Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“It's consumption media, not social media. A lot of people are struggling with this, and a lot more are going to. And I would like to be part of the solution.” 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 experience with mental health - and solving th...

“Functional is not enough — and that's a critical factor in developing innovation. It's really hard to break through if you don't factor the emotional.” Marlon Hernandez is Molson Coors Beverage Company’s Director of Innovation where he’s responsible for strengthening Molson Coors’s innovation capabilities and building the long-term product pipeline. Marlon has spent 6 years rising through the inn...

“Imposter syndrome is very real to a lot of people — but it's not representative of what reality really is. There are possibly people who feel exactly the same way you do.” 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...

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 Alums 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 Co...

“My job as CEO wasn't to be right, it was to see that the right thing gets done. Surround yourself with the people and resources you need to solve things.” David Taylor served 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,...

“I was not gonna follow rules if they didn't make any sense to me. There's a healthy sense of curiosity and a willingness to challenge the status quo.” Sudha Ranganathan is LinkedIn’s Director of Product Marketing on 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...

“Finding your voice in an organization is not easy. Great leaders gave me a push when I needed the push. So now I need to do the same - giving others their voice.” 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 Inc...

“Be curious. Curiosity is the foundation of  success. Understanding where people are coming from helps you to ask the right questions.” Vahe Ayvazian is Abbott’s Divisional Vice President of Marketing & Core Diagnostics. Having served at Abbott for 8+ years, Vahes work is focused on delivering measurably better healthcare performance through innovation to the healthcare ecosystem. Vahe go...

“For the time that you're chief executive or leading a business, you are the soul of the company.” 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, and Charlotte served as P&G’s Global Exter...

“John Smale pushed the company to have a deeper ear toward what consumers really want. He made a greater effort to take a listen.” 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 in leadership at P&G. Janet Reid is Founder, CEO and Managing Partner of BRBS World, but spent 10 years as an early African American bran...

“The purpose, values and principles — John Smale understood the importance of the soul of the company.” 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 2014-20...

“Democracy works best when every eligible voter has an opportunity to have their voice. American business is built upon having a stable democracy.” 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...

“We learn from stories of character. How to live making decisions, caring for people, and carrying out the responsibility of a corporation, which John Smale perceived way before others.” 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....

“We live in a world of massaging perceptions. It's okay to make a mistake, but the second time you have to learn from these things.” 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, a...

"What gets made gets affected by the quality of the insights." 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 inve...

“From the moment we wake up to going to bed, we spend a lot of time consuming. But If you are consuming all day, you are not creating. We need to turn down the noise.” 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...

“When you meet resistance - teach. Because one of you doesn't have the context that the other one has. Rather than debate and clash - better to explain why it is.” Kyle Schlegel, is Weber Inc’s VP of Americas Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer - where he helps bring to life the most innovative, legendary grills in the world.  Prior to Weber, Kyle spent three years at Louisville Slugger before i...

“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...

“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...

“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 enjoy...

“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 co...

“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 wit...

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 i...

“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...

“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, an...