Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“Business cannot sit on the sidelines — we're not moving at the scale and speed needed, we as industry leaders have an enormous responsibility to drive these tipping points.” Paul Polman, one of our most prominent and vocal P&G Alumni, who also happens to be the former CEO of Unilever. In this talk from 2021 P&G Alumni Global Conference Paul talks about  "Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take" - a recent book he co-authored, the Financial Times named among the Best Business Books of 2021. The Financial Times declared Paul "a standout CEO of the past decade” - as he is a leading proponent that business should be a force for good. And the Economist declared Paul "An advocate of sustainable capitalism explains how it's done." Paul Polman is the co-founder of IMAGINE, where he is mobilizing businesses to tackle climate change and global inequality. Paul also served as the CEO of Unilever from 2009-2018, where he created - and proved-  a long-term approach to global problems can also drive business performance. Prior to Unilever, he was Nestle’s CFO & Head of Americas. And of course, Paul got his start at P&G, where he spent 27 years rising through the ranks ultimately leading Europe for P&G. Paul continues to be active on the world stage, bridging the private/public sectors. Alongside the UN Secretary General, he helped develop the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Paul is chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, The B Team, Saïd Business School and Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact. You'll enjoy this very frank, compelling, and action oriented talk about what we can all be doing as business and community leaders — to face the challenges we have in front of us, and be a force for good. Paul’s past P&G Alumni Podcast appearance: https://apple.co/3eI5PSR BOOK: Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take - goodreads.com/book/show/58090463-net-positive

“That was the moment I realized that if you're able to articulate complex things in a very simple language, that's the ultimate goal – in arts, in literature, in business.” Alyona Tkachenko is the CEO and cofounder of Nommi, a mobile WiFi hotspot that provides LTE data in over 100 countries. She also serves as the VP of Global Markets at Sergek Development. Prior to founding Nommi, Alyona was the head of marketing for Love to Code, a coding school for children in Kazakhstan. Alyona started her career at Procter & Gamble, working in CMK for sales and eCommerce. Alyona is a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 for Consumer Technology and also a P&G Alumni Network’s Leader Under 40. She continues to focus on improving the quality of Computer Science education and digital literacy of Kazakhstani school children through the NGO StudyCS. Alyona graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Kazakh State University. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about doing what feels right in the moment, and owning those decisions for success.

“Diversity is almost synonymous with humanity — our communities and companies should reflect that diversity of the rest of the world to make impactful change.” David Youn is President of Master Lock, the 100-year-old American company that is the leader in manufacturing & sales of locks, safes, and commercial security equipment. David started as a management consultant but learned that he enjoyed running businesses more than analyzing them. From entrepreneurship to corporate, from P&G’s brands of Tampax to Pampers, and from living in the U.S. to an expat in Korea working for Samsung, David’s journey is a testament to his motto of moving constantly and living boldly. At the helm of Master Lock, David has delivered all time records in sales & profit and throughout his career has maintained a focus on people through mentorship and teaching. Not surprisingly, David also has a diverse range of hobbies, from being a pilot, to music, to being a dance instructor and he holds 2 degrees: a BA in Political Science from Stanford and an MBA from Northwestern. David’s wife is also a P&G alum and his son is a competitive swimmer and Rubik’s Cuber. As a proud Korean-American, you may find David watching K-drama. You’ll enjoy this great conversation about how our upbringings affect our work and life choices, taking a non-traditional career path by moving around and living boldly and the importance of finding commonalities amongst each other, in any situation.

“Leaders must define the vision of how the world could exist — based on values, ideas, imagination — and driven by love for your people and passion for possibility.” Tom Asacker is a longstanding strategist, speaker, and trainer — well known to many P&G executives. Tom is a writer, former GE executive, past owner of a high precision electronics firm and Founder & CEO of a medical device company. Tom holds medical patents and product design awards - and is recognized by Inc Magazine, MIT, and YE’s “Birthing of Giants” entrepreneurial executive leadership program. The author of several critically acclaimed books, including “The Business of Belief.” Tom’s a painter, magician, philosopher and screenwriter. But while Tom IS known to many P&G’ers - he’s 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

“Making improvements is challenging. But we can't give up and we've got to learn how to do it better.”  “Speak, engage, help, be helped. Be part of society. Be an optimist towards the fact that people can change, that  people can learn.” John Pepper, P&G’s former CEO, and Ursula Burns, Xerox’s former CEO, sit down for a candid conversation on race, understanding and our discourse with each other. This is a conversation the two longtime friends have been having for years - alongside many of us. While John needs no introduction to many, Ursula’s impressive career is worth sharing... Ursula M. Burns is the Retired Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation and VEON Limited — and among the first Black women to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Ursula is also a founding partner of Integrum Holdings, Non-Executive Chairman of Teneo Holdings LLC, and the Executive Chairman of Plum Acquisition Corp. At Xerox, Ursula served from 2009-2017, having joined as a summer intern in 1980, after which she rose through the ranks across corporate services, manufacturing and product development. Ursula also serves on several corporate boards, including Uber Technologies, Exxon Mobil, Endeavor Group Holdings, Waystar and Hear.com Ursula’s also involved in leadership counsel for the Ford Foundation, MIT, the Cornell Tech Board, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Mayo Clinic, among others. From 2009-2016, President Barack Obama appointed Ursula to lead the White House national program on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Ursula also led the President’s Export Council from 2010 - 2016. In February 2022, Burns joined the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Ursula is a mechanical engineering alumni of Columbia University and NYU - and she’s a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the G7 Gender Equity Advisory Council. Originally recorded on February 25, 2022 - this is an important conversation we hope will make many think and feel more deeply. While each of our guests are part of some great organizations who support the sharing of our views, these are the views of our guests alone. Got ideas for future deep dive topics with past and future guests? Reach out to pgalumpod@gmail.com

TED talks are "Ideas Worth Spreading" - short talks and presentations that have lit up the internet since 2006. But did you know a # of Alums have shared TEDx talks at official events with their communities? We're featuring THREE such TEDx talks from co-hosts - Andrew Tarvin, Ida Abdalkhani, and Rajiv Satyal — all of which have amassed more than a few views online - and share one important theme in common (a coincidence, we promise!). We guarantee you'll enjoy these talks, and hopefully learn a little something along the way. And if you're a P&G Alumni with a TEDx talk - shoot us a note - pgalumpod@gmail.com - and maybe we'll feature your TEDx talk on a future P&G Alumni Podcast! Andrew Tarvin:  "The Skill of Humor" - TEDxTAMU (June 2017) - https://youtu.be/MdZAMSyn_As Ida Abdalkhani: "Happier in 5 Minutes" - TEDxOhioStateUniversity (March 2015) - https://youtu.be/-HJG63EXCmw Rajiv Satyal: "Today's Jester: The Comedian" TEDxUCincinnati (June 2016) - https://youtu.be/rgAgwDTju-M

“Approach life as a lifelong learning journey. Be curious enough to really ask why - as that wisdom has no expiration date.” Ana Maria Henao is PepsiCo’s Global Marketing VP, leading the Marketing Excellence and Partnership Strategies across both food and beverages for PepsiCo globally, reporting to the Global CMO. Ana Maria has over 22 years of Marketing experience, having started her career at P&G in Bogota, Colombia, as an ABM in detergents. Having worked in a variety of roles across developed and emerging markets. Ana Maria led the development of mainstream and luxury brands, turning around businesses and leading acquisitions, while transforming commercial functions to embrace the challenges of the digital era. Originally from Colombia, Ana Maria currently lives in Miami with her husband and two children. In this candid conversation you’ll enjoy hearing about wisdom vs intelligence, being curious, and choosing to be a protagonist.

“No question, you have to speak up. Because I know people spoke up for me and questioned incorrect assumptions or bias in the room.” K. Patrick Davis is the VP and General Manager for Blue Buffalo, the #1 natural pet food brand in the US, and now General Mills largest brand. Previously Patrick was Henkel’s SVP and Head of US Laundry & Home Care — working on brands like All, Snuggle, Persil, and Renuzit — where he also functioned as the division CMO. Patrick also spent ten years as VP + General Manager at Georgia Pacific - leading work on many of the company's largest brands and retailers. And of course, Patrick got his start at P&G - spending nearly a decade in marketing and sales - working on teams like Crest and Walmart. Patrick received his MBA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and studied business science at The University of South Carolina at Columbia. For 30 years, Patrick’s been a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, continuing to serve as a local officer — and he’s also an active mentor to young men of color through the Kappa League program. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and three sons. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about authenticity , connection, respect — and speaking up.

Katie Couric is renowned and award-winning  journalist, producer, and best-selling author. Katie is currently the Founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. Katie also publishes the daily newsletter "Wake Up Call" From 2013 to 2017, Katie was Yahoo's Global News Anchor. Katie has been a host on all 3 major US TV networks — NBC News from 1989 to 2006, CBS News from 2006 to 2011, and ABC News from 2011 to 2014 — and in her early career she was an assignment editor for CNN. In addition to her TV news anchor roles , Katie has also hosted the Today show and 60 Minutes, and in 2004 Katie was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. In this conversation from the 2021 P&G Alumni Global Conference, Katie sat down with Marc Pritchard, P&G’s Chief Brand Officer, to share their vision of a fairer and more equitable world through media and advertising. Katie speaks of the importance of accurate portrayals, images, and representation —  influenced by the work of Mahzarin Banaji - who we’ve also featured on this podcast — on how our brains are hardwired to make associations and connections. Katie spoke of growing up with women only portrayed as stay-at-home moms and having to insist that she would not just cover cooking or fashion shows. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation between two of the industries’ biggest leaders in media - on the importance of change - and understanding.

“Tech will do everything - but it won’t make you a better human. Use technology to get less busy and focus on being a better human, and the world will be a better place.” Vivek Sunder is CEO of Cuemath - the education technology company whose mission is to make the world’s children great at math — to create invincible problem-solvers who will go on to solve humanity’s biggest problems. Vivek’s been in the lead of the India-based company since 2021 - with aims to scale the business globally. Prior to leading Cuemath, Vivek served as COO of Swiggy - India’s leading online delivery service - helping the company scale from good to great, to 500+ cities in 18 months - especially during the global pandemic. Vivek also spent twenty years at P&G in various capacities across developing markets (India, Africa) as well as developed markets (UK, Singapore, Korea) and hybrid markets (China, Thailand, Malaysia). Vivek is passionate about building organizational capability and has a proven track record of creating better business results via more capable teams - spanning 20+ nationalities - from new country startups to traditional business unit roles. Vivek is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, and prior to that studied Computer Engineering from Delhi University. He is a regular guest lecturer at his alma mater IIM-C, as well at other premier B-schools across the world where he teaches and shares business expertise. Vivek speaks six languages, and has a passion for photography with work featured in global media outlets like National Geographic, the BBC, and ET. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the intersection of technology, business, and behavioral psychology.