Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“I'm an ideas person, but learning to say no is important. People appreciate it.” Jim Stengel was P&G Global Marketing Officer from 2001 - 2008 - was instrumental in putting brand purpose on the map - after rising through the ranks of brand management in the food, beauty, and baby care divisions around the world. Today, as the President of The Jim Stengel Company - a think tank and consultancy with a mission to rethink business, branding, and life - Jim now works with brands across many industries. He’s the author of 2 books: “Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies,” “Unleashing the Innovators:  How Mature Companies Find New Life with Startups” and has taught at UCLA and Kellogg Northwestern. Jim actually go his start working for Time, Inc, and studied at Franklin & Marshall College, and received his MBA from Penn State University. You’ll really enjoy this candid conversation with Jim about the importance of purpose, self awareness, and making the space to learn, ideate and be inspired.

“Create room for different voices around the table - to remove unconscious bias even among allies of equality.” Sylvie Moreau, is Coty’s former President of Professional Beauty, where she ran a  $1.8 Billion portfolio with brands like Wella, OPI, and ghd - where she recently successfully led Wella to once again becoming an independent business. Sylvie’s a beauty business veteran having spent twenty-two years with P&G working in roles at the global and local level - on brands like Pantene, Olay, Ariel, and of course Wella. Syvlie is based in Europe, with global experience - and with an MBA from ESSEC + Masters in International Business from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in Norway. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about Sylvie’s experiences across cultures, and as a female leader - especially the approach she had to take as she approached more senior leadership levels - where there always weren’t as many female voices in the room. You’ll also hear perspective about finding your place professionally - how it’s important to make business personal - at every level, with stakeholders like your customers, your investors, and most of all your team.

“The act of creation will transform you completely - even if it doesn’t achieve success.” Karan Bajaj is the CEO & Founder of WhiteHat Junior - and the first of many Alumni leader that is an “accomplished entrepreneur” - going beyond the “big brand” path to success - where there are many equally valuable learnings. Karan leads WhiteHat Junior, which is a leading edtech and coding platform for kids - which he founded 2 years ago - and was sold to Byju’s for $300 Million after just 18 months. Karan was previously the CEO of Discovery Networks in South Asia - overseeing popular channels like the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Kids. Karan was a senior marketing director over Kraft’s $3 Billion Dollar global gum business, and a Management Consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. Karan got his start at P&G, where he spent 6 years on Ariel across Southeast Asia and Herbal Essences in the US Karan’s been awarded to AdAge’s 40 Under 40, has hiked every tough mountain from Kilimanjaro to Dianali, and also a best-selling fiction author of books like Keep Off the Grass, Johnny Gone Down, and the Yoga of Max’s Discontent. He’s a yoga practitioner and teacher, as well as a husband and a father of two. You’ll enjoy this conversation with an accomplished Alumni entrepreneur - about the act of creation, and the perseverance to do so...

“Listen for what you’re really good at - and embrace your superpower.” Amanda Clark is Chief Development Officer at Papa John’s International, where she leads the company’s strategy to continue expanding its restaurant footprint in North America and internationally. Prior to Papa John’s, Amanda was Executive Vice President of the Restaurant Experience at Taco Bell where she reinvented the customer experience across 7,000 restaurants by bringing together marketing, technology, architecture and design, and construction to create a unified vision. During her seven years at Taco Bell, she served on numerous other leadership roles, including SVP North America Development and General Manager for Taco Bell Canada. Amanda began her career at P&G, where she spent nearly 12 years working on some of the company’s biggest brands like Olay, Pampers and Oral-B. Amanda graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Theater Studies. In this candid conversation about being your best self, Amanda talks about the importance of finding what you’re good at - and how that might not always be the path you think you were meant to be on. You’ll enjoy hearing Amanda’s perspective on what it takes to intentionally build a diverse and inclusive team, and how you sometimes in the face of organization inertia - you have to be willing to push back to move forward.

“You sometimes have to go slow to go fast. When chaos ensues, take a step back to think strategically.” Brian McNamara is CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare - a role he’s held since 2016 - leading a portfolio of some of the world’s most trusted brands in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health - including Sensodyne, Voltaren and Panadol. Previously, Brian was GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Head of Europe and Americas, following the creation of a joint venture between GSK and Novartis, which he spearheaded as head of Novartis’s OTC division. Brian joined Novartis in 2004 as Senior Vice President of the North America OTC business, and of course, began his career at Procter & Gamble. Brian is a Board Member of the World Self-Medication Industry Association (WSMI) and the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). He’s also previously served on Boards for the Economic Affairs Committee, Association for Europe Self-Medication Association (AESGP) and Board Member and Vice Chairman, Consumer Health Products Association (CHPA). Brian studied Electrical Engineering from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and received his MBA in Finance from University of Cincinnati. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about being open to learning, committing to people, focusing on impact, and having the courage it takes to do what’s needed - while staying humble along the way.

“Stay above the line - take ownership of your choices, and control what you can control.” Noel Geoffroy is Sanofi’s North America Head of Consumer Healthcare Business -  responsible for commercial operations for Sanofi’s portfolio of consumer healthcare brands including Allegra®, Icy Hot®, Gold Bond® and Ducolax®. Noel joined Sanofi in January 2019 from Kellogg’s where she rose through the ranks to President of US Frozen Foods - taking an underperforming business and growing it to the fastest-growing division globally. Noel also held key leadership positions at the H.J. Heinz Co, and started her career at P&G on marketing roles on many leading brands. Noel studied language and international business at Clemson University, received her MBA from  the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and was a Fulbright Scholar. An accomplished consumer products executive recognized for her commitment to business growth, capability-building, and cultural innovation. You’ll enjoy this fun, candid conversation across topics ranging from overcoming imposter syndrome, the band Journey, and the importance of executive coaching.

“Sports and basketball transcends globally - teaching hard work, perseverance, teamwork, and respect.” Mark Tatum is the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer - a position he’s held since 2014. Having worked at the NBA for 20+ years, Mark currently leads the NBA’s business operations, including international efforts, as well as Global Partnerships, Marketing, and the NBA Development League.  Prior to joining the NBA, Tatum worked for Major League Baseball, Clorox, and Pepsi -  in varying roles in corporate sponsorship, sales, and sports marketing. And of course, Mark got his start at P&G in sales management. A graduate of Cornell University, Mark received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998, and has been named to the SportsBusiness Journal’s “50 Most Influential People in Sports Business”, as well as as one of Forbes’ Most Influential Minorities in Sports. Mark sits on the Board of Trustees for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Board of Directors for USA Basketball, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Central Board and Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors for The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids., Mark’s also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a national organization empowering African-American corporate leaders to make significant and impactful global community contributions. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about hearing how Mark found his way to the world of sports - a passion area of his - and the importance of action over words.

“Life is about chapters, chances, and choices.” A.G. Lafley served as P&G’s CEO twice - from 2000-2009 and 2013-2015. In part 2 of a 2-part conversation, we talk about his experience beyond P&G, and his personal take on the past, present, and future. A.G. started at the company in 1977, after receiving an MBA from Harvard, serving the USNavy in Japan, and getting a BA from Hamilton college. A.G. rose through P&G’s ranks, leading the iconic laundry and cleaning business, leading P&G Asia thru the nineties, and becoming head of P&G’s Beauty business & North America Sales. Upon becoming CEO in 2008, A.G. revitalized the company under the mantra “Consumer is boss” - focusing the company on billion dollar brands and establishing many new brands and categories. Since leaving P&G, A.G has remained active in the world of business and entrepreneurship, serving on President Obama's Jobs Council, Chairing the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), and serving on the boards of Dell, GE, Legendary Entertainment and Snapchat. AIG has received numerous honors, including an Edison Achievement Award. In 2013, A.G. co-wrote the book “Playing to Win” - which continues to define his passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and what’s next...

“Be the change you want to see - and make things better.” A.G. Lafley served as P&G’s CEO twice - from 2000-2009 and 2013-2015. In part 1 of a 2-part conversation, we learn about his early life and career at P&G - and his take on being an “Inside-Outsider leader.” A.G. started at the company in 1977, after receiving an MBA from Harvard, serving the US Navy in Japan, and getting a BA from Hamilton college. A.G rose through P&G’s ranks, leading the iconic laundry and cleaning business, leading P&G Asia thru the nineties, and becoming head of P&G’s Beauty business & North America Sales. Upon becoming CEO in 2008, A.G. revitalized the company under the mantra “Consumer is boss” - focusing the company on billion dollar brands and establishing many new brands and categories. Since leaving P&G, A.G has remained active in the world of business and entrepreneurship, serving on President Obama's Jobs Council, Chairing the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), and serving on the boards of Dell, GE, Legendary Entertainment and Snapchat. AIG has received numerous honors, including an Edison Achievement Award. In 2013, A.G. co-wrote the book “Playing to Win” - which continues to define his passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and what’s next..

“People are the driving force that bring the brand to life...” To mark our first year of amazing conversations with so many P&G Alumni Leaders - we take a quick (much needed) break to reflect, and share a preview of WHO's coming next. You’ll hear the voices of future guests from the NBA, Sanofi, Coty, the PGA, the Gap, Visa, Google, Diageo, Papa John’s, Chipotle, accomplished entrepreneurs, and many more of P&G’s biggest leaders from around the world. We can’t wait for you to hear what’s next, so be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app, and share Learnings from Leaders with all your friends - whether or not they worked at P&G :)