Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“The higher you go, it's harder to understand the front lines. Be in touch to accelerate your growth.” Kevin Hochman, is Kentucky Fried Chicken’s US President at Yum! Brands, and the former President of Pizza Hut US. As KFC’s President Hockman oversees more than $10 billion in retail sales across 10,000 restaurants. For more than eight years, Kevin’s held numerous senior positions at Yum! Brands. Previously Kevin led P&G’s North America Cosmetics business, the culmination of an 18-year career at P&G as business leader across brands like Olay, Gillette, Secret, Old Spice and CoverGirl. Kevin has earned multiple recognitions from Forbes - naming him the world’s 2nd most influential CMO - to AdAge’s A-List. You’ll enjoy this conversation about the learnings on Kevin’s journey from CPG to the fast food industry, and how he became a more inclusive, servant leader along the way.

“People tend to be afraid of the unknown. The most dangerous thing is the illusion of knowledge. We need to have an open mind and embrace the world.” Dian Alyan is the Founder & CEO of the GiveLight Foundation (GiveLight.org) — a non-profit inspired by Islamic values to help orphans across the globe regardless of nationality, race or religion. As April marks the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan in the Islamic world this year, we decided to revisit some past conversations with past Muslim guests that you may have missed — and even if you’ve already heard, are worth a fresh listen. Dian founded GiveLight.org after the 2004 South Asian tsunami, where she lost many loved ones in her home country of Indonesia . Dian was inspired to provide for children going through similar devastation around the world — natural disasters and extreme conditions, like poverty and war. GiveLight is a non-profit creating high quality homes and education for global orphans. What began as one home for 50 children has now expanded to support over 1,000 orphans in 11 countries globally — with a goal of housing 10,000 children in response to natural disasters, poverty, and war. GiveLight has responded to crises in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Morocco. Prior to founding GiveLight - Dian spent a decade as the Outreach Director for the Muslim Community Association in the San Francisco bay area. And Dian got her start at P&G in brand management in beauty and healthcare brands across Asia. Dian’s work with GiveLight has garnered awards and engagements from Fortune 500s + prominent universities, and has been featured in Newsweek, the Huffington Post, and many other media outlets. She lives in the San Francisco bay area, a mother of two - but she considers all children GiveLight reaches as a part of her family. Learn more about how you can help at GiveLight.org

“The ability to persist in the face of overwhelming odds is a kind of necessary feature of the innovator.“ Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist and writer best known for treading the boundary between popularizer and intellectual. Malcolm’s the author of bestsellers like “The Tipping Point”, “Blink”, “Outliers”, “Talking to Strangers” and most recently — “The Bomber Mafia.” Malcolm  is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts “Revisionist History,” which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and “Broken Record,” interviewing musicians across genres. Gladwell has been listed as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People and Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers. But Malcolm 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

“The first job of any leader is to coach people that can do a better job than them, and lead better than them — to unlock people's fullest potential.“ Raj Rao is IBM’s General Manager of Blockchain Ventures where he oversees programs in blockchain, AI and cloud architecture. Raj was previously the CEO of Ford Mobility, leading the automotive company’s Palo Alto based mobility business investments, as well as Chief Digital Officer of 3M. Raj got his career start at P&G marketing - working across Europe, the Middle East, and Canada. A native of India, Raj earned an honors degree in economics from the University of Delhi, and a Master’s Degree in Management from Boston University’s Business School. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the factors that influence our careers — and why it’s important to bend the culture as a leader.

“When you take care of yourself, you are much more able to lead, to be more creative, more empathetic.” Arianna Huffington is Founder & CEO of Thrive Global, a firm centered on health and wellness information. Arianna was also the Co-founder of The Huffington Post, the author of fifteen books, one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People,” and Forbes “Most Powerful Women,” among numerous other honors. In 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million, where Arianna became President & Editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which included The Huffington Post, AOL Music, Engadget, Patch Media, and StyleList — where she served until 2016. Arianna currently serves on numerous boards, including Uber, Onex, and Global Citizen. Arianna’s last two books, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder and The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time were both instant international bestsellers. At the 2021 P&G Alumni Network Global Conference, Arianna sat down with Debbie Majoras, P&G’s Chief Legal Officer & Secretary, for a candid conversation on “How To Thrive.” The two discussed our once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the way we work and live — the necessary mindshift that employee well-being drives peak performance - which builds sustainable standards of excellence.

“In facing a crisis, you have to try to understand the reality as seen by different people. We've got to bring that to bear now, even as we're speaking.” -John Pepper UPDATE 3/14/2022: Our original podcast discussion was recorded on 3/72022. Many things have changed since that moment, including a vocal response to erroneous statements we made on this show. Those incorrect statements have been removed, and we apologize for the impact they had - given the nature of this very sensitive subject to so many people around the world. Since then, we have had discussions with many of you, and we know those conversations remain ongoing. And for that we are grateful. You'll find an updated statement by John Pepper in the introduction to this episode.  ORIGINALLY RECORDED ON 3/7/2022: As the terrible situation continues to unfold in Ukraine, it is too easy to remain distant. But what is happening now is real, Ukraine is a sovereign nation of 44 million people, and with a rich and beautiful culture. At the same time we find ourselves on a precipice. In moments like this, hearing from our leaders can help us think through...and make sense of everything going on.  Two of those very leaders are past guests John Pepper, P&G’s former CEO, and Qaisar Shareef, P&G’s former head of Ukraine and Pakistan, who joined us for a discussion on Monday March 7, 2022. Both have extensive personal and professional experience in Ukraine and Russia, having also each authored numerous posts and books on related topics. In this candid conversation, we hope to share a nuanced perspective - informed by their personal, professional, and political experiences in the region - to help us go beyond the news headlines for an honest, informed discussion of the situation we collectively face. HOW YOU CAN HELP SupportUkraineNow.org novaukraine.org razomforukraine.org wck.org (World Central Kitchen) globalgiving.org ADDITIONAL RESOURCES John’s  ‘Pepperspectives’ blog: pepperspectives.blogspot.com Qaiser’s recent op-ed on Ukraine: blueearbooks.substack.com/p/memories-of-ukraine Raman’s podcast chat with Ukrainian + Ukrainian American colleagues: modmypod.com/episodes/ep-135-we-are-all-ukrainians P&G’s Official Statement: pg.com/blogs/pg-european-operations-update

“We really want to dive deep because no two people are going to answer the same,“ “These deeper conversations are what's going to be true years from now.” 100 Episodes later, Drew & Raman sit down for a chat about what they’ve learned from all their Learnings from Leaders, answer some of the questions they get most often about this P&G Alumni Podcast, share a little more under the hood, and tease what’s coming up for the next 100 episodes...

“You've got to suspend how you think about things to be successful. There is power in creating the story that will be told.” Seaphes R. Miller is an accomplished entrepreneur - the Founder & CEO of Fusion Integrated Solutions - a design, engineering and technology firm he started in 2004 -  focused on creating innovative solutions for the CPG and energy industries — recognized as a top minority-owned business enterprise. Prior to founding Fusion, Seaphes spent 20 years at P&G working across brand Management, Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain & Manufacturing. Seaphes is a Professional Engineer, having studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Northwestern University, and having received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Seaphes is also on the board of Navāda Labs, and a supporter of STEM-based programs designed to create and fill the next generation of technologists in the US. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about challenging existing norms, building relationships, and the power in creating the story that will be told.

“People need to be treated equitably to move forward.  As we normalize and equalize, we’re saying all people are the same. Well, guess what? They're not.” Sharon Hall is Walmart’s VP of Global Executive Recruiting - where she's building a dynamic organization for a changing culture. Sharon previously spent 20+ years as a Partner at Spencer Stuart, a leader in executive search, board services and leadership consulting - where she founded the firms Diversity practice and were the first Black Woman to serve on the Board — she later managed the firm’s Atlanta office. Prior to her work in executive recruiting, Sharon spent a decade at Avon in roles of strategic planning for Asia all the way up to a general manager in Personal Care. Sharon was also a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, and got her start at P&G in Brand Marketing in the Paper Division. Sharon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Morris Brown College, and got her MBA from the University of Southern California. Sharon’s been recognized in Fortune Magazine, Dollars & Sense Magazine, Business to Business, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Black Enterprise. She lives in Atlanta, where she raised her two sons. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about challenging career assumptions - especially as a Black woman - and the many lessons learned along the way.

"I had an authentic connection to the problem - a perspective on cultural connection. So it wasn't powering through rejection, it was neglecting it - because I just knew something they didn't.“ Tristan Walker is the Founder & CEO of Walker & Company Brands, acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2018.  Walker & Co. is best known for best-selling brands like Bevel & Form - Healthy and Beauty designed for communities of color. So Tristan is not exactly a P&G Alumni, so what’s the deal? Alongside our partners at P&G, we’re thrilled to share a sneak peak 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. Prior to Founding Walker & Co, Tristan was Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Andreessen Horowitz, the prominent venture capital firm. He also served as Director of Business Development for Foursquare - managing strategic partnerships a brands like American Express, The New York Times, CNN, MTV, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Starbucks. Tristan’s also had experiences with Boston Consulting Group and Twitter. Currently, Tristan serves on the Boards of Foot Locker, Shake Shack, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Tristan is also the Founder and Board Chairman of CODE2040, a program that matches high-performing Black and Latino undergraduate and graduate coders and software engineering students with Silicon Valley start-ups for summer internships. Fortune Magazine named him as one out of 50 of the “World’s Greatest Leaders.” You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about neglecting the laziness of others, and truly empathizing with your customer’s experiences. “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