Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“Dharma is doing what must be done. Don’t worry about credit - you’ll be happier and your work better.” Gurcharan Das is known as “the godfather of P&G India” - the former chairman and managing director of Procter & Gamble India. He also served as VP managing director of worldwide strategic planning for P&G’s Health & Beauty business. Schooled in the US, Gurcharan returned to join Richardson Vicks India - rising from a trainee to senior assignments in the US + Mexico, and becoming RV’s India CEO - turning the company around from bankruptcy, and shepherding its acquisition and expansion by P&G. Now full-time scholar and writer, Gurcharan’s published numerous novels, plays, and articles, and has spoken at Harvard, Berkely, and Oxford. His book “The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma” is taught at Harvard Business School and a worthy read (https://bit.ly/3qeKqRi). You’ll enjoy hearing not just Gurchuran’s tales of working in rising India, but also his unique global perspective on politics and race, and how the Indian concept of Dharma can apply to work - and the world.

“We are all intersectional - uniqueness is our greatest gift. Empathy makes you a better leader.” Shelly McNamara is P&G’s Chief Equality & Inclusion Officer, where she’s responsible for shaping culture, policies, and leadership to promote greater diversity. Shelly’s also an avid storyteller, speaker and writer — her new book No Blanks, No Pauses - weaves her life story with reflections and poetry. Shelly got her start in Sales, and spent 25+ years rising through P&G’s HR ranks, ultimately rising to the level of Executive Vice President - where she worked on some of the company's largest businesses with brand portfolios ranging from $4B to $35B, working on employee populations exceeding 25,000. Shelly’s committed to enabling employees of every background to bring their full selves to work. - an active member of P&G’s Corporate Women’s Leadership Team, and she’s led the expansion of LGBTQ+ employee groups around the globe. Shelly shares many stories from her personal and professional life - as a mother and “out” female executive. Through her writing - and poetry - she’s been able to process and persevere through many moments of inclusions - and exclusion. Core to Shelly’s every day work is to have people think more about our shared humanity - because ultimately, that’s where true understanding comes from - to tackle the issues we must all face together.

“ 'Yes, and...' is a kind of courage. Only failure allows us to begin again more intelligently.” Emily Chang, CEO of McCann Worldgroup China. Emily’s a seasoned marketer with 20 years of experience across the US and China. At Starbucks she was the SVP of Marketing, and CMO of Starbucks China. She was the Chief Commercial Officer at Intercontinental Hotels Group, and APPLE’S head of Asia retail marketing. Emily got her start at P&G, spending 11 years working across multiple business units. Emily’s spoken at conferences around the world - including Fortune Most Powerful Women’s Summit, C2 in Montréal, and has delivered three TEDx talks. Emily’s also the author of the book “The Spare Room: Define Your Social Legacy to Live a More Intentional Life and Lead with Authentic Purpose.”  Emily lives with her husband and daughter, and over the years, has shared her spare room with sixteen young people, five dogs, one turtle, one guinea pig, and 129 snails. You can learn more about Emily’s work at social-legacy.com. In our candid conversation, Emily shares how her immigrant upbringing, curiosity and willingness to take risks has led her her professional career, and personal purpose.

“The one thing you can’t teach in a job to be successful has to come from within - desire." James Michael Lafferty 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.

“Your value will only be known after you have moved on. So lay good foundations for those who come after you.” Mohan never imagined the career he would lead - working for P&G across 3 continents over 30 years. Growing up in India, he studied Mechanical Engineering, and got a Masters in Technology from @ IIT. He then got his Master in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii and an MBA from Columbia University. After a chance interview with a P&G executive in NYC, Mohan began his P&G career in Geneva, rising through the ranks to build the business - and organizations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He expanded brands in the Middle East, doubled the business in Ireland, and started operations in Egypt, and Portugal. Mohan He briefly went on to frozen foods giant Findus as General Manager of the UK and Ireland. You’ll enjoy hearing this passionate conversation on stories from a different era, rooted in foundational purpose, value and principles still applicable today - wherever you’re working. Mohan is now mentoring the next generation of leaders - serving an Executive-in-Residence at the London School of Business and other leading business Schools. He also serves as a coach for CEOs in the UK + India, and was one of the earliest Board members of the P&G Alumni Network and the P&G Alumni Foundation. Now in London, Mohan is a proud father to 2 adult daughters in the UK + the US

“You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at once. In the long view, it all balances out.” Tiana Conley is Kellogg’s VP of Global Cereal where she is responsible for the $6 billion flagship portfolio with treasured brands such as Special K, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and Corn Flakes. Prior to joining Kellogg, she was Beam Suntory’s Marketing Director of global tequila, and held marketing roles at Kimberly Clark. At P&G , and held a variety of marketing roles at Kimberly-Clark. At P&G Tiana rose through the ranks of brand management on global skincare and Olay, and got her start as a senior R&D Engineer on Tide. She received Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois and her MBA from Xavier University. Tiana is based in Chicago and is mother of two children, Griffin and Ava. In a candid conversation on work and life - Tiana addresses head on the myth of work-life balance, and shares great perspective on making the right personal decisions in the context of a career.

"It's always easier to make it through something when you're doing it together." Tarang Amin is CEO & Chairman of e.l.f. Beauty, the parent company to e.l.f. Cosmetics, WƎLL PEOPLE, and Keys Soulcare - a lifestyle beauty brand created with Alicia Keys. Having led e.l.f. Beauty since 2014 - Tarang has 25+ years of experience building brands, leading innovation, and assembling high-performance teams. Previously, Tarang served as President & CEO of Schiff Nutrition - growing it from $190 million to $1.5 billion. Tarang also served as VP of Clorox’s $1.7 billion Litter, Food and Charcoal businesses. And of course, Tarang began his career at P&G, rising through management positions over 11 years. Tarang earned his BA in international policy and MBA from Duke University. He and his family live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and are committed to giving back. In a conversation about the power of people, and giving back to those around you, you’ll enjoy hearing Tarang’s story - starting from a motel on Route 1, and leading him to a career filled with drive, curiosity, and generosity.

  “Go where the growth is happening - and the growth of yourself will follow.”   Zena Arnold is Kimberly Clark’s Chief Digital & Marketing Officer,  an accomplished executive across CPG and Technology marketing and general management.  Zena was previously at Google for nearly seven years - in senior roles as Global Head of Growth for ChromeOS, General Manager for US Chromebooks, and Head of Americas Marketing for Google Play. The first formative decade of her career was at Kellogg’s, and of course Procter & Gamble, where she held brand and portfolio management roles on brands like Olay, Folgers, Pop-Tarts and more. Zena holds a degree in computer science from The Ohio State University. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about owning your career, not having things mapped out, and taking risks into uncomfortable and challenging roles. 

Kirk Perry is Google’s President of Brand Solutions - where since 2013, he’s led global teams to enable brand partners to leverage all of Google to reach their consumers wherever they’re engaging. Prior to joining Google Kirk was at P&G for 23 years - in various roles across marketing and general management - including President of Global Family Care, and six years in Asia with assignments in South Korea and Japan. Growing up from humble beginnings, Kirk and his family are also very active in giving back - supporting his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, and personally serving on a # of non-profit boards like the March of Dimes, the Ronald McDonald House, and many more. Kirk’s background and experiences have given him a unique perspective on work and life - and you’ll appreciate hearing about his approach to living a “eulogy led” VS “resume-driven” life.

Najoh Tita-Reid leads Marketing Reinvention at Logitech where she’s reimagining, redefining and reinventing the global marketing function across 120+ countries - reporting to the CEO. Najoh’s worked across in multinational roles across leading brands like Hero, Bayer, and Merck, after having spent 19 years at P&G - rising through the ranks of marketing and sales. Najoh earned an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a BA in English from Spelman College. She also completed the Executive Leadership Program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Woman’s Executive Leadership Program at Simmons University and the Design Thinking program at the Stanford School of Design. As a member of The Executive Leadership Council, she serves on the International Steering Committee and the Community Service Committee.  As an American who’s been living and working in Europe for more than a few years - Najoh’s currently based in Zurich with her husband and 2 kids. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation from the perspective of an American on the outside looking in - and about creating work/life harmony with feet on both sides of the world.