Dan Hamilton was a longtime friend and mentor to many – an experienced marketing, media, and creative leader – who passed away suddenly last December of 2022.

This is the first of two conversations with friends and colleagues who knew Dan over the years – this one with Monisha Dabek, Chief Commercial Officer of Ocean Spray Cranberries, who was one of Dan’s friends and partners in his most recent professional adventures at Ocean Spray and Whitewave.

Carol Fusek is a Neuroleadership Institute brain-based coach who works with individuals, organizations and families to help them thrive. Currently based in Singapore, Carol was P&G’s Asia’s Associate Director of Customer Service & Logistics, where during her 26-year career with P&G she held various leadership roles.

Annie Dukeis an author and a consultant in the decision making space, as well as a former professional poker player. Annie is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads Up Championship. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study cognitive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kenneth Chan is a seasoned CEO and Organization Leader with over 30 years of experience in Fortune 500 companies such as P&G, McDonald’s, PepsiCo, and Singapore Airlines. Kenneth was McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer for China and Division President for the Greater China region between 2009 to 2015. 

Derrick Booker is currently the SVP and Head of Brand for Thayers Natural Remedies at L’Oreal but has had a varied path before joining a beauty-focused company. Armed with a degree in microbiology from Miami University, Derrick started his career with medical and consumer brand marketing roles in Oral Care at P&G. He is an accomplished research scientist having led the clinical claims support strategy as a Clinical Trial Manager for P&G’s North American Oral Care R&D organization. Derrick then went on to join Pfizer, where he worked on prescription to over-the-counter switching, Advil, and Pediatric brands. In 2020, Derrick was recognized among the top 100 under 50 emerging and executive leaders, by Diversity MBA Chicago and continues to inspire leaders with his authentic leadership and focus on building relationships and leaning into our truths.  You’ll enjoy this authentic, candid conversation about reframing feelings of not belonging and being underestimated to surprise others with personal excellence.

It is time to rally around for the top ten Catapult Entrepreneur of the Year submissions for 2023! 

More than fifty company founders and their teams submitted their global companies to this year’s competition. All fifty+ companies were subject to a detailed and rigorous evaluation. 

Of the top ten finalists, there was good representation across geographies, with four North American, two European, two Latin American, one Asian, and one Middle Eastern company on the shortlist.

Read on to find out which companies came out at the top of the rankings:

If you have been following the latest developments in the PGAN Catalyst Program, then you are aware of the program’s mission to identify high-potential, alumni-led startups and to connect them to alum investors and advisors who are able to contribute to the startup’s success. 

You may also know that this spring PGAN launched a global “call for startups” interested in participating in the “2023 Entrepreneur Stars” program. More than fifty promising startups around the world responded to the call and are now in the Catapult pipeline. So far, so good

Carol Yang is a certified Global Executive Coach (ICF PCC) with 23 years of global leadership experience across Fortune 500 companies—like P&G and the Timberland Company, where she was VP of Global marketing. As an Executive Coach, Carol works with senior leaders around the world, with an emphasis on empowering female leaders to move up and thrive in bigger, more complex roles. Carol’s clients include senior leaders at Goldman Sachs, Merck, P&G, Agile Technology and others.

Join us for part TWO of our USA Travel series across the US with Raman and Drew Tarvin, author of “The United States of Laughter” and podcast co-founder, as they share stories and learnings from their travels across America.

Got travel learnings from the world that you want to share? Send a voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com, and maybe we’ll feature your story on a future episode!

And don’t forget to register for the P&G Alumni Global Conference in Washington DC – November 2-5, 2023. You’ll get to hear from many former P&G CEOs, C-Suite alumni leaders, and emerging trendsetters, all while networking with fellow P&G Alums. Learn more and register at pgalums.com

We’re returning to one of our favorite topics—TRAVEL. We’re also turning our focus to the strange and foreign land known as the United States of America. Raman is joined by podcast co-founder Drew Tarvin, author of “The United States of Laughter,” as they share stories and learnings from their travels to all 50 American states. In the first of our two-part series, we’re covering from Alabama to Montana.

Got some travel learnings from anywhere in the world? Send a voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com, and maybe we’ll feature your story on a future episode!

And don’t forget to register for the P&G Alumni Global Conference in Washington DC on November 2-5, 2023. You’ll get to hear from many former P&G CEOs, C-Suite alumni leaders, and emerging trendsetters, all while networking with fellow P&G Alums. Learn more and register at pgalums.com

Jawad Bisbis is the Global VP of Marketing at Ball Corporation where he leads marketing and partnerships for Ball’s aluminum cup business. Jawad was previously 7-Eleven’s VP of Proprietary Beverages, where he oversaw the coffee, fountain, and frozen business across 10,000 stores nationwide. Before joining 7-Eleven, Jawad was a VP of Marketing at Focus Brands, a food service chain where he provided marketing leadership across more than 50 international markets and 2000 stores.  Jawad also worked for Luxottica as Group marketing director for the Middle East & Africa business, and fifteen years with The Coca-Cola Company in diverse markets and roles.

Jawad started his marketing career with Procter & Gamble where he held various brand management positions. He holds a Master’s Degree from Kedge Business School in France and is fluent in Arabic and French. Jawad is married with two children, and when he’s not working, he enjoys watching soccer, playing tennis, and mentoring college and early career youths in underserved communities.  You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about cultivating a different point of view and pushing yourself to be a lifelong learner.

Tim Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, author, and podcaster – best known for his book: the Four Hour Work Week, and his podcast: the Tim Ferriss Show. Tim has been listed as one of the fast company’s most innovative business people. Tim is an early-stage technology investor and advisor and is known in media as “the Oprah of Audio” due to the influence of his business and interview podcast being the first to exceed 200 million downloads. Tim is the author of four Number One New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including the Four Hour Work Week. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about balancing work and life, health and wellness, and many other topics.

S. Qaisar Shareef is P&G’s former head of Pakistan and Ukraine, author of “When Tribesmen Came Calling,” and a longtime friend of the pod. But more importantly, he’s also a fellow lover of travel. Specifically in how travel allows each of us to experience new and different cultures. Qaisar is based in Washington DC, and a frequent columnist in News International Pakistan, and his recent article about his travels in Egypt speak to the importance of experiencing new and different cultures. Whether hitchhiking from Germany to Belgium, traveling the silk road thru Uzbekistan, wandering Afghanistan, or roaming ruins in Syria and Spain, Qaisar shares lessons and learnings from a world well traveled. Got learnings to share about your own travels? Let us know your favorites pgalumpod@gmail.com – with a voice memo or written story – and maybe we’ll feature your travel learnings on a future podcast!

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Edward Norton is an actor, filmmaker, and activist. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his work in Primal Fear, American History X, and Birdman and has starred in several other acclaimed films including Fight Club, The Illusionist, and Moonrise Kingdom. Edward is also a UN Ambassador for Biodiversity, a successful investor (Uber, CrowdRise, and Kensho — acquired by SAP for $550 million), and deeply involved in wilderness conservation. In 2015, Edward co-founded EDO with PhD economist, poet, and entrepreneur Daniel Nadler. EDO is a leading TV outcomes company that works with top brands, networks, and hollywood studios — from AT&T and Disney, to Univision, and of course P&G — using cutting edge data science to predictively power the success of marketing, research, and creative professionals. In a candid conversation ranging from David Bowie to data science, you’ll enjoy hearing about stretching your limits beyond what’s expected of you — across many paths of creativity, business, and entrepreneurship. If you’re ever driven to do something more than your day job, or what the world expects of you – AND you happen to be a bit of a nerd about marketing and tech – this is the podcast episode for you.

But Edward Norton is not exactly a P&G Alumni, so what’s the deal? Alongside our partners at P&G, we’re thrilled to share another episode of P&G’s “More Than Soap” podcast – available exclusively each week to P&G Employees at GetMoreThanSoap.com. On “More Than Soap,” P&G shares weekly conversations with Inspiring guests, unique perspectives, and unconventional ideas. “More Than Soap” is P&G’s official internal podcast – available  to all 100,000 P&G employees worldwide, and hosted by Dorion Positano, P&G’s Director of New Business and Content Innovation. Interested in learning more about P&G’s “More Than Soap” podcast, or P&G Studios, can reach out directly to Dorion on LinkedIn. GetMoreThanSoap.com

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This week we’re sharing a talk on “The Power of Disconnecting in the Digital Era” by P&G Alumni Judy Okten – given at P&G Alumni Global Conference Madrid in 2019. It’s a topic that’s becoming more relevant as we become more and more connected every day.  Judy Okten is the Co-Founder & CEO of Burgeon Labs, a science-based learning company. that empowers healthcare practitioners and innovators to develop the most effective solutions to preventative and personalized medicine through data science. Judy  is also the Co-founder of Vitality Food Lab where she launched BonJu, the first fresh green smoothie brand in Switzerland to make it easier for busy people to eat healthy. And of course Judy spent a large part of her career at P&G – leading marketing teams in Geneva and Toronto across haircare and homecare brands. She also spent 4 years in brand management at KAO Brands in Canada, and 2 years as a business analyst at CIBC.

The message of finding more space to create – not just consume – is of particular relevance, now more than ever.

Every 2 years the P&G Alumni Network convenes top thought leaders from the Alumni Community and beyond. The next one will be in Washington DC in 2023, so make sure you’re signed up for updates on pgalums.com and all of the P&G Alumni Network’s social channels so you’re the first to know.

Got a recommendation for a future speaker or guest? Be sure to send us a note – pgalumpod@gmail.com. 

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