business.” Chip also discusses the issues he and Levi’s are active in: voter registration, women’s rights, ending gun violence and climate change. While many of us have strong beliefs on these topics, the goal of this discussion was not to push an agenda, but rather to focus on the nonpartisan business reasons for taking a stand on certain issues. Chip shares stories of not just his own style of values-driven leadership, but also how he’s continued, through humility and humor, Levi’s tradition of social activism.

LISTEN ON APPLE     LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Jack McFadden – Community Service

Jack McFadden has been recognized for the Community Service award based on the impact of his contributions to Wilton, CT and its surrounding communities for more than 40 years.  It started with a very personal experience.  In 1980, Jack’s daughter Melissa was born with Downs Syndrome; two days after her birth Jack joined STAR, Lighting the way.  STAR’s mission is to provide opportunities for individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Jack’s leadership with STAR started with Melissa but his hands-on advocacy for people with disabilities is evident to this day.  He has served as President of STAR twice and STAR Residential once.  As President of STAR Residential he was the driving force behind the merger of the two entities to magnify their impact and benefit from the resources, scale, and leadership.  The result was one of the most prominent and most highly praised organizations serving the handicapped in Connecticut, including 700 families just in the Wilton area and a $9MM budget.  For STAR’s 50th anniversary he brainstormed the “Galaxy of Stars” – 50 street art stars for local towns.  The annual “Galaxy of Stars” gala has generated more than $3.5MM.  

The list goes on. His work with the Wilton Interfaith Action Committee has included the largest single-day volunteer event in New England.  Typically, 750 volunteers package 150,000-160,000 meals.  In 2001 Jack established the Melissa McFadden Memorial Scholarship for Wilton High School seniors who demonstrate compassion and support for people with special needs.  While many individuals contribute financially to local organizations, Jack gives his most valuable resources – his time, his creativity, and his talents.  For all these reasons we recognize Jack McFadden.

Greg Allgood – John E. Pepper Humanitarian

There are few things more basic to life than water and in a world where so many people are deprived of this basic necessity, Greg Allgood brings new meaning to humanitarian.

Dr. Greg Allgood is vice president of water for World Vision. In this role, Allgood leads the establishment of alliances with corporations, foundations, and individuals to enable World Vision to bring access to clean water to millions more people around the world.    Prior to joining World Vision in 2013, Allgood was the founder and director of the Procter & Gamble Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program and a Senior Fellow in Sustainability. Dr. Allgood was with P&G for 26 years and led its efforts to provide safe drinking water in the developing world, oversaw P&G’s global emergency response efforts, and helped manage P&G’s partnerships with the Clinton Global Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, WHO, USAID, and other nonprofit organizations.    He has a doctoral degree in toxicology from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, where he did research in water quality.

During the last 20 years, more than two billion people have been reached with clean water. World Vision has been a part of this effort as the number one non-governmental provider of clean water, reaching one person with clean water every 10 seconds. Yet the search for clean water is robbing women and girls of their futures. Women and children in the developing world walk a combined 200 million miles a day to find clean water. Delivering clean water can transform entire communities. For his work in bringing this life-saving essential to the people of the world, the Alumni Network recognizes Dr. Greg Allgood.

Ilhiana Rojas – Diversity & Inclusion

Ilhiana has been a trailblazer in empowering and supporting the advancement of Hispanic women in leadership to reduce the gender and wage gap.  She is a certified expert in DEI best practices and has coached and trained hundreds of women, especially women of color, to help them grow their career and elevate their voices.    She published the book “Extraordinary Latinas” to build the visibility of 10 Latinas, helping them open many doors. And she recently co-launched a new organization called United Latinas to amplify and connect Latinas and allies.  Additionally, her philanthropic efforts include creating a yearly spotlight campaign during Women’s month and Hispanic Heritage month to highlight the accomplishments of rising Latinas. She is an Executive Board member for the Association of Latino Professionals for America where she is responsible for defining and overseeing the program curriculum for the professional development of the organization’s members across all levels (from entry-level to C-Suite) throughout the year. She also supports partner organizations to create more inclusive cultures through different learning and networking opportunities. Signature programs she has developed and overseen to drive equal opportunity for Latinos in the workplace include a Coaching & Mentoring program, a Leadership program, and the much sought out Latina Summit. Further, she is a past Board member and current Board Advisor to the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to support the growth of Latino small businesses.  

Ilhiana’s passion and commitment to elevate unheard voices and build inclusive leaders and cultures is palpable. Her work has helped numerous Hispanic leaders build their self-confidence and visibility to create more inclusive and psychologically safe cultures.

Navin Gupta – Early Achievement

Navin Gupta is currently Vice President of Marketing at Henry Schein, heading up the US Commercial team. Navin has over 15 years of marketing and general management experience and has held senior positions at Procter & Gamble, Guthy|Renker, and Danaher. Navin has founded and sold multiple companies since leaving P&G. In 2021 Navin sold his bootstrapped Amazon brand called Turmaquik to Suma Brands. In 2022 Navin sold his VC backed digital health company called PeerWell to Bardavon Health. Navin is an active startup mentor and has helped more than 20 entrepreneurs. Additionally, he is on the board of the non-profit Team Smile, the University of Illinois dental school and is the corporate sponsor for an employee resource group focused on Asian employees. Navin’s work includes launching the Head & Shoulders partnership with the NFL featuring Troy Polamalu – rated by ACNielsen as the best branded integration in league history.

Today, Navin has a visible senior role at a Fortune 250 company, runs an ecommerce CPG business in his spare time, and is active with his family and community.

Paul Trokhan – Innovation

Paul has been the leading technologist and inventor behind the unique technology that has created the consumer superiority advantage for three major P&G brands –Bounty, Charmin, and Puffs.  Paul conceptualized proprietary designs to produce unique paper characteristics.  The breakthrough technology was entirely new to the world and required overcoming major obstacles and delivering major inventions.    Market testing of the new technology began in the mid-1980’s.  There were major setbacks in the start-up, and challenges were so severe that the project was almost terminated –TWICE – but Paul and his team eventually handled every obstacle.  As a result of his team’s work, Bounty doubled its share to 40% and gained market leadership during the 1990 decade.  Since then, the disposable towel market has grown 10 times more than the population growth.  Paul’s work supported P&G receiving the US Medal of Technology in 1995 – an award usually going to an individual researcher. This was the first ever recognition of any company, let alone a consumer goods company.  

Paul has been recognized as a charter member of the P&G Victor Mills Society in 1992 – a first ever recognition of individual achievement within P&G and P&G Research & Development. He has received the gold medal from P&G CEO Ed Artzt.  Although many of the early basic patents expired in 2005, competition has yet to close the gap in performance due to the tremendous technical difficulty, and ongoing technical improvements and patents that Paul and his team achieved. This is an innovation achievement which clearly deserves the recognition of the P&G Alumni Innovation Award.

Esi Eggleston Bracey – John G. Smale General Management

Esi Eggleston Bracey is a transformational business executive with over 28 years of experience in general management, brand building, and marketing leadership. She has a track record of success in creating, accelerating, and turning around business results across branded product categories, sectors, and geographies through marketing and operational excellence.

Each day Esi Eggleston Bracey pushes for her organizations to be better than the day before – to dig deeper and think differently versus established principles.  During her tenure at P&G she led Global Cosmetics to the highest rate in growth in the prior 10 years.   After the acquisition of Global Cosmetics to Coty, her people appreciated Esi’s candor in highlighting the challenges that female leaders face as an “only” at the top, navigating the double bind – motherhood and life as a black woman.  It was clear that whatever company was going to have the honor of her time would need to understand she would only be able to lead if the organization was ready for her to do it her way.  And as she’s navigated her journey to Unilever, it is clear she’s done just that, leading incredible growth in equity and sales for their NA Beauty and Personal Care Business. Most recently Esi received the She Runs it 2020 Woman of the Year award, acknowledged for her contributions to women’s advancement in leadership showcasing achievement in what personal and professional realignment looks like, and reinventing what General Management looks like for men and women alike. 

Jim Stengel – McElroy

Jim is the former Global Marketing Officer of $76B Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw an $8B advertising budget and had organizational responsibility for nearly 7,000 people. Highly regarded, his leadership was recognized in 2008 when P&G was honored as the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival Advertiser of the Year for the first time in company history.

Jim is best known for reinvigorating P&G’s marketing culture. In his seven years as Global Marketing Officer, he personally led the transformation that has firmly established P&G as one of the most admired brand-building companies in the world by serving the consumer.  P&G sales doubled during Jim’s tenure.

Prior to his promotion to P&G’s top advertising and marketing position in 2001, Jim had P&L responsibility for the company’s European baby care business. Previously, Jim held positions of increasing responsibility in P&G’s developing markets, Cosmetic, and Food businesses. Before joining P&G in 1983, he spent four years at Time Incorporated in the Time-Life Books division.

One of Jim’s focus areas is to “give back” by inspiring younger people who will be the next generation of business professionals.  In 2009, he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the UCLA Anderson School of Management where he taught for four years. In 2017, Jim was appointed Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor within the Northwestern Kellogg Markets & Customers Initiative.  Since 2011, Jim has served as Dean of the Young Marketers Academy at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2013, he pioneered the CMO Accelerator program at the Cannes Lions Festival and continues to serve as Dean.

For this month’s podcasts, we’ll be hearing reflections from leaders on John Smale, P&G’s former Chairman & CEO, who led P&G from 1981-1990, and served as General Motors’ Chairman  from 1992-1995. These conversions are in honor o f the new book “Here Forever: The Timeless Impact of John Smale on Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and the Purpose and Practice of Business” (by Rob Garver), available now. 

While John Smale passed away in 2011 – he is arguably one the most influential leaders of the modern era, growing P&G more than six-fold in his tenure. And yet, Smale is largely unknown to many leaders guiding American and global businesses today. John’s leadership in developing a vision for corporate purpose was decades ahead of its time. This was a book years in the making by not just the author, but many of some of the biggest leaders in business.

John Pepper and David Taylor — two of P&G’s former Chairmen & CEO – sat down with Dorion Positano on P&G’s More Than Soap podcast (GetMoreThanSoap.com). Both David Taylor and John Pepper have a lot to share about the purpose-inspired, caring, yet demanding and principled leader that was John Smale. 

“Here Forever” is a compelling and insightful read we’d highly recommend, and will make a great holiday gift for the admired, or aspiring leaders in your life. Pick up a copy wherever you get your favorite books

• Johnsmalehereforever.com
• goodreads.com/book/show/62350265-here-forever
• amazon.com/Here-Forever-Timeless-Practice-Business/dp/1667864068
• /bookshop.org/p/books/here-forever-the-timeless-impact-of-john-smale-on-procter-gamble-general-motors-and-the-purpose-and-practice-of-business/18846027?ean=9781667863818

LISTEN ON APPLE     LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

James Michael Lafferty is a returning guest to the podcast — rejoining us for an open and honest conversation about making mistakes, and owning up to them. Jim is the CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding – a leading CPG company across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, and USA – as well as an accomplished writer, coach, and athlete. Jim is an internationally-tenured leader whose career spans 3 decades and 5 continents. Jim served as CEO of British American Tobacco in the Philippines and Coca-Cola in Nigeria. He led a distinguished 24-year career at P&G, leading the company in both the Philippines and Poland, rising through the ranks in senior roles across Western Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. Beyond being a dedicated husband and father of 5, Jim is also an accomplished coach and athlete – serving as a Coach of the Philippines Olympic Athletics team at the 2016 Rio Games, having run 30+ marathons, and was the 2017 Philippines National Champion in Powerlifting. Jim’s consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies, and his many talks and lessons have inspired brand managers around the world. He currently lives in the United Arab Emirates. In a world of projections, you’ll appreciate Jim’s vulnerabile, candid conversation.

LISTEN ON APPLE     LISTEN ON SPOTIFY