It starts with a mother in rural Ethiopia learning to run a business. With seed funding, entrepreneurship training, and mentorship, families supported by Children’s HopeChest are building sustainable livelihoods — reducing dependence on aid and investing more in their children’s futures.

It starts with a young migrant worker in China daring to imagine a different path. Through Lighthouse’s Shimmer programme, young people gain vocational training, financial literacy, and real exposure to career opportunities — replacing instability with purpose and possibility.

Two countries. Two communities. One mission.

The P&G Alumni Foundation invests in programmes that don’t just change lives today — they break cycles that have lasted generations.

This is what sustainable impact looks like.

Before Danone, she led innovation and emerging tech at Sanofi, including building the company’s conversational AI function from the ground up.

Her career started at Procter & Gamble, where she served as Project Delivery Manager for EMEA, leading global media planning transformation for the world’s largest advertiser. She went on to earn her MBA through the Asia School of Business, a partnership between MIT Sloan and the Central Bank of Malaysia.

Originally from the Russian Far East and now based in Paris, Katya brings a rare combination of technical depth, global perspective, and people-centered leadership to every conversation.

In this episode, Katya joins co-founder and P&G alum Drew Tarvin for a candid conversation about building AI capability inside large organizations, navigating an international career as a woman in tech, and what the future of digital transformation really looks like from the inside.

Drew spent six years at P&G leading IT and brand initiatives before founding Humor That Works, where he helps organizations use humor to improve leadership and communication. His TEDx talk has been viewed more than 16 million times.

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple

That evening, guests gathered for a cocktail reunion as the sun settled over the club’s lush fairways and palm-lined landscape. Stories flowed as easily as the conversations: memories of brands built, careers shaped, mentors who made a difference, and the shared culture that continued to connect generations of P&G alumni long after their corporate chapters had ended.

The following morning opened with a breakfast fireside chat featuring David Taylor and Ana Kreacic. Their conversation moved beyond business success to focus on leadership, resilience, innovation, and the importance of using experience and influence to create positive impact. Attendees listened closely as both leaders reflected on the evolving responsibilities of leadership in a rapidly changing world, while also emphasizing the enduring value of integrity, curiosity, and service.

By midday, the spirit of camaraderie shifted to the greens of the Bonita Bay Club North Naples Course for the event’s golf tournament. Teams spread across the course beneath blue skies, blending friendly competition with meaningful conversations that continued from the morning sessions. Between swings, putts, and the sighting of a dinosaur alligator, golfers enjoyed a fun way to support the Foundation’s mission to support and empower people in need around the world.

As the tournament concluded and guests prepared to depart, there was a shared feeling that something special had begun. The first Round of Gratitude was not simply a networking event or alumni reunion. It was a celebration of enduring relationships, thoughtful leadership, and a collective commitment to giving back. At each hole was a “Hole of Gratitude” Tribute from an alum to another alum. 

And as many attendees remarked before leaving the clubhouse that evening, it already felt less like a first event — and more like the start of a lasting tradition. 

Please enjoy the short video recap linked below along with our favorite photos from the gathering here.

Many thanks to our Honorary Host Partners who made the event possible: Steve & Sue Baggott, Rick & Tracy Froh, Deb Kielty, Austin Lally, Jorge Montoya, John Pepper, Dan Rajczak, Janet Reid PhD, Yannis Skoufalos, Suzanne & Alex Tosolini, Kay Napier Zanotti, and UBS | FTB Financial Services. We are also deeply grateful to our Alumni Bonita Bay Club Member Liasons: Larry Kellam and Mike Matheis.

This is the ripple effect made possible through the P&G Alumni Foundation, its dedicated Grant Champions, and outstanding grant partners working where opportunity is needed most.

Across Haiti and Honduras, young people are gaining more than education. They are gaining the practical skills, confidence, and independence to shape their own futures.

In Honduras, El Hogar Ministries is equipping students with technical and entrepreneurial training, helping them become not just skilled workers, but future business owners, employers, and community leaders.

In Haiti, where the youth employment rate is 63%, Restavek Freedom is opening doors through digital and computer skills training, giving young adults access to employment, income, and the chance to lead change in their communities.

These aren’t short-term fixes.
They are long-term investments in human potential.
Investments that lift families, strengthen communities, and break cycles of poverty for good.

This is lasting change. One skill, one student, one transformed community at a time.