Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“Get the heck out of the way and let really talented, great people do great work, and be there and support them. The satisfaction is just off the charts.”

Doug Bowser is the retired President & CEO of Nintendo of America, and current Board Member of Hasbro. Doug is a sales and marketing executive whose nearly four-decade career runs from consumer goods to video games, having led Nintendo of America through a decade of historic growth. Doug led operations across the Americas from 2019 through the end of 2025. During his tenure, Nintendo grew on the strength of the Nintendo Switch — one of the best-selling video game platforms of all time — and he oversaw the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, which became the best-selling console of all time in its initial sales period. Doug also expanded Nintendo's licensed merchandise business, opened the company's San Francisco flagship store, and led its re-entry into the Brazilian market. Prior to joining Nintendo, Doug spent 8 years at Electronic Arts, most recently as Vice President of Global Business Planning, and before that, he spent 23 years at Procter & Gamble in sales leadership roles across Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Doug earned his degree in Communications from the University of Utah — where he later returned as Distinguished Alumnus and commencement speaker, and where, playing endless hours of Donkey Kong, he first fell for video games. Today he serves as an Independent Director on the board of Hasbro.

This conversation is hosted by podcast co-founder and P&G Alum Drew Tarvin, Founder & CEO of Humor That Works. Drew spent six years at P&G leading IT + brand initiatives before turning his background in engineering, improv, and stand-up comedy into a career helping organizations use humor to improve leadership, communication, and workplace culture. He’s the author of Humor That Works and his TEDx talk has been viewed more than 16 million times.

“ I think joy is probably the highest ROI investment that we can make as leaders — who you are and how you choose to lead. Joy fuels passion, and the best ideas come from passionate people.”

Emily Chang — longtime friend of the pod + co-host — returns as a guest again for a candid conversation about reinvention, cross-cultural leadership, and building a career that spans two of the world's largest economies.Emily currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of CHAGEE, leading the premium tea brand's North American expansion across brand, retail, customer experience, loyalty, and commercial strategy. Before that, Emily spent more than five years as CEO of global agencies VML West and McCann Worldgroup China, helping iconic global brands grow while guiding Chinese companies onto the world stage. Emily also held senior executive leadership roles at Starbucks, serving as CMO of Starbucks China before moving to Seattle as SVP of Marketing. She previously served as Chief Commercial Officer for IHG Greater China, led Retail Marketing across Asia for Apple during the company's rapid retail expansion, and spent nearly 12 years at Procter & Gamble building brands across the U.S. and China.

Beyond her corporate career, Emily is the bestselling author of *The Spare Room*, a TEDx speaker, former university lecturer, and longtime advocate for purposeful leadership and creating a meaningful social legacy. Emily lives in Los Angeles with her family. You'll enjoy this candid conversation about embracing reinvention, leading across cultures, balancing ambition with purpose, and why curiosity, courage, and authentic relationships remain the foundation of lasting leadership.

This conversation is hosted by podcast co-founder and P&G Alum Drew Tarvin, Founder & CEO of Humor That Works. Drew spent six years at P&G  leading IT + brand initiatives before turning his background in engineering, improv, and stand-up comedy into a career helping organizations use humor to improve leadership, communication, and workplace culture. He’s the author of Humor That Works and his TEDx talk has been viewed more than 16 million times.

“What used to be called advertising was the most creative job I could find — this idea of going where I could have my hands on some of the levers of creativity was really compelling. So what if it was soap?”

Jeff Norton is an award-winning author and television executive producer with a focus on turning books into global media. Jeff is currently showrunner and executive producer of Finding Her Edge, the figure-skating drama he created for Netflix and WildBrain. It reached the Netflix Top 10 in more than 80 countries and was renewed for a second season less than two weeks after it premiered. Jeff is also the originating executive producer behind Netflix's Geek Girl, now filming its second season, and has produced adaptations ranging from Susan Hill's The Small Hand to the picture-book series Trucktown. Earlier, Jeff founded Lean Forward Media, consulted for The Jim Henson Company, and served as a Senior Vice President at Chorion, where he managed the literary estates of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. Jeff began his career at P&G as a marketing executive, where he helped launch Febreze as a category-creating brand. Jeff studied film and commerce at Queen's University and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He's also a prolific author in his own right, with more than a dozen books to his name. A dual Canadian-British citizen, he's based in Burlington, Ontario.

This conversation is hosted by podcast co-founder and P&G Alum Drew Tarvin, Founder & CEO of Humor That Works. Drew spent six years at P&G leading IT + brand initiatives before turning his background in engineering, improv, and stand-up comedy into a career helping organizations use humor to improve leadership, communication, and workplace culture. He’s the author of Humor That Works and his TEDx talk has been viewed more than 16 million times.

“Every new technology has a hype cycle, so your use case and business rationale must stay the North Star. No flashy AI solution replaces fixing your foundations, processes, and underlying business challenges first.”

Katya Lobynko is IT & Data Director at Danone and a digital transformation leader with 15+ years of experience across FMCG and pharma in EMEA and Asia, with expertise spanning commercial operations, data & analytics, conversational AI, and emerging technologies. Before Danone, she spent several years at Sanofi leading innovation and emerging technology initiatives, including helping build the company’s conversational AI capability. Katya began her career at Procter & Gamble as a Project Delivery Manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, leading global media planning transformation initiatives for the world’s largest advertiser, before earning her MBA through the Asia School of Business, a partnership with MIT Sloan School of Management and the Central Bank of Malaysia. Originally from the Russian Far East and now based in Paris after years living and working across Asia and Europe, Katya brings a deeply international, people-centered perspective to conversations about digital transformation, AI, international careers, and women in tech.

This conversation is hosted by podcast co-founder and P&G Alum Drew Tarvin, Founder & CEO of Humor That Works. Drew spent six years at P&G leading IT + brand initiatives before turning his background in engineering, improv, and stand-up comedy into a career helping organizations use humor to improve leadership, communication, and workplace culture. He’s the author of Humor That Works and his TEDx talk on "the Skill of Humor" has been viewed more than 16 million times.

“Every time decisions were made, I thought what I would've done differently? I knew the other path was a bit of a risk — what would I do if I was on the other side?”

Sweta Mehra is the National Australia Bank’s (NAB) Executive General Manager of Personal Everyday Banking. Before joining NAB in 2025, Sweta spent nearly eight years at ANZ Bank—six years as Chief Marketing Officer across 34 global markets, followed by two years as Managing Director of Everyday Banking, where she held full P&L responsibility. During her tenure as CMO, ANZ doubled its digital sales in four years. Prior to entering financial services, Sweta built a 17-year career at Procter & Gamble in Singapore, where she held senior roles across strategy, brand management, and P&L leadership for global brands including Pantene, Tide, and Head & Shoulders. She also led P&G’s Consumer & Market Knowledge function across Asia. Sweta has been recognised on Campaign Asia’s Asia-Pacific Power List and featured in Australia’s CMO50 for three consecutive years. You’ll enjoy this inspiring conversation about the power of being very clear about who you are, and a guiding framework for navigating uncertainty and career change.

This conversation is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“What's the end outcome? Focus on the results — not on how I'm doing it. I don't need to talk tough, I don't need to shout. There is an alternate way in solving for things.”

Mansi Tripathy is Chairperson of Shell Group of Companies in India and Senior Vice President for Shell Lubricants Asia Pacific. She oversees a $2.5 billion P&L spanning 22 countries, and 9 manufacturing plants. Before Shell, Mansi spent 15 years at Procter & Gamble in roles including Global Director for Gillette and Asia-Pacific Head for Consumer and Market Knowledge. She led the post-acquisition transformation of Gillette's business model and held assignments across India, Singapore, Australia, Geneva, and the US. Mansi holds board positions at Hankook Shell (South Korea), JOSLOC (Saudi Arabia), and MRPL Aviation. Mansi’s been recognized among Fortune's Most Powerful Women Asia (2025), Business World's Most Influential Leaders (2025), and received the Woman of the Decade Award from the Women Economic Forum. A trained classical dancer and marathoner with 59 half-marathons completed, Mansi holds degrees from NIT Kurukshetra, SPJIMR, and Kellogg. She lives in India with her husband and two children. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on conviction not as the absence of fear, but as something that overrides it. Whether you're navigating a career pivot, building your leadership style, or just trying to figure out how to balance ambition with boundaries, this one's for you.

This conversation is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“Some failures are actually successes, you just don't realize it — that tough moment to refocus and challenge everything you're doing.”

Jeff Wuest is the CEO of SynFiny Advisors, a global management consulting firm founded in 2014 by former Procter & Gamble executives, focusing on improving financial and operational performance. Jeff is a business strategist and leader who partners with organizations to achieve sustainable, extraordinary growth. Jeff works closely with executive teams to navigate today’s complex business environment where innovation, disciplined strategy, and smart risk-taking are essential for success. Jeff’s expertise spans strategic planning, rapid market expansion, and operational scale-up, helping organizations create environments where growth is accelerated and value is maximized. Under Jeff’s leadership, SynFiny Advisors has been recognized by Inc. Magazine on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies for six consecutive years. An accomplished entrepreneur, Jeff has mentored startups and emerging companies while also serving as a trusted advisor to multi-billion-dollar global enterprises. With over 30 years of experience, he has developed and executed game-changing strategies across industries, categories, products, and services. His work is centered on enabling forward-thinking leaders to succeed through breakthrough strategy, execution, and operational excellence. Prior to founding SynFiny Advisors, Jeff spent 25 years at Procter & Gamble as a finance executive, holding leadership roles across multiple geographies and playing a key role in driving business transformation and growth. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about reinvention across continents, saying yes before you have all the answers, and what it really takes to move from corporate leadership to entrepreneurial life.

This conversation was hosted by Ida Abdalkhani, Change Catalyzer — an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and P&G Alumni Board Member.

This is a sponsored episode with our partners at Synfiny Advisors, a proud sponsor of the P&G Alumni Network. Interested to feature your company and executives on the P&G Alumni Podcast? Reach out to jswuest@pgalums.com

“Rare souls like John are among us — saying hello, sending notes, being present in the moments between and cheering us up when we're down — shooting off sparks of consciousness and love, triggering brighter lights in our hearts.”

John Pepper is a friend to many—and many of us reflect on the ways he impacted us personally and professionally over the years. One of those people is Bob Gilbreath, who shares - and reflects on - four stories on how leaders like John Pepper sparks the best in the rest of us.

WHAT’S YOUR JOHN PEPPER STORY? 

So many of us have memories and moments where John left a lasting mark — we’d love to hear it. Just send an email or voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com — and we may just feature it on a future episode

This essay was originally featured on P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” (behearty.substack.com)  Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“The metaphor of ‘kick the ball’ —is to stress the importance of personal involvement and impact. It means that as a leader, you are there involved when it really matters.”

Austin Lally is CEO of Verisure, the market leader in professionally monitored security services across Europe and Latin America - where he’s served since 2014. After a 26-year career at Procter & Gamble, Austin made the leap to scale Verisure nearly 10x — reaching an enterprise value of €20B+, serving more than 6 million subscribers, and generating €3.4B in annual revenue. In October 2024, Austin led Verisure through a landmark IPO on NASDAQ Stockholm — the largest IPO in Europe in three years, the largest private-equity-backed IPO in European history, and the biggest in Sweden in 25 years.

Before Verisure, Austin spent 26 years at Procter & Gamble, where his career spanned leadership roles across Beauty, Feminine Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Corporate Marketing. He spent seven formative years in Greater China helping build P&G’s presence in the region, and later served as Global President of Braun and Appliances, leading a major turnaround and sitting on P&G’s Global Leadership Council. Along the way, he was named to Advertising Age’s Global Power 100.

Austin is Scottish and a graduate of the University of Glasgow, where he won the World Universities Debating Championship and served as elected President of the Students’ Representative Council. Outside of work, he’s deeply passionate about music — including a past life as a highly rated indie-rock DJ in southern China — and is a lifelong supporter of Celtic FC and Liverpool FC. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about leadership at scale, taking smart risks, staying close to the work, and why “kicking the ball” often matters more than measuring it from the sidelines.

This conversation is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“A large part of what you bring to work affects everybody else around you, so if you bring joy that becomes infectious, that infection makes the whole place more joyful.”

Dipak Golechha is Chief Financial Officer of Palo Alto Networks, the world's leading enterprise cybersecurity company, where Dipak leads global finance and operations. A seasoned finance leader, prior to Palo Alto Networks, Golechha held a variety of global leadership and executive roles around the globe.

Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, Dipak served as CEO of Excelligence Learning Corporation, a childhood education company backed by private equity. Before that, Dipak was CFO at The Nature's Bounty Company, a $3+ billion health and wellness consumer products company with brands including Holland & Barrett. Dipak also spent seven transformative months as CFO of Chobani, helping structure the rapidly growing company through capital raising and private equity partnerships. Dipak spent 18 years at Procter & Gamble in finance and operations leadership roles across multiple geographies. His P&G career began in London before an early expatriate assignment to Caracas, Venezuela. He held finance leadership positions in the Clairol acquisition, corporate treasury, global M&A, and became Global Divisional CFO and COO for Pringles—one of P&G's youngest executives in this role. His final position was leading finance for the global feminine care division. Dipak serves on the board of Spring Health, and holds a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from St. John's College, Cambridge University,

This conversation is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

This is a sponsored episode with our partners at Palo Alto Networks, a proud global presenting sponsor of the P&G Alumni Network. Interested to feature your company and executives on the P&G Alumni Podcast? Reach out to jswuest@pgalums.com

“Crisis, like pressure, reveals character. You want your work to matter — and in these moments of crisis, it's very easy to connect that what I'm doing is making a difference.

Ankur Agarwal is an Amazon supply chain executive who’s built a nearly 20-year career across operations, supply chain, and procurement — always connecting people, strategy, and real in-market results. Most recently, Ankur has been leading Amazon’s Global Retail Imports strategy and technology roadmap, driving more than $1 Billion in projected annual savings while navigating the realities of global trade, compliance, and an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. Before returning to Amazon, Ankur spent 1.5 years as an early Ops exec at CarGurus, where he helped build the operating model and financial infrastructure for a new digital retail division. Prior to that, Ankur spent nearly NINE years at Amazon across a wide range of supply chain and operations leadership roles — from warehouse and last-mile operations, to robotics fulfillment, to vendor integration during the COVID-era supply recovery. Across all those diverse Amazon roles, Ankur drove billions in measurable value, owned a $500M+ P&L, operated across 20+ facilities, and led teams of 700+ people. Earlier in his career, Ankur spent six years at Procter & Gamble as a Senior Purchasing Manager in Cincinnati and Singapore, working across categories including Baby, Fem, and Family Care packaging, and leading multi-market supplier and cost transformations. Ankur began his career at Toyota North America in Northern Kentucky, managing large-scale portfolios and vehicle programs.

Ankur earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell and his master’s from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business / Tauber Institute, and is now based in the greater Boston area with his wife and three children. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about constant curiosity, bias for action, and how a genuine care for people and relationships can make a difference.

As another eventful year comes to a close, we revisit the many learnings from leaders from our 2025 conversations — we hope you’ll share with a friend and enjoy!

Featuring the voices - and learnings - from John Pepper, Srikant Nayak, Bhavesh Shah, Brynne Thompson, Matthew Dicks, Michael Seitz, Gerry Preece, Raul Murguia, Falk Fuhrmann, Eric Tholomé, Rashmi Rammohan, Adam Antoniewicz, Ayu Dewi, Bob Arnold, Meredith Meyer, Marc Stoiber, Sarah Kochling, Koji Kobayashi, Greg McKeown, Teresa Tanner, Ayan Sanyal, Shailesh Jejurikar, Priti Ohri, David Taylor, Sandeep Seth, Victor Aguilar, and Vineet Mehra

SPECIAL THANKS to all of our P&G Alumni Podcast co-hosts and contributors — Alexandre Hirlinger, Sudha Ranganathan, Andrew Tarvin, Emily Chang, Bob Gilbreath, Andrew Tarvin, Sharad Lal, Stefan Homeister, and Rajiv Satyal — we couldn’t do it without you!

Heard something you missed? Be sure to go back and check out each guest’s full episode. Got a suggestion for a future episode? Send a note to pgalums@gmail.com — we’d love to hear from you!

“Gratitude is contagious. It's something that becomes more powerful as you express it. It reminds me of how fortunate I've been — and through that privilege I feel I owe to do what I can for others.”

John Pepper, P&G’s former Chairman and CEO, needs no introduction. John has played many roles in business, community, service, and the lives of countless people. He returns to our podcast to discuss his new book, "100 Books That Shaped My Life: Reflections on a Lifetime of Reading, " which might just be the perfect gift this holiday season, for yourself or for anyone in your life who loves a good read.

"100 Books That Shaped My Life" is no mere book list — it is a life story told through the books that walked alongside John: as a husband, father, leader, citizen, and as someone thinking deeply about what matters most in the time we’re given. These are the books that shaped John’s understanding of history, democracy, gratitude, and hope — especially in the most recent chapters of his life.

Moving from Values, to Biographies, Philosophy, U.S. and Global History, Memoirs, Novels, and Personal Essays, 100 Books That Shaped My Life mirrors something true about John himself: a leader shaped not by one discipline, but by a lifelong curiosity across every discipline. In our conversation, John reflects on how a lifetime of reading helped him better live a lifetime — deepening his understanding of friendship, love, loss, courage, service, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.

John’s literary influences range from novelists like John Steinbeck, Oliver Sacks, Wallace Stegner, Marilynne Robinson, George Orwell, and Tolstoy, to memoirists such as Frederick Douglass, Katharine Graham, James Reston, and Michelle Obama, to historians and biographers including David Blight, Jon Meacham, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jill Lepore, and so many others. Woven through all of it is a deeply human narrative — his love for his late wife, Francie; his reflections on aging, family, and purpose; the leaders who shaped him; the lessons hard-won; and the quiet moments that stayed with him.

As Bob Iger put it, “Whether you’re an executive or simply someone who loves reading and learning, you will find great value and wisdom in this book.” And we couldn’t agree more. For anyone who enjoys learning from lived experience, this conversation — and this book — make a wonderful companion. It might even inspire you to reflect on everything you’ve read and learned along the way. Be sure to check out John Pepper’s "100 Books That Shaped My Life" wherever you get your favorite books.

bookshop.org/p/books/100-books-that-shaped-my-life-reflections-on-a-lifetime-of-reading/23a8c953e3dfd1e5

amazon.com/gp/product/B0FXQPHQPK

“Everyone older than me was optimizing careers for comfort — I think we need to be uncomfortable. I think we need to push the boundaries.”

Vineet Mehra is CMO of Chime - the fastest-growing and most-loved consumer banking service in the U.S. - where he leverages data-driven and cultural marketing strategies to drive growth and challenge industry norms. Vineet is a global marketing leader, Board Director, and advisor recognized for building disruptive, category-defining brands. Previously, Vineet served as Global Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, where he led the $100B company through its COVID-19 transformation, and as Chief Growth Officer at Ancestry, launching AncestryDNA to redefine consumer genomics. Before that, Vineet served in many rising leadership roles across CPG. At Johnson & Johnson, Vineet was Global President of Baby Care and Global President of Marketing, overseeing a multibillion-dollar portfolio and modernizing worldwide marketing capabilities. Vineet held early leadership roles at Novartis Consumer Health across Europe, the U.S., and Canada, as well as brand-building assignments at General Mills. Procter & Gamble was Vineet’s career start — first in Canada in Beauty Sales & Marketing, and later as a regional Beauty Care Brand Manager in Asia - shaping his reputation as one of the industry’s most globally experienced marketers. Named among Forbes’ 50 Most Influential CMOs, Vineet is committed to advancing the marketing industry — currently serving as an advisor to Spotify, MMA Global, Ridge Ventures, OfferFit by Braze, AI Trailblazers, and Virtuosi LEAP. Previously, Vineet held senior advisory and board roles at WPP, Apollo Global Management, AdTheorent, Adweek, Knotch, and Effie Worldwide — where he served as Chairman of the Board. An avid traveler, Vineet has visited over 80 countries and cherishes creating memories with his family.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“ Innovation is about putting together creativity and mastery. Mastery is driven by education, knowledge, and insights. Creativity is driven by values and diversity. When we put those together, we create a powerful, innovative company.”

Victor Aguilar is P&G’s Chief Research, Development & Innovation Officer. Victor leads P&G’s R&D organization, the company’s global innovation program and strategy, which includes its nearly $2 billion annual investment in R&D and end-to-end packaging transformation. Victor brings over three decades of P&G experience spanning three continents - from Latin America, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, and North America - across multiple categories including Fabric and Baby Care, Future Works and Corporate R&D. Victor has led innovation that has accelerated growth through a commitment to superiority, agility and consumer-inspired solutions. Victor studied Chemical Engineering in Mexico at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, started at P&G in 1989, and later received his MBA from the Warwick Business School in the UK. 

From his earliest days as a young entrepreneur, DJ, and soon R&D leader in Mexico, to his time leading an international, multi-billion-dollar organization. Victor operates with a growth mindset, is a fast learner, and a big fan of podcasts - being an early supporter and internal advocate for this Learnings from Leaders Podcast, and also a champion of P&G’s internal More Than Soap podcast - which we’ve featured from time to time here. You’ll enjoy hearing about Victor’s emphasis on his own and others’ careers - on the value of curiosity, as it relates to not just learning and mastery, but also innovation. 

“We are always waiting for someone to define the direction, versus saying ‘What am I going to do?’ — I've never asked what my work plan is — if there are no user manuals, how would you live your life? 

Sandeep Seth is Chief Growth Officer and President of Tapestry International—the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. Before Tapestry, Sandeep spent over two decades at Procter & Gamble, where he rose through local, regional, and global marketing leadership roles across India and Singapore—eventually becoming Global CEO of SK-II, P&G’s prestige skincare brand. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the lessons behind Sandeep’s remarkable journey—from being placed on a performance plan early in his career to leading some of the world’s most iconic luxury and beauty brands. His turning point? Realizing that having a strong point of view—and voicing it—is just as critical as delivering great work. You’ll hear about how marketing leaders blend logic and magic, why emotional resonance is the real currency of brand-building, and how true business acumen comes from connecting the dots across an organization rather than chasing every new tool. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (MBA) and Jadavpur University, Kolkata (Civil Engineering), Sandeep brings a rare mix of analytical rigor, creative instinct, and humility to his leadership philosophy. If you’re thinking about stepping into a bigger role—or simply want to become a more intentional marketing leader—this episode is packed with sharp, grounded insights from someone who’s lived it.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“Leadership is much more about empowerment and clearing the decks so people can do what they know how to do — delegate, empower, and trust in order to deliver.”

David Taylor is P&G’s former Chairman and CEO. He recently joined the stage at the 2025 P&G Alumni Global Conference in Berlin, alongside Daniel Dippold, Founder and CEO of EWOR - a fast-growing tech startup ecosystem - and fellow P&G Alum Stefan Homeister from the Leitwolf podcast. The topic was “Former P&G CEO meets Tech Entrepreneur – Redefining Leadership in Times of Uncertainty” — Stefan led David and Daniel through a great conversation about leadership across generations — from leading 100,000 people through transformation, to building exponential-growth ventures from the ground up.

Missed the 2025 P&G Alumni Global Conference in Berlin? Check out all 50 sessions — keynotes, panels, and workshops — on-demand at PGAlums.com, where you can purchase your your All-Access Pass and catch insights from leaders, innovators, and changemakers from around the world. And for future inspirational conversations on leadership, check out P&G Alum Stefan Homeister’s top podcast “LEITWOLF” wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

“It's not about you - it's about them. Avoid excuses and blaming others. Tell them with empathy and directness - what makes you uncomfortable will make this human before you more comfortable at an awful time.”

There’s something about the phrase “It’s just business” that’s always felt wrong — especially when it’s used to justify layoffs, burnout, or bad behavior. But what if there’s more to the story? Hear how one leader wrestles with the tension between leadership, empathy, and the messiness of modern work — from the cruelty of corporate language to the uncomfortable idea that even bad bosses and BS jobs might serve a purpose. It’s a raw look at how we lead, how we’re led, and how we can find meaning in the middle of the madness.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” — Bob is a repeat startup founder with two exits. Bob’s stories and conversations — from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation — are here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid. You can subscribe atbehearty.substack.com, or schedule Office Hours with Bob -calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ Build your own identity and understand what drives you — I just wanna be as authentically me as possible and let others know that this world is better when you can embrace what is unique to you, and not try to dim it.”

Priti Ohri is an award-winning adtech executive and entrepreneur. She’s Co-founder & CEO of Advertible, and one of the founders of DesiUs - a group for South Asians in adtech. Priti’s been recognized as one of the top women in media and technology by all the places that matter. But more importantly, Priti’s an authentic leader, comfortable in her own skin and a believer in setting her own path for others to see that they don’t always have to do things the way they’ve always been done. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how Priti navigates change - in business, life, and the world.

This episode is from Raman’s other podcast, Modern Minorities, where we share minority conversations for all of our majority years — which we hope will inspire new perspectives and learnings.

“When you unlock an insight with curiosity, the power to drive limitless growth is huge. We as leaders can make a big difference with the questions we ask.” 

Shailesh Jejurikar is P&G’s Chief Operating Officer, where he has profit/loss responsibility for P&G’s Enterprise Markets - Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe - and leads Information Technology, Global Business Services, Sales, Market Operations, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Distribution and New Business for the company. Previously, Shailesh was the Chief Executive Officer of  P&G’S largest business sector, Fabric & Home Care, which includes many of P&G’s most-iconic brands: Tide, Ariel, Downy, Gain, Febreze, Swiffer—and represents about one-third of total company sales and net earnings. 

From 2016 to 2021, Shailesh served as executive sponsor for global sustainability, enabling P&G’s “force for growth and a force for good” vision and ensuring the company’s sustainability goals are fully integrated into the day-to-day business to enable—and to inspire—positive impact on the environment and society while creating value for the company, consumers and shareholders. Shailesh’s extensive P&G career has spanned 30+ years - across multiple businesses (Health & Beauty Care, Home Care, Fabric Care and P&G Professional) in both developed and developing regions - including North America, Europe, Asia and Africa) - getting his start in his home country in India. Shailesh is known for his unique ability to identify growth possibilities, having consistently delivered strong business results in every market and on every business. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on curiosity, seeing around corners, and learning to learn.

This is a replay of our previous conversation with P&G COO Shailesh from May 2023 - in honor of the announcement that Shailesh has been announced as P&G’s next CEO

“Chai is amazing — it should be right alongside a good cup of coffee, espresso, or cappuccino. This business helped me reconcile my American upbringing and my Indian heritage — that push and pull, that beautiful combination of everything.”

Ayan Sanyal is co-founder of Kolkata Chai Company, a vibrant café and online brand redefining what masala chai means to America. Founded in 2018 by two brothers, Kolkata Chai Co has a simple mission: to bring the authenticity, respect and tradition behind a cup of masala chai to NYC and beyond. What quickly became clear to Ayan was that his work went beyond tea brewing. It was about creating a space - and product - to understand and celebrate culture, comfort, and connection.

The Kolkata Chai story caught the attention of many, including comedian Hasan Minhaj, a passionate investor and advocate. Before founding Kolkata Chai, Ayan established a strong career in marketing and advertising — as Managing Director at Green Room Creative, driving growth strategies for startups and mid-stage companies, and held key digital roles at 2U, Havas Media, Hill Holliday and Connelly Partners. Bridging a life of rock music, marketing, and brewing - Ayan’s journey is informed from travels between Amherst, Kolkata, Brooklyn, and everything in between. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about family, culture, and entrepreneurship, hopefully with a good cup of chai.

This episode is from Modern Minorities, Raman's other podcast - where we share minority conversations for all of our majority years — which we hope will inspire new perspectives and learnings.

“Every behavior we have is motivated by either fear or love — and productive fear we have to lean into to give energy and to exhibit love , and productive and healthy behaviors.”

Teresa Tanner is the Founder and CEO of Reserve Squad, an innovative talent platform that helps companies re-engage former employees — especially women — through flexible, project-based work. A nationally recognized leader in gender equity and workforce transformation, Teresa spent nearly three decades in corporate America, including a decade in the C-suite at Fifth Third Bank, where she served as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, and 18 years in operational and HR leadership roles at McDonald’s. Teresa currently serves on the boards of Ms.Medicine and Best Upon Request, and previously held board roles at Vectren. Throughout her career, Teresa has championed corporate cultures that support employees both at work and at home. At Reserve Squad, she’s reimagining how companies can retain skilled talent — particularly working mothers — by disrupting rigid full-time work models and offering “Reservist” opportunities for alumni to stay engaged, contribute meaningfully, and return when ready. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation with Teresa — full of wisdom, heart, and hard-earned insight — as we talk about leading with love over fear, holding your mission while staying open to reinvention, and why the workforce of the future will be driven by connection, not conformity.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“People are so hungry to really be understood and the challenge that's primary now, is a growing inability to understand each other.”

What if doing less could actually lead to more impact? Greg McKeown, is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most influential voices on productivity, purpose, and leadership. Greg shares the story his book "Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less", and powerful insights on how leaders can cut through the noise to focus on what truly matters. If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin or overwhelmed by too many priorities, this conversation will inspire you to take a bold step: do less, but better. LEARN MORE: gregmckeown.com

Greg has delivered keynote addresses in over 40 countries and worked with more than 500 organizations, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Nike — and hosts a top  podcast in self-improvement and education. A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Greg also serves on nonprofit boards and has co-created Stanford’s popular “Designing Life, Essentially” course. Greg is currently conducting doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, holds an MBA from Stanford, and completed a Global Leadership and Public Policy certificate at Harvard Kennedy School. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how to say no more often, how to lead without overwhelm, and how to build cultures where excellence becomes effortless. 

This conversation is from from P&G Alum Stefan Homeister’s top podcast “LEITWOLF” - for more inspirational conversations on leadership subscribe to Leitwolf wherever you get your favorite podcasts. LEARN MORE: stefan-homeister-leadership.com

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ We might need only 10% of the population to have a tipping point into a brighter future — to change lives for the better at scale by recognizing your potential to calm others. We're in this thing together.

Life right now seems chaotic, but there's a method to the madness — welcome to the challenge of our generations. It sucks, it’s not fair, it’s been going on too long, and it feels like we’re sacrificing our children to some golem of change—with no relief in sight. We need something to believe in and something to do about it, so longtime friend of the pod Bob Gilbreath shares what works for him. It might help you handle the stress, and maybe even convince you to be the tiny pair of butterfly wings that delivers positive change.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” — Bob is a repeat startup founder with two exits. Bob’s stories and conversations — from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation — are here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid. You can subscribe at behearty.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Understand the cultural sensitivities to really engage people — It is so critical to create an inclusive atmosphere for better decision making and influencing.”

Koji Kobayashi is Coca Cola’s Head of Human Insights for Japan and Korea. Koji San is a global marketing and insights leader who's worked across the U.S., Japan, and Southeast Asia, on categories ranging from affordable every day consumer products to luxury goods. Koji San got his start at P&G, where he spent 14 years as a CMK leader, working Prestige Skin Care, Beauty Care, and Household Care, across Singapore, Asia, and the United States. He’s also passionate about giving back, supporting children's education and health through amazing organizations like Save the Children and UN Women. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation of experiences across multiple cultures from Japan to Singapore to the United States — and how influence can look very different across individualistic and collective cultures and lessons on how leaders can architect inclusiveness into their teams.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“ Chinese consumers today are quite different — a massive middle class of 500 million people. So big upside, but also bigger challenges.”

Sarah Kochling is the Founder and Managing Principal of Shanghai Blossom Innovation, where she leads strategic growth initiatives for global brands and startups in China since 2014. With over 30 years of experience across Asia, This is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies and early-stage ventures alike—guiding brand transformation, innovation strategy, and culturally attuned consumer engagement.Sarah got her start at Procter & Gamble in Hong Kong and Guangzhou in the early 1990s, where she managed brands across Greater China during a pivotal time of regional economic opening. Since then, Sarah’s experience across China and Asia at J&J International, as well as leading innovation practices at agencies and advising several China startups. Fluent in Mandarin and deeply immersed in the Chinese market, Sarah brings a rare combination of strategic rigor, creative vision, and cross-cultural fluency—helping organizations navigate complexity and chart bold paths forward. Sarah attended is based in Shanghai, China. She studied Mandarin and Political Science from Wellesley College, and holds certifications in Chinese language and law from MIT Sloan. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Beijing Foreign Languages Normal College, and Harbin Institute of Technology. Sarah lives in Shanghai. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about a career at the intersection of culture, commerce, and innovation.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ ​The future is unwritten — the more I work with AI, the more I see opportunity for more human connection - a tool to get me out of the drudge-work - to sitting down and listening to people.”

Marc Stoiber is a creative director and strategist who reinvents leading brands for a living — his work has been recognized by virtually every international industry award for advertising and design. While Executive Creative Director at Grey - a leading creative agency - Marc helped P&G brand team turn around the iconic Mr. Clean brand. Marc’s writing on on brand innovation has been featured by TED, the Huffington Post, Fast Company, GreenBiz and Sustainable Life Media. You can learn more about Marc’s work at BrandsInvestorsLove.com or MarcStoiber.com. Marc joined friend of the pod Bob Gilbreath for a fascinating conversation on how he’s building a one-person strategy+creative agency…with the help of an army of AIs. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation - full of practical stories - about how one entrepreneur is using AI as a creative wingman, looking at the future of work through an augmentation lens, and embracing our inner cluelessness.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” — Bob is a repeat startup founder with two exits. Bob’s stories and conversations — from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation — are here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid. You can subscribe at behearty.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

“You spend the first half of your life building up — and it's then a really interesting moment to let go of trying to prove things and figuring out what you're really capable of — just recognizing and reflecting.” 

Meredith Meyer is a people and talent leader — as CEO + Lead Consultant of Infinite Potential, LLC, where she provides strategy and talent consulting services. Meredith has also served as a fractional Chief Talent Officer at more than a dozen orgs - partnering with executives & HR teams to create strategic talent plans and tackle tough business problems. Meredith also served as VP of Global Workplace for Veeva Systems, a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry, and previously held senior roles from CMO to VP of Talent at KnowledgeWorks, a leader in personalized, competency-based learning for kids. Meredith started her career at Procter & Gamble in brand management on brands like Tide and Oral-B globally. You’ll enjoy this insightful conversation between two old brand management buddies - focused on lessons learned from coaching people.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” — Bob is a repeat startup founder with two exits. Bob’s stories and conversations — from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation — are here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid. You can subscribe at behearty.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ ​ I had a manager who taught me the notion of servant-based leadership — to be someone who genuinely wants to help — not only solve a problem, but someone who wants you to grow.”

Bob is the Media Innovation lead for Media Lab, the internal media team for Google marketing — responsible for ideating new media innovations, developing and scaling them across all of Google marketing.  Prior to Google, Bob was an early veteran of digital marketing. He spent 3 years at Kellogg’s as Director of Digital and Social strategy for North America, leading the digital marketing and social media practice. Bob got his career start at P&G, in roles responsible for the global digital strategy across the Home Care, Feminine Care and Oral Care. Bob studied at the University of Cincinnati, and lives in San Francisco with his wife, who he also happened to meet at P&G. Beyond stories and perspectives from some of the earliest days of digital marketing and making sense of AI’s impact on our future, you’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how servant leadership has become a core pillar of Bob’s approach to management and work.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“ Very often we forget to ask, who do we really want to serve? We have to actually interact to change their perspective, to improve their lives.”

Ayu Kartika Dewi is Managing Director for Indika Foundation, which focuses on peacekeeping efforts in Indonesia. She also serves as Special Staff to the President of Indonesia. Ayu’s career is the most fascinating mosaic of unique experiences. While she started at P&G Indonesia, working in Consumer Insights, she left after 5 years to dedicate herself to teaching in a remote island community. From there Ayu moved into leadership roles in the nonprofit sector and government, serving as Special Staff to the Governor of Jakarta, and now as Special Staff to the President of Indonesia. Ayu is an avid scuba diver, a passionate meditator, and a devoted dog lover.You’ll enjoy this candid conversation and be touched by Ayu’s commitment to making the world a better place and her belief that kindness and tolerance can be taught, even in communities with deeply held beliefs.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

What's the legacy you want to leave — what values are most important to you? We're all made differently, so it’s always important that people show up at work who they are.”

Adam Antoniewicz is Nike China’s VP of Mens Marketing, leading groundbreaking campaigns that redefine consumer engagement. Previously, he served as Apple’s Head of Marketing Communications for Greater China, overseeing all customer-facing communications in Apple’s $44B market - spearheading iconic campaigns, launching the company’s first social media in the region, and navigating complex challenges like the China Cybersecurity Law and U.S.-China trade tensions. Adam’s earlier roles include leading Nike Basketball in Greater China, where he led the Rise (打出名堂) campaign and launched the House of Mamba - the world’s first reactive LED basketball court. Adam also drove key marketing partnerships for the NBA and helped build the NFL’s presence in China. You’ll enjoy the candid conversation about how we can enhance our team by learning from sport, and the importance of a pregame before work!

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“What makes for a good entrepreneur? Grit, perseverance. if you feel passionate about a problem or want to  create something you're passionate about — you need that grit and staying power. “

Rashmi is the Co-founder and COO of FlexiBees, a company that connects women returning from career breaks with flexible roles. Before FlexiBees, Rashmi spent 8 years at P&G Singapore in Consumer Insights, first in the feminine hygiene category and later in digital marketing, eCommerce, and Media strategy. What you will find most insightful in this conversation is how anybody can elevate themselves to a trusted business partner regardless of their function in an organization, and how sometimes frustration at an unsolved problem can be the perfect fuel to fire your entrepreneurship journey, even more so when that unsolved problem resonates at a human level. Don't be fooled by her joyful, almost disarming style, Rashmi has the most impressive and relentless obsession with driving tangible impact through her work and she breaks it down into applicable concepts.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“ There was trust - the mission was very clear. The problem isn't the idea. The problem is choosing. It starts with being purpose driven.”

Eric Tholomé is a former Google product leader and tech CEO. At Google, Eric led product initiatives in Switzerland and the US - including the launch of Gmail themes and YouTube internationally in 10 countries. At Google Eric was the first ever Product Manager ever promoted to Director outside the US. Eric also spent one year as the CEO of European telecom company 1&1 IONOS. Prior to these experiences, Eric had early professional experiences at tech companies like Handspring, Palm, Schlumberger, and Nortel Networks, and is a Stanford Graduate. 

This conversation is from from P&G Alum Stefan Homeister’s top podcast “LEITWOLF” - for more inspirational conversations on leadership subscribe to Leitwolf wherever you get your favorite podcasts

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Giving back connects me to a new generation of people . It's important that people are curious and ask bold questions. It's about not giving answers, but enabling people to find their own answers.”

Falk Fuhrmann is an award-winning creative strategist with over 25 years of experience, in growing businesses of local, regional or global scale. Falk currently leads HuíLüè — a strategy consultancy he founded in Shanghai specializing in brand strategy, cultural insights, and business innovation. Falk has also been teaching at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou since 2020… empowering the new generation of Chinese creatives to bridge cultural differences and embrace strategic innovation that resonate locally and globally. While Falk has invested his impressive career on the agency side with leaders like TBWA, DDB, and Saatchi & Saatchi, he also led strategy for multiple P&G’s categories across CEEMEA, APAC and Greater China. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on the fun of liquid collaboration, comparing Chinese and German cultures, and learning about the importance of getting from weird to wonder.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ At the end, marketing is about connection. What makes it magical is the perfect convergence of creativity, the connection to human behavior, the unpredictability, and all the analytics.”

Raul Murguia leads Integrated Marketing at LinkedIn Sales Solutions, driving brand narratives and campaigns that resonate with sales professionals. Previously, Raul led integrated marketing and later focused on product marketing at Meta for Messenger, orchestrating go-to-market strategies for Messenger and earning a Clio and two Shorty Awards for the "That Close" campaign. Raul’s passionate about integrated marketing communications — focusing on brand growth, product adoption, and delivering impactful campaigns. Raul’s career is a story of pivots - from Latin America to the US, across integrated and product marketing, from CPG to Tech — working across companies like Zespri, Pharmavite, Pepsico, Sara Lee, and seven years in brand management at P&G. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on adaptability and transitions across industries and cultures. 

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“To create content — it's got to give you pleasure, it can't be a chore. Be honest with yourself. If you're putting goodness out into the world consistently, something's going to hit — trust that process.”

Whether you've got a corporate job, a side hustle (like a podcast or three), or are even a full-time entrepreneur or entertainer, the idea of ‘content creation’ has become increasingly important. But what if the act of marketing content becomes more work than the actual act of making actually good content? Inspired by a recent NY Times article, P&G Alums Drew Tarvin (Humor That Works) + Bob Gilbreath (the Workaround) got together to discuss and debate their own approaches to all that is creating content. 

This is a special “topic-driven” episode where we bring together P&G Alum experts to share their personal learnings. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

LEARN MORE

nytimes.com/2024/12/31/arts/television/netflix-comedy-marketing.html

Bob Gilbreath newsletters "the Workaround" -behearty.substack.com

Drew Tarvin:drewtarvin.com/

“ What we need is meaning, purpose, something to wake up in the morning and go do that matters. You're living life to the fullest when you're doing something you believe in that matters, that makes a difference.”

Gerry Preece is a 22-year veteran of P&G leading agency strategic sourcing and marketing operations —building  purchases/procurement organizations around the globe in areas such as media, advertising agencies, promotions, commercial production, digital marketing, and public affairs. After retiring from P&G, Gerry served as  Executive Director at The Matthew Kelly Foundation,. He's also consulted with the 4As, GSK, and many other industry leaders. Gerry received his Bachelors in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point

In this far-ranging conversation between a longtime mentor and his mentee, fellow alum Rajiv Satyal - from years past - the two compare notes on their own learnings of purpose, work, life, politics, and family. You’ll enjoy this timely conversation between two old friends reconnecting - and not necessarily agreeing on everything, but learning from each other. 

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Rajiv Satyal, the Los Angeles-based comedian, host, and speaker - from his own podcast. You can learn, see, and hear more at RajivSatyal.com

“ You have to authentically and always be yourself because that's the most ownable strategy that you can own as a person.”

Michael Seitz is the Co-Founder and CEO of Barebottle Brewing Company, an award-winning crowd-inspired craft brewery with four locations in San Francisco. Michael and his family moved to San Francisco in 2016 to open Barebottle, scaling from zero to over $10 million in revenue — and now San Francisco’s largest brewery. Michael spent 10 years at P&G in Cincinnati as a Brand Manager, where he met his wife Raquel Rozas, started brewing beer at home, earned his credential as a certified beer judge, and completed studies at the World Brewing Academy in Chicago. Michael studied Economics at Stanford and was a Park Fellow at Cornell’s Business School where he received his MBA and was the Vithala and Saroj Rao prize recipient graduating first in his class. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on entrepreneurship and authenticity, and when you’re next in San Francisco, stop by a Barebottle and say hi!

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“Where in our lives do we feel something has changed fundamentally inside of us? Those are stories.”

Matthew Dicks is a master storyteller and author of many books - including “STORYWORTHY: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling.” Matthew has earned the title of Master Storyteller— as a five-time Moth GrandSLAM champion. The Moth is New York City’s iconic storytelling platform (which also has a great podcast) — and Matthew has dominated it, winning 52 StorySLAMs around the country. Matthew also co-founded Speak Up, a storytelling organisation that has helped thousands craft more compelling stories. He's written a # of fiction and nonfiction books - including STORYWORTHY. Matt's Homework for Life project is a powerful tool for anyone looking to enrich their daily life through storytelling, one small step at a time. You'll enjoy this candid conversation that might just help you find some simple, practical ways to find more meaning and connection in your life,

This conversation is from from P&G Alum Sharad Lal’s top podcast “HOW TO LIVE” - for lots more great conversations with Sharad and thought leaders, subscribe to How To Live wherever you get your favorite podcasts, or visit howtolive.life

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Systems really matter — we can play with the media instead of it playing us. I don't want to be used by a system that gets in the way of real learning and insight — this is more of a survival issue than we think.”

Brynne Thompson is an investor, advisor, and all-around brilliant - and thoughtful - person who helps startup founders and institutional investors figure out where the future is heading. Brynne is the founder of Respire Enterprises, and former partner of Coburn Ventures. Brynne supports and invests in startups built for the next generation of stewardship, climate awareness and multi-stakeholder management. With Coburn ventures, she led and advised investments in areas where technology may generate a dramatic shift in an industry.

In this conversation with P&G Alumni Bob Gilbreath on “the Workaround” — Brynne & Bob compare notes on navigating the information overloaded moment we're in — and share some useful stories and hacks on how to thrive. In this candid discussion, we discover how all of us can take advantage of all the information available at our fingertips without falling for the non-wisdom of the crowd—and driving ourselves crazy in the process.

This conversation is from P&G Alum Bob Gilbreath’s podcast & newsletter “The Workaround” -. Bob is a repeat startup founder with two exits. Bob’s stories and conversations — from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation — are here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid. You can subscribe at behearty.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ Focus on in being authentic by being the luck in other people's lives — it will pay back multiple times.”

Bhavesh Shah is an advisor, investor, and managing partner, with 30+ years in senior leadership, operations and procurement positions at Procter & Gamble, and Firmenich, the world’s largest family-owned Fragrance and Flavour House — having lived and worked across London, Geneva, Brussels, Guangzhou and Singapore—with extensive business exposure to both North and South America

Across twenty years at P&G, Bhavesh oversaw billions of dollars in spend, as a procurement leader across markets — and he produced the highest rated TV show of its time – China’s Got Talent. After P&G, Bhavesh joined Firmenich for nine years as the company’s Chief Procurement Officers, spearheading a transformative turnaround, doubling the company’s EBITDA and solidifying its position as the industry leader. Bhavesh is now a Managing Partner at Synfiny, one of the fastest-growing global advisory firms. Bhavesh is also an early stage investor and selectively a Board Director, with a recent successful exit of Smart Build Asia as well as ongoing investments in Brinc, Opinsta, MPOWERD and Abele Trust, amongst others. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on combining intentionality, curiosity and audacity — and being the luck in others’ lives.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ Instincts are not wrong — intellect can only capture so much of instinct. It has is a much bigger part of the funnel.”

Srikant Nayak is Google’s Director of Marketing in APAC for the Play Store, Chrome, Chromebooks, and Google One. Srikant has spent 18+ years as a marketing leader working on billion dollar brands across industries in Asia, from Consumer Tech to QSR and CPG. Prior to Google, Srikant served as Yum! Brand Asia’s Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Strategy Officer. Srikant got his career start at P&G working in Fabric Care & Baby Care across India and ASEAN Markets. Srikant has a personal passion for being a culture champion and growing people. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on honing and trusting our instincts to navigate those sliding door moments in our careers and lives.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

As 2024 comes to a close, we compiled the many learnings - from leaders - we heard this year. So sit back with your beverage of choice and enjoy! And give us the gift of a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2L85TsT

Featuring the voices - and learnings - from John Pepper, Ursula Burns, Isaac Saul, Karen Francis, Katherine Vellinga, Andrew Swinand, Barbara Oakley, Tristan Walker, Gordon Brunner, Stefan Homeister, Bonnie Wan, Bernice Ang, Trevor Lai, Denis Beausejour, Roula Clerc-Nassar, Bernd Pichler, Alex Keith, Dawn Garibaldi, Manreet Sodhi Someshwar, Shaun Reinsurance, Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, Ravi Chaturvedi, Mark Ciccone, Sam Avivi, Raman Sehgal, Nir Eyal, Jorge Montoya, Jessica Gleeson, Bob McDonald, Rajiv Satyal, Drew Tarvin, and Bob Gilbreath. Thank you for YOUR continued support of our podcast and our amazing guests!

Heard something you missed? Be sure to go back and check out each guest’s full episode. Got a suggestion for a future episode? Send a note to pgalums@gmail.com — we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for your continued support of our Learnings from Leaders podcast!

“ The crowd will pay attention to whatever you give power to — it comes back to brand equity. Stand-up is a window and it's a mirror. Whatever you choose to talk about in stand-up and in art, it is truly yours.”

Rajiv Satyal is a Los Angeles-based comedian and host known for his clean, versatile humor. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, he is the only comedian to perform standup on all seven continents and co-created Make Chai Not War, a Hindu-Muslim comedy tour sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Rajiv has opened for stars like Russell Peters, Tim Allen, and Dave Chappelle and once followed Jerry Seinfeld at Gotham Comedy Club. A former P&G marketer, he speaks to Fortune 500 companies — including P&G and Alumni events around the world — on innovation and branding and has written acclaimed one-person shows, blending comedy and storytelling to captivate audiences worldwide. You’ll enjoy this conversation on not just Rajiv’s journey from brand-marketing to stand-up comedy, but his reflections on where we are in the world today, and how maybe we just need to laugh a little more.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

"The bigger the roles that I got, the more I ended up drawing on what I had learned in improv and standup. Why was no one talking about how valuable humor is as a skill? So I realized maybe I should.”

Drew Tarvin is the world’s first and only Humor Engineer (not just this podcast’s co-host). On a How To Live podcast conversation with co-host Sharad Lal, Drew shares not just his career journey - but practical skills on how humour can amplify leadership and why it’s more than just a tool for entertainment. Drew studied engineering at THE Ohio State University, and was hired to P&G for his technical skills where he worked on global roles in his hometowns of Cincinnati and New York City. Yet, it was humour—not engineering—that became his edge in the workplace. By using humour, he diffused tension, built strong relationships, influenced others, and accelerated his career — in fact, he became P&G's first ever - self proclaimed - corporate humorist.  Ultimately this led Drew to make the entrepreneurial leap — founding Humor That Works, a company that has helped 10,000+ leaders in over 100 organisations—including IBM, GE, the FBI, AND P&G —harness humour to lead effectively. His TEDx talk on the skill of humor has been viewed 15MM+ times. You can learn more about Drew’s work @ drewtarvin.com. You'll enjoy this candid conversation on how humor can add depth, purpose, and fulfillment to even the most serious work.

This conversation is from from P&G Alum Sharad Lal’s top podcast “HOW TO LIVE” - for lots more great conversations with Sharad and thought leaders, subscribe to How To Live wherever you get your favorite podcasts, or visit howtolive.life 

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“ Celebrating success is essential. As is celebrating our existence together. A company culture is what employees do when no one is watching.“

Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post shares how one of his business teams taught him to take pride in the little things. Whether it’s a struggling company or a city with challenges, investing to spruce things up is not necessarily painting over problems. Celebrating success is essential, as is celebrating our existence together. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide, Mr. Clean, and more. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Focus on people's strengths and give people confidence by pushing them outside of their comfort zone. Let them know you will support them, that they will make mistakes, but that's the way you learn and grow.”

Ute Hagen is currently Vice Chair of the P&G Alumni Network, and a leader with 30 years of industry experience, now also leading her own consultancy ‘Your Success Counts,’ helping organizations sharpen their marketing, strategy, and leadership approaches. Ute is also a certified Power Facilitator, offering a unique blend of guidance to her clients. Ute had a 23 year career at Procter & Gamble, where she held key marketing leadership roles in business units across Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, and North America. Ute also led a multi-functional team in the development & training of “best practices” and “assessment tools” for application of “consumer is boss” across P&G. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation rooted in Ute’s clear passion for customer centricity — a defining force throughout her personal and professional life.

This episode is hosted by Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“Leadership is about doing the right thing - beyond politics - for the purpose and values of the country.”

Once again, this election may be the most important of our lifetime, so we hope you’ve made your plan to VOTE. 

Bob McDonald - former P&G CEO and US Secretary of Veterans Affairs - returns to our podcast to share his unique perspective on service, leadership, people, and values and the choice we are making at this moment in our history. Beyond being a P&G Alum and an army veteran, Bob’s served Republican and Democratic Presidents. His political engagement is wide, and purpose-driven - always seeking to transcend party politics. This is a reply of our conversation from October 2020 - in the midst of our LAST presidential election - but much of what we discussed is still relevant in THIS election. 

Many of our leaders - across both sides of the aisle - have expressed their concerns in THIS 2024 election for our community and country. On one hand, we face a retreat and possible return to our nation's darker impulses of grievance and division. On the other, a new path forward, rooted in a greater purpose, values and principles, for the next generation. No matter what generation you belong to...if you can vote, please do. If you have friends who are on the fence, talk to them, make the case rooted in our common purpose values, and principles, and get them to vote. It's all on the line. And the next generation of leaders is counting on all of us.

“We shouldn't follow leaders, mentors, and gurus, but we should listen for their words that affect us. See if they spark insight or truth for you. Keep what works, leave the rest behind. “

Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post “Don't Follow Mentors, Seek Signposts” shares a personal anecdotes that is applicable to us all. There are countless people, living and dead, who have shared a scrap of useful advice that helped in a moment and has sticks with us over time. These words - or signposts - can literally re-shape our way of seeing the world, making us better at work and life. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide, Mr. Clean, and more. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

“If you're getting stuck in your career, it's important to see if you are overly weighted towards mentors and need to bring a few more sponsors into your inner circle.”

Jessica Gleeson is  the CEO of BrighterBeauty and founder of Experiential Retail. Jessica is an experienced international executive with a passion for helping purpose driven brands scale with integrity. She is a 20-year veteran of Starbucks, where she held a variety of leadership roles as the company grew from 50 stores in the US to 55 countries globally. Jessica also held senior roles in China for iconic brands like the Walt Disney Company and Claire’s Accessories.  Jessica is committed to helping organizations understand how to better engage with Chinese businesses and consumers globally. Recently recognized by IPWS with their Lifetime Achievement Award, Jessica works actively to advocate for placing women on executive boards, because the data shows it is just good business.  You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about mentorship, sponsorship, and knowing what it takes to win in China.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

“Make every decision in your career on the basis of values and principles, and you will be successful.”

Fernando Aguirre is the former CEO of Chiquita Brands International, and currently a Professional Baseball Owner - as CEO of the Erie SeaWolves (AA affiliate for the Detroit Tigers), and Vice-chair of Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Advanced A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs). Fernando also owned a minority position in the Cincinnati Reds for 14 years before divesting in 2019. Fernando got his start at P&G - where he worked for 23+ years - during which he was President of P&G Brazil.

Fernando currently serves on several boards - some of which include CVS Health, Synchrony Financial, and Duke’s Fuqua school of business. He’s previously served on the boards of Aetna, Coca Cola, Levi’s, Univision, and USC’s Marshall School of Business. Fernando’s been active in the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethic, the International Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, received the NFL's Hispanic Heritage Leadership award in 2011. AND - He was the first Hispanic CEO to participate in CBS’s Undercover Boss. In a spanning conversation of fantastic stories, get ready for some lessons learned across cultures, and around the world.

This is a replay from one of our earliest episodes in 2021 - celebrating Hispanic P&G Alumni leadership this Hispanic Heritage Month. Got a favorite past guest, or idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"Recruit the right people with the right principles."

Jorge Montoya was President of P&G Latin America from 1999-2004. Having spent 30 years rising through the ranks of P&G - his expertise extends across all international business. Jorge currently serves on the boards of Gap, Inc and Kroger - and was named among the 50 most important Hispanics in Business & Technology. His foundation with his wife supports underserved children’s education in Peru and Venezuela.

Jorge shares his story - growing up in Peru (the son of a teacher), becoming an All-America NCAA soccer player, and setting up a company in a foreign country. He shares the importance of building a business culture without compromising ethics and integrity. And ultimately, for Jorge, the most important results come from growing your business, and growing your organization.

This is a replay from one of our earliest episodes in 2020 - celebrating Hispanic P&G Alumni leadership this Hispanic Heritage Month. Got a favorite past guest, or idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Distraction is not a technology problem or a moral failing. The vast majority of distraction is simply that you have not learned the skill of dealing with discomfort. Master internal triggers, or they will become your master.”

Nir Eyal is a best-selling author and instructor working at the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. In a research-driven conversation about his latest book “INDISTRACTABLE - How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life,” we learn about what really drives distraction — which is less about flashy external stimuli, and more about our own internal discomfort. The good news is, it’s not out of reach, by better understanding our internal triggers - it just might be possible to get back to a focus that feels so far gone. The good news is, It's not out of reach, and Nir shares some great tips to get started.

Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature Award as well as being named one of the Best Business and Leadership Books by The Globe and Mail and Amazon, and among the Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible. Nir is also the author of “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” — his books have resonated with readers worldwide, selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages.

Nir’s writing and work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Harvard Business Review, The M.I.T. Technology Review, Time Magazine, Psychology Today. Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003, and invests in habit-forming products that improve users’ lives including Eventbrite (NYSE:EB), Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify), Kahoot!, Canva, Homelight, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Byte Foods, FocusMate, Dynamicare, Wise App, and Sunnyside. Nir previously taught in the Business and Design schools at Stanford University, and Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University.

This is a re-airing of a podcast conversation from P&G Alumni Podcast co-host Sharad Lal’s other top podcast “HOW TO LIVE” - for lots more great conversations with Sharad and thought leaders, subscribe to How To Live wherever you get your favorite podcasts, or visit howtolive.life

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“He bears witness - in a very disarming way - what's really going on in this country.” “It’s often expressed without a single word, vivid enough that It hits a bit differently — It's not sugar coated —  this is what they're up against.”

BURMA CHRONICLES is the 2007 graphic travelog by French-Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle — which presents a personal and distinctively humorous glimpse into a political hotspot on the other side of the world, where the Delisle balances his ex-pat home-husbandry, the spinning politics a quasi-authoritarian state, and finding a way as a foreign cartoonist amidst a South Asian junta. You’ll enjoy this This is a bonus, candid conversation between co-hosts Raman & Drew from another podcast, covering a lots of interesting comics, travel, and life learnings. 

LEARN MORE

BOOK: goodreads.com/book/show/5596923-burma-chronicles

BURMA: wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar

DREW: AndrewTarvin.com

“It's not all a straight line up — there are ups and downs. Success is defined just as much in the times where you struggle and you pick yourself up and you continue going.”

Samantha Avivi is the CMO at Bayer Consumer Health, North America. She has over 30 years of experience in 40+ countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands and companies - from Y&R, BBDO, P&G, Kimberly Clark, ADT, Tenneco, and Advance Auto Parts. Sam grew up in Florida and before moving to NYC to rise through the ranks of the ad agency world before taking a chance on a mock-interview at P&G. Her journey is a reminder of the importance of curiosity, and being open to non-linear paths for personal and professional learning. Sam attended the University of Florida, is married to her high school sweetheart, has 3 kids, and is an avid runner. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on the influence of family and exploring new and different paths to find what truly makes us happy.

This conversation was hosted by Ida Abdalkhani, Change Catalyzer — an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and P&G Alumni Board Member.

“ These obelisks are the world's first globally distributed product. Layers and layers of history - these obelisks moved around and stand in modern societies — that's a story to tell.”

Mark Ciccone is a P&G Alum and author of the new book “OBELISK ODYSSEY: 26 Ancient Monoliths, 4 Continents, and 1 Monumental Search for Meaning.” With a presence on four continents, the 26 surviving granite monuments are history's most mysterious objects. and meaningful man made objects, each with its own voice and message for the world. Mark set out to see each one, embarking on a six month, 25, 000 mile odyssey from his town of Boston to Egypt, England, Italy, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, and beyond, to discover what these ancient voices have to say about religion, technology, tribalism, and conflicts of all kinds. You can purchase OBELISK ODYSSEY here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCKP9PNL

After 32 years with P&G, Mark became a consultant, first with the Monitor Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then as President of Retail Net Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in retail innovation. Mark also is an instructor at Duquesne University’s semester abroad program in Rome where he has taught several undergraduate business classes. In semi retirement, Mark found meaning lying in the stone quarries of North Africa, the Egyptian obelisk. In this conversation amongst longtime Alum friends, you’ll hear about Mark + Qaisar’s many adventures, conversations, and reflections across the world.

Hosting this conversation is longtime friend of the pod Qaisar Shareef, a fellow P&G alum and author, who’s led many parts of the organization from Pakistan to Ukraine to the US. This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“There is no bigger weight than the weight of trust. One of my leadership mantras became: You never need to earn my trust. You can only lose it.”

Ravi Chaturvedi is an experienced leader with a proven track record of success across seven countries, both

developed and developing. Ravi became P&G’s first ever Asian President and member of the Global Leadership Council, after a 2 decade long career with the company. Ravi was also Group Chief Executive of Jet Airways for a short tenure.Ravi has also served as a consultant and advisor to the Nitto Denko Corporation in Japan. For the CEO Council of Lighthouse Funds, Ravi advised portfolio CEOs of companies across industries. He’s also served as advisor to Marico and to Emami, Indian consumer goods companies that are expanding internationally.Ravi is a Senior Fellow in the Management Department of the Wharton School of Business, and has been a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. Ravi received his BA from the University of Delhi, and Master of Management Studies from the Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Master of Management Studies. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation between old colleagues - and hear the wisdom that has impacted many leaders from Ravi’s storied career.

This is part of our Asian leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

“What does balance look like? It doesn't mean 50/50 all the time or 100% and zero. Balance is something that happens over time, it's a flow. It's not just an everyday balance - it's more like an ongoing balance.”

Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson is Pandora Jewelery’s CMO & SVP of Global Business Units, and a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Mary Carmen’s 25+ years of experience across multiple industries - and cultures - have given her a unique perspective on navigating the elusive-for-many idea of “work /life” balance and creating structures that enable longer-term flow. She has more than 20 years of experience building and expanding consumer brands in categories such as fragrances, beauty, personal care, and women’s health. Mary Carmen previously served as Unilever’s Global Vice President working on mens personal care brands like Axe & Lynx. She spent 22+ years at P&G, getting her start as a product development engineer, and rising thru roles in brand and general management - from Haircare, Cosmetics, Skincare, Prestige Fragrances, Consumer Health, and P&G Ventures. Mary Carmen has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Xavier University. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on the importance of advocacy in one’s career, and clarity on priorities and the development of frameworks to create the life you want 

This conversation is hosted by Ida Abdalkhani, Change Catalyzer — an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and P&G Alumni Board Member.

“ Money and time are eerily linked. There's free time, leisure time, time off, flex time, and down time. When we manage ourselves well, we have more freedom and better lives.”

Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post “Mind on your Money, Time and Freedom” is a continuation of last week’s post on time/mind management. For us, we need to remember that money and time are often linked. We spend time, save time, invest time, and buy time. Freedom is entwined with time, too. There’s free time, leisure time, time off, flex time, and downtime. Bob shares ways to improve your life by making better daily decisions about time, money, and freedom. From the basic, tactical choices — to laddering up to big-picture strategy with a personal story from his childhood that still drives him today.

Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide and Mr. Clean - and Mr. Clean Auto Dry, and even Fit fruit and vegetable wash. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"We have more free time than ever — but why does it feel like we are so busy? We have more freedom and decision making options than ever — so we've got to add new programming to our lives."

Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post “Time Management is Mind Management” covers To-Don't Lists, Asynchronicity, Meeting Strategically and People Power. While countless books, blogs, podcasts, and software solutions aim to help us better manage our calendars, inboxes, feeds, and habits — we lack time to listen to or learn from them. And it feels like once we manage some part of our day, two more new things suck us in. Bob hit a breakthrough in the past few years when I realized a higher level of the game: Managing our minds better is critical to managing our time better. You’ll hear strategic ways to understand and choose ways of living that give you more time back and make more meaningful moments throughout your day.

Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide and Mr. Clean - and Mr. Clean Auto Dry, and even Fit fruit and vegetable wash. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"In your 20s learn how businesses work, how humans work. In your 30s implement your knowledge and make money. And in your 40s start giving back to younger people and society.” 

Shaun Rein is the Founder and Managing Director of the China Market Research Group (CMR), the world's leading strategic market intelligence firm focused on China. Shaun is internationally popular economics speaker who works with boards, billionaires, heads of states, CEOs and senior executives of Fortune 500 & leading Chinese companies, private equity firms, SMEs and long/ hedge funds to develop their China growth, political and investment strategies. Shaun is the author of international best-sellers "The War for China's Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order," "The End of Cheap China"​ & "The End of Copycat China"​ — and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, the New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS, CNN, BBC, CNBC, PBS, CNBC, NPR / APM Marketplace, and MSNBC. Born in New Hampshire, Shaun earned his BA from McGill University and his MA from Harvard. He’s previously taught executive education classes for London Business School and has served on the Board of Trustees for St. Paul's School. Shaun lives in Shanghai, China.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

”Being a writer is just bloody hard work and passion. It is a kind of madness, which compels you every day to go to say, ‘OK, let's do it again today’ “

Manreet Sodhi Someshwar is the author of nine novels - including the Long Walk Home, Radiance of a Thousand Suns, and most recently the Partition Trilogy - a historical fiction novel series about one of the great human tragedies of the 20th century. Manreet’s articles and essays have appeared in the NY Times, the International Herald Tribune, and the South China Morning Post, among others. Manreeet has taught for the New York Public Library and the City College of New York - and she’s a former corporate citizen having done stints in Asia, and a parent grappling with the world our kids will inherit. Manreet’s recently complete Partition Trilogy - a series of 3 books titled Lahore, Hyderabad, and Kashmir - are a historical fiction set during, before, and immediately after the Partition - and independence of - India and Pakistan of 1947. Partition is among the the great humanitarian disasters of the 20th century - and the largest mass migration in history. The history of Partition impacts and informs much of what is happening today, in both Asia, and the United States - from the tensions between India and Pakistan, and the rise of nationalism / extremism in our politics around the world. Manreet’s unique voice focuses not just on the personal musings of these larger than life historical figures - like India’s founding fathers Gandhi & Nehru, but she also breathes life into characters who represent the stats and figures that we sometimes gloss over when we hear of a tragedy (including the role - and subversion of women by history). This is a powerful conversation about the weaponization of history, and how storytelling - and fact-checking - have to work hand in hand to inform the next generation.

This is a past conversation from Raman’s other podcast, Modern Minorities, where each week we share minority conversations for all of our majority years. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation that we hope will provide new perspectives and learnings.

“Delegation is making sure you’ve framed the work to expand the impact of you and your team, in a way that has healthy boundaries and the individual can build their skills.”

Dawn Garibaldi Is an executive coach who partners with leaders to amplify their impact by mastering complexity, extending their influence, building unstoppable teams and breaking through barriers. Her clients create distinctive, enduring and outstanding transformations in business and organizational performance. Prior to becoming a coach, Dawn spent over 30 years at Procter & Gamble with responsibility for businesses up to $12 billion in revenue and managing organizations of up to 3,000 people. Her experience includes startup, expansion and restructuring international markets in Asia, North America, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe. Dawn has guided 100’s of individuals, teams and organizations to achieve greater success through the confidence to push the boundaries of what is possible and deliver the extraordinary. Dawn is a Co-Active Coach with Certifications from the Coaches Training Institute and the International Coaching Federation. She holds a BS degree from the University of Rochester, is a member of Faculty at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management and speaks four languages. Dawn lives near Denver, CO with her family and enjoys snow skiing, traveling and reading cook books.

This is part of our P&G Alumni Coaching series diving deep on relevant career coaching topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their first free first session @ coaching.pgalums.com

"Be bolder sooner - it's not just about my career, it’s about life in general.” 

Alex Keith leads Procter & Gamble’s global Beauty business: the world’s 4th largest beauty company, with a $15 billion portfolio with six billion dollar brands. Alex is the only female CEO of a top 5 beauty company. Since taking leadership of P&G’s Beauty portfolio in 2017, Alex has driven the sector’s turnaround. As Executive Sponsor for Corporate Sustainability, Alex works alongside P&G’s Chief Sustainability Officer to guide the Company’s sustainability progress. She is also the company’s Executive Sponsor of LGBTQ+ Equality & Inclusion. During Alex’s 34 years with P&G, she has worked in Product Supply, Brand Management and General Management, spanning multiple categories across Fabric Care and Beauty, in North America, Asia, and Europe regions. In 2020, Alex was elected to Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Board of Directors. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband, Chris Keith.

"Ignore arrogance and make convenience meet relevance. Consider these elements to know what is convenient and relevant for the customer.” 

Bernd Pichler is Aston Martin’s Managing Director, Greater China. Bernd was previously Managing Director for Bentley Motors in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, where he oversaw all local operations and sales in the company’s second-largest region. Having lived and worked in Asia since 2005, Bernd has more than two decades of leadership experience and a track record of driving commercial growth in China for major automotive brands, including within the luxury segment.

This is part of our Chinese leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

"This type of work gives us agency — things become a choice versus us becoming victims of life led on autopilot.” 

Roula Clerc-Nassar is an seasoned leader and coach - as well as an expert on human understanding and insightful research. Roula’s focus is growing people and building high performing teams, as well as applying neuroscience to coaching to help create transformation and lasting change. Before founding Ellumine Consulting & Coaching, Roula spent 24 years in 2 leading Multinational companies: 

PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, where she began her career in Morocco before moving to the UK and later Switzerland. Her last position was Vice President of Insights at PepsiCo Europe. She is a national of 3 countries in 3 different continents and has worked with clients and teams across the globe. You’ll enjoy this candid coaching conversation on how to reconcile values that comes into conflict, and makeing thoughtful, intentional choices for work and life. 

This is a continuation of our series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their first free first session @ coaching.pgalums.com.

" I knew the why about my job, the why about lots of things in life. I hadn't really given thought to what I would call the deep questions of life. I started thinking about helping others in a fresh way.”

Denis Beausejour is an Author, Executive, Pastor, Papa (and Grandpapa) based in Cincinnati, OH. Denis recently published his first book, “The Biggest Idea Ever.” Denis started his career at P&G, where over the course of 22 years served in a variety of marketing and advertising rules, including executive assignments in Canada, Australia, Japan, China, and the US where he was the VP of Advertising before retiring. Following a spiritual adventure, Denis left P&G and completed seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, then led Answers for Life, the ministry of Dr. Henry Cloud before becoming Senior Pastor at Mariemont Church before retiring in 2022. Denis shares not just about his P&G career progression, but also about the makings and execution of a big career pivot that left some of his colleagues baffled, and the importance of passing down wisdom to the next generation of leaders, which in Denis’ case, is through his book. Denis has been married to his wife Marianne for 42 years, and enjoys spending time with his 4 children and 10 grandchildren, with their eleventh on the way. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about making big changes to lead a fulfilling life.

" We are a social species designed to work together — and this happens through so much more than words. It's in hundreds of unconscious things we do and notice when we're together.”

Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits in the marketing technology and agency world. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide and Mr. Clean - and Mr. Clean Auto Dry, and even Fit fruit and vegetable wash. Bob’s authored books and launched several successful newsletters . In his latest Substack newsletter - the Workaround (beheartly.substack.com) - Bob shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs. Bob’s latest pieces is titled "in person is a 10x" about the magic that comes when we get together - because you can't co-create something special without being in the same room.

LEARN ABOUT BOB -behearty.substack.com

This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out atpgalumpod@gmail.com

"A lot of these values and principles are very universal — it applies in China, but it applies anywhere.”

Trevor Lai is an award-winning entrepreneur, author and illustrator who published his first children's book at the age of seventeen. He is also the founder and CEO of Up Studios, a China-based production company — featured as one of the "Top 25 Animation Studios" in the world to watch by Animation Magazine. Up Studios - the creative force behind much loved Chinese shows like Piggy, Tomo and BOOMi - has received large investments from Chinese tech giant Tencent. When he’s not creating world-class animated stories, Trevor loves to play ice hockey in China and traveling around the world. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about creativity, inspiration, and perseverance .

This is the first in our series of Learning from Leaders from China - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"It truly is a matter of exploring, discovery, knowing your boundaries - to gradually get there. The key is to keep your eye on the North Star - what is it that makes you come alive?”

Bernice Ang is an Executive Coach who helps senior leaders design a purpose-centered personal brand, enabling them to integrate their work and personal lives so they can thrive, not just survive. Bernice started her career in Brand Management in P&G Asia Pacific. From there, she took on several Global Marketing leadership roles in the US with Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and Mars-Wrigley. Five years ago, Bernice left her corporate career to pursue her dream of becoming an Executive Coach. Today, she is among the top 4% of professional coaches who holds a Master Certified Coach designation, the highest credential awarded by the International Coach Federation. Bernice also helped co-found the P&G Alumni Network Coaching program, ringing together Professionally certified Executive Coaches with proven track records. You’ll enjoy this candid and very personal conversation about IKIGAI - the Japanese concept which encourages people to discover what truly matters to them - to live a life filled with purpose and joy.

This is a continuation of our series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their first free first session @ coaching.pgalums.com.

"How do you express what you want in a way that activates you, is unignorable, and automatically aligns your beliefs, your values, and how you show up in the world?”

Bonnie Wan knows what it feels like to struggle with burnout and uncertainty about where to go next. As a celebrated advertising strategist she spent years helping brands like Pepsi and BMW get clarity on their values and purpose, but she one day found herself mired and directionless in her own life–a “recovering perfectionist” with a crumbling marriage, a big job, and three young children. So she put her “work brain” to work - and sketched out a creative brief (one of the key tools of the ad trade) for herself, granting clarity on what was missing and what she really wanted in her life. Not only did “the Life Brief” save Bonnie’s marriage, recenter her parenting, and catapult her career (she was named Ad Age’s Chief Strategy Officer last year)—it has since gone on to help thousands of others through her speaking at Apple, Bain & Co, Change.org, Google, Goop, Jane Goodall’s “Activating Hope” Summit, SXSW and more. Her new book — “THE LIFE BRIEF: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living “ — creates a clear guide for anyone to break through life’s clutter and create deeper meaning through three simple stages: Get Messy. Get Clear. Get Active. This is a perfect conversation to help so many of us who seem to “have it all” yet feel restless or rudderless.

This is a past conversation from Raman’s other podcast, Modern Minorities, where each week we share minority conversations for all of our majority years. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation that we hope will provide new perspectives and learnings.

“It often pays to believe in people more than they believe in themselves. Give them a bit more than they think they can handle. And everyone is going to be rewarded.”

Stefan Homeister is the host of Leitwolf, a business podcast exploring the key to leadership performance sustainably and improving business results - where he’s had conversations with P&G Alums like David Taylor, Paul Polman, and many leaders beyond the Alumni universe. Stefan’s also the Founder of Stefan Homeister Leadership, a consultancy whose focus is on improving leadership performance and strategy via consulting, training, coaching, keynotes. Stefan’s held a diverse career as Sales & Marketing Director of SAB Miller Europe and CMO for T-Mobile Germany where he had P&L responsibility for more than $8 billion. Stefan started his career at Procter & Gamble in various sales and marketing roles in Frankfurt, Brussels, and Geneva before becoming the Marketing Director for Healthcare and Pharma DACH.

In this candid conversation - we’ll explore principles and ideas on leadership, branding, legacy, and what can can be learned through the lens of podcasts, conversations, and storytelling. Be sure to check out Leitwolf wherever you get your favorite podcasts. https://stefan-homeister-leadership.com/en/podcast

“There's no question — if you want to keep a brand viable, you have to continue innovating. If you don't, it's not going to last.”

Gordon Brunner, is P&G’s former Chief Technology Officer - leading the company’s technical community, and even serving on the Board of Directors. Gordon’s a returning P&G Alumni Podcast guest also the co-author of SUPERIOR PRODUCTS, a new book sharing a first-ever look at the technical innovations behind some of world’s leading consumer brands — as well as the systems, culture, and leadership principles that produced the products and sustained innovation. While many pay lip service to the importance of innovation and product superiority - Gordon and many other technical leaders know that words simply won’t cut it. Product superiority must be demanded, rewarded, and celebrated - with org structures and processes built to achieve it, led by senior line and R&D leadership, but importantly starting with the CEO and Board of Directors. In this conversation Gordon shares stories behind the products we love - what worked and didn’t - with lessons that are for more than just R&D’ers, but also rising business executives and students who want to foster an environment of innovation.

Check out SUPERIOR PRODUCTS as an eBook / Kindle, or wherever your favorite books are sold. And for even more of Gordon Brunner’s learnings from his time as P&G’s CTO, be sure check out our past podcast conversation from September 2021 and November 2022.

“I was speaking up to respected people in the industry and telling them they were wrong. But we were getting the story right.”

Geraldine Moriba’s a 5-time Emmy Award winning journalist, filmmaker, and advocate — the host and executive producer of “Sounds Like Hate,” a podcast by the Southern Poverty Law Center - documenting how American extremists become radicalized and how some of them change. Geraldine’s also SVP of of news and entertainment at The Grio - a black-owned media platform owned by businessman and philanthropist Byron Allen. A media and journalism veteran, Geraldine’s held senior roles at CNN, NBC, PBS, ABC, and CBC - including being vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion for CNN Worldwide. A Canadian-Jamaican living in New York, Geraldine’s never accepted setbacks on her journey - they were just challenges to overcome. From confronting racist administrators in college, to accepting a fax-machine invitation, Geraldine built a career that would always challenge for the right story to be told. You can learn more about Geraldine’s work at Soundslikehate.org // splcenter.org

This is a past conversation from Raman’s other podcast, Modern Minorities, where each week we share minority conversations for all of our majority years. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation that we hope will provide new perspectives and learnings.

“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.

This is a replay of a past episode, 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

“Enjoy the journey, take stock in how you're learning, how you're building your experience, your brand. It's that openness and that patience that actually creates the opportunities for exponential success.”

Andrew Swinand is the CEO of the Creative Group across all Publicis agencies, as well as the CEO of Leo Burnett

As CEO, Andrew leads the agency by emphasizing the power of transparency in regards to data, and balances that with the creativity needed to drive businesses forward for clients. He was also the founder and CEO of marketing startup, The Abundancy, and co-founded its holding company Abundant Venture Partners (AVP), an incubator focused on building media and healthcare companies. Prior to that, he was president of Starcom MediaVest Group, the world’s largest media agency. He also proudly served his country as a platoon leader in the U.S. Army. Andrew has been recognized by Advertising Age as a "Media Maven," and was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement in 2008. Andrew has founded 9 companies, with 7 exits. And even worked on the Reflect Brand at P&G. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about focusing on problems to solve, cultivating a curious soul, and practicing kind leadership.

“The thing that terrifies you the most is where all the gold is — and my experience is when you bust through, there's really incredible things on the other side.”

Katherine Vellinga is the Co-founder and CEO of Zirkova, an award-winning ultra-premium vodka brand. She is a Ukrainian Canadian who first pursued a career with P&G in Product Supply but after the fall of the Soviet Union, she left P&G and moved to a newly independent Ukraine. This is where Katherine developed her love for the origins and birthplace of vodka and was compelled to share this remarkable story of women Master Distillers, classical methods, and extraordinary spirits. Zirkova is now the top-selling vodka produced in Ukraine that is sold in Canada. More than just a brand, Katherine's vision for Zirkova is a reflection of her own beliefs, of standing for the freedom to be and celebrate who you are, to toast and acknowledge others, and to create special moments that bring people together, so that everyone feels like they are part of one table.  You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about creating moments that unite, not allowing fear to guide our decisions and creating a life by design vs default.

“A mentor is someone who advises you and helps you become smarter about your world. A sponsor is someone who advocates for you when you're not in the room and enables you to be better.”

Karen C. Francis serves as Chairman of the Board of Vontier, a global transportation / mobility technology company, as well as on the Board of Polestar Automotive and Senior Advisor to TPG Global. Karen made a name for herself as one of the youngest female leaders in the automotive industry, serving as General Manager of the $8 billion Oldsmobile Division of General Motors and then as Vice President of Ford Motor Company, where she was responsible for the corporate venture capital group and global technology-driven business strategies. Karen transitioned to Silicon Valley fifteen years ago and is deeply engaged with emerging automotive technology companies. Karen’ts career has also included executive positions at Procter & Gamble, Internet Capital Group, Bain & Company, Berol Corporation, and Publicis. Karen graduated from Dartmouth College and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. And is Owner of Limerick Lane Cellars, a 53 acre estate vineyard property in Northern California. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about mentorship and advocacy.

“We don't understand people we disagree with, and being challenged by the news is something people find refreshing. I figured I couldn't be the only person out there who wanted that — and it turns out I'm not.”

So it’s a new year, and it’s going to be an interesting one, so what better way to start 2024 by an introduction to a different perspective? P&G Alumni Co-host Rajiv Satyal - beyond being a world-class entertainer and comedian - also hosts the TanGent show, featuring conversations from fields of entertainment, politics, business, religion, and tech. Rajiv recently sat down with journalist Isaac Saul, whose newsletter and podcast TANGLE NEWS (ReadTangle.com) is an increasingly relevant source of independent, non-partisan source summarizing the best arguments from across the political spectrum on the news of the day. Rajiv and Isaac covered a lot of topics including the political makeup of Tangle’s audience, and how our news sources really dictate our outlook and discourse. It’s a down the middle approach that might give you some pause. So wherever you’re coming from, we hope you’ll enjoy this candid conversation about how and where we get our news for a very important year to come...

As 2023 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.

Heard something you missed? Be sure to go back and check out each guest’s full episode. Got a suggestion for a future episode? Send a note to pgalums@gmail.com — we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for your continued support of our Learnings from Leaders podcast!

“People are interconnected in India, there's an interdependence that doesn't exist here — a connectedness, a togetherness.”

To continue our series on travel - we’re going to (talk about) India, with co-hosts Sharad Lal and Rajiv Satyal, who also happen to be of Indian origin. At the turn of the century, many said India had gone through more change in 20 years than the West had gone through in a century. And now we’re another 20 years later. India is an emergent superpower on the world stage - some would argue a swing vote on the geopolitical map — with all the same sort of wonder people have romanticized over decades, but now also with all the social and political growing pains one would expect from such a...colorful country.

David Taylor & A.G. Lafley are two of P&G's Emeritus CEOs, who joined the recent recent P&G Alumni Global Conference in Washington DC for a candid conversation going beyond their personal stories - or even the stories of the day - to discuss their approaches to some of the broad challenges we have to face together, to meet the moment...

“There's a better way to live and work — Dan showed you can be effective and have a good time doing it.” “For someone to be in a rock band and talk like a rock star, and still have the command and respect of your business partners — it showed that you can get beyond stereotypes and be successful.”

Dan Hamilton was a longtime friend and mentor to many - an experienced marketing, media, and creative leader - who passed away suddenly last December of 2022. This is the second of two conversations with friends and colleagues who knew Dan - this one with two fellow P&G Digital Alums: Bob Arnold, now a Media Innovation leader at Google, and Aaron Fetters, now CEO of Transparent Partners. 

https://adage.com/article/opinion/ocean-spray-remembers-dan-hamilton/2459791

Dan Hamilton was a dreamer, a mentor, and someone who had a passion for coloring outside the lines and breaking all the rules, and bringing us along for the ride. Dan was a bandmate, a father, and a friend. He was born in Seattle in 1969 to Valerie and Vernon “Bud” Hamilton. Bud is a fellow P&G Alum who retired after 37 years as a VP in Sales, Marketing, and Governance, and one of the reasons Dan came to P&G. Dan grew up in Cincinnati later studied journalism and jazz guitar at the University of Cincinnati and CCM, he co-founded the band Spookfloaters, which he toured with, then went back get his Masters of Computer Science from Miami of Ohio, after which he joined P&G as one of the earliest digital marketing managers, starting in the beauty business on Olay. Dan quickly changed the game in digital, rising to become media leader of Olay, arguably one of P&G’s most innovative brands in marketing and media during Dan’s tenure. Over nearly 15 years Dan worked across Olay digital, Olay media, Olay design, P&G’s corporate brand, and personal care. Dan spent another seven years in Colorado as a marketing, media and creative leader @ WhiteWave Foods, as it later merged with Danone. In 2021 he joined Ocean Spray as the company’s Head of Marketing Center of Excellence. 

Across his entire career, Dan was a friend and mentor to the many who had the privilege of working with him. He was always one of the Alums we wanted to reconnect with on this Learnings from Leaders podcast, but we regret missing our chance. So to capture some of the “Learnings from Dan” - we wanted to share a few stories from those that knew him well. Got a Dan story? Please send an email or voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com - we’d love to hear it, and share with the many friends and family who survive him. We know you’ll enjoy this candid conversation about our good friend Dan.

“Don’t give up on the things that you believe are worth fighting for - Dan had this endless optimism - if you fought hard enough that you could make anything work.”

Dan Hamilton was a longtime friend and mentor to many - an experienced marketing, media, and creative leader - who passed away suddenly last December of 2022. This is the first of two conversations with friends and colleagues who knew Dan over the years - this one with Monisha Dabek, Chief Commercial Officer of Ocean Spray Cranberries, who was one of Dan’s friends and partners in his most recent professional adventures at Ocean Spray and Whitewave.

https://adage.com/article/opinion/ocean-spray-remembers-dan-hamilton/2459791

Dan Hamilton was a dreamer, a mentor, and someone who had a passion for coloring outside the lines and breaking all the rules, and bringing us along for the ride. Dan was a bandmate, a father, and a friend. He was born in Seattle in 1969 to Valerie and Vernon “Bud” Hamilton. Bud is a fellow P&G Alum who retired after 37 years as a VP in Sales, Marketing, and Governance, and one of the reasons Dan came to P&G. Dan grew up in Cincinnati later studied journalism and jazz guitar at the University of Cincinnati and CCM, he co-founded the band Spookfloaters, which he toured with, then went back get his Masters of Computer Science from Miami of Ohio, after which he joined P&G as one of the earliest digital marketing managers, starting in the beauty business on Olay. Dan quickly changed the game in digital, rising to become media leader of Olay, arguably one of P&G’s most innovative brands in marketing and media during Dan’s tenure. Over nearly 15 years Dan worked across Olay digital, Olay media, Olay design, P&G’s corporate brand, and personal care. Dan spent another seven years in Colorado as a marketing, media and creative leader @ WhiteWave Foods, as it later merged with Danone. In 2021 he joined Ocean Spray as the company’s Head of Marketing Center of Excellence. 

Across his entire career, Dan was a friend and mentor to the many who had the privilege of working with him. He was always one of the Alums we wanted to reconnect with on this Learnings from Leaders podcast, but we regret missing our chance. So to capture some of the “Learnings from Dan” - we wanted to share a few stories from those that knew him well. Got a Dan story? Please send an email or voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com - we’d love to hear it, and share with the many friends and family who survive him. We know you’ll enjoy this candid conversation about our good friend Dan.

“Things that are outside your control, be transparent — because oftentimes those collisions of change can create innovation.”

Carol Fusek is a Neuroleadership Institute brain-based coach who works with individuals, organizations and families to help them thrive. Currently based in Singapore, Carol was P&G’s Asia’s Associate Director of Customer Service & Logistics, where during her 26-year career with P&G she held various leadership roles. As a coach, Carol’s coaching is influenced by brain science and how it can shape leaders and teams. In this candid conversation, we discuss how brain based coaching can bring about lasting change. Carol shares about the SCARF model — which involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness — a powerful neuroscience based model for coaching. We explore hot topics - inclusion, psychological safety, trust. We talk about how leaders and organizations can prepare for change and a lot more.

This is a continuation of our series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their first free first session @ coaching.pgalums.com.

Thanksgiving’s always been special because it combines two universally loved things, being around friends and family, and food — some of the very topics we talk about on another podcast (of Raman's): MODERN MINORITIES, where we share minority voices for all our majority ears. So we decided to revisit of our favorite questions with some of our favorite FrieMMds of the Pod over the years:

Raman Sehgal (UK edition), Jieun Kirtley, Justin Richmond, Tyanne Benallie, Andres Barragan, Paris Hatcher, Steven Wakabayashi, Mira Jacob, Jonathan Hill, Gina Brillon, Ian Haddock, Dani Goulet, Gene Luen Yang, Sara Alfageeh, Bhavik Kumar, Aaliyah Habeeb, Tolentino, Seif Hamid, Nidhi Chanani, Victor Luckerson, Chirstina Lee, Sung Kang, and Mandi Sehgal

So enjoy some delicious - and not so delicious recos as you make your final run to pick up some last minute cranberry sauce (or chutney!). We hope you’re making the time to be with folks you care about, and find a moment to enjoy some great food with them. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours...

“Don’t look for conflicts — look for issues. Because every issue or problem is an opportunity to learn and grow.”

Kshitij Mulay is currently Sephora’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Asia - enabling the prestige beauty retailer win in digital, eCommerce and data in the omni channel world. Kshitij is a commercial tech leader with over 20 years experience across APAC in local, regional & global capacity. Prior to joining Sephora, Kshitij was the Global CIO for SK-II and has also served as P&G India CIO and Shared Services Leader. At P&G, Kshitij was a master trainer for the “Corporate Athlete” and “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” training programs in the company. An engineer & MBA by qualification, Kshitij is married with 1 daughter residing in Singapore. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the need for passion, honesty and a growth mindset - all in service of growing as a leader and finding purpose at work.

“It's not about how you get results from yourself but learning how you're going to get results through other people and how you bring other people along.”

Kenneth Chan is a seasoned CEO and Organization Leader with over 30 years experience in Fortune 500 companies such as P&G, McDonald’s, PepsiCo, and Singapore Airlines. Kenneth was McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer for China and Division President for the Greater China region between 2009 to 2015. Kenneth led an organization of 150,000 employees and oversaw the fastest period of expansion at that time — opening over 1,000 restaurants in the span of 5 years. Kenneth was awarded the prestigious "Overseas CEO Award" at the Singapore Business Awards (2014), as well as the "Leading CEO Award" by the Singapore Human Resources Institute (2007). Kenneth He now serves as a strategic advisor and executive mentor. You’ll enjoy this deep, humble conversation on creating one’s authentic leadership style, how Asians can become strong leaders, and importance of values during adversity.

“If somebody tells you no, from their perspective, they see ‘N-O’ — but from my side, I see ‘O-N’ — meaning it just turns me ON to try to say, ‘How can I prove somebody wrong?’ ”

Sophia Toh is a Professional Certified Coach with 20 years of experience in corporate finance, accounting, strategy, organizational, and entrepreneurial leadership. Sophia has worked for multi-billion brands leading organization development and transformation. Sophia served CFO of P&G’s subsidiary, Walker & Company Brands, and VP of Financial Transformation at Kraft Heinz. As a Coach, Sophia is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, a certified coach by the Gallup Clifton’s Strengths organization, Coach Diversity Institute, and Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder-Centered Coaching Center. She is also a certified trainer in the Four Stages of Psychological Safety™. Sophia is passionate about giving back to the community - volunteering in nonprofit organizations and alumni networks, mentoring and providing coaching pro-bono for students and early career professionals, leveraging her expertise and experience to pay forward and impact the world positively. Her company, Illuminate U Coaching was featured by ManageHR Magazine in 2022 as one of the top 10 emerging leadership development companies in the US.After hundreds of coaching sessions and clients, Sophia had the honor of witnessing incredible success stories – helping individuals find their voice, step into their confidence, and taking giant leaps toward their dream roles. 

This is a continuation of our series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their first free first session @ coaching.pgalums.com.

“I was non-traditional, with so many stereotypes — this gives me every right to win, because they will always underestimate the power that you have when you're in a space where they don't see you belonging.

Derrick Booker is currently the SVP and Head of brand for Thayers Natural Remedies at L’Oreal, but has had a varied path before joining a beauty-focused company. Armed with a degree in microbiology from Miami University, Derrick started his career with medical and consumer brand marketing roles in Oral Care at P&G. He is an accomplished research scientist having led the clinical claims support strategy as a Clinical Trial Manager for P&G’s North American Oral Care R&D organization. Derrick then went on to join Pfizer, where he worked on prescription to over-the-counter switching, Advil and Pediatric brands. In 2020, Derrick was recognized among the top 100 under 50 emerging and executive leaders, by Diversity MBA Chicago and continues to inspire leaders with his authentic leadership and focus on building relationships and leaning into our truths. You’ll enjoy this authentic, candid conversation about reframing feelings of not belonging and being underestimated to surprise others with personal excellence.

“Sometimes there is a thin line between success and failure - so I'd rather seek help and succeed. Reach out to the right people and ask for help. People open doors because that's how they have succeeded. "

Sundar Raman is the CEO of P&G Fabric & Home Care - the company’s largest business sector representing a third of the company’s sales and net earnings. Sundar began his P&G career as a market analyst in India in 1998 and soon moved to the United States, where he worked in a variety of roles, from business intelligence to marketing, in P&G Beauty. In 2008, he joined NA Fabric Care to lead innovation and marketing, and in 2019 was appointed President Fabric Care North America and P&G Professional, expanding his responsibilities to Global Home Care in 2020. Along the way, Sundar has consistently demonstrated a track record of results and, importantly, a commitment to empowering people. Sundar is aware of his impact on the organization and those around them and strives to be available when someone needs him, especially a mentee seeking help, challenges his own implicit biases and works with his team to foster an inclusive environment. Sundar is a visionary leader with broad expertise and a passion for innovation and our conversation today reflects his passion for diversity, mentorship and finding a path that works for the individual. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the importance of being present to those in need, and always finding a better, third way.

“Don't wait for that bravery moment, that hero moment until you call yourself courageous. You are here for a reason, and that's usually reaching out to the world, and not getting smaller.”

Florence Marie Guesnet is an experienced, empathic trainer and coach where she currently focuses on topics such as “courage in life, courage in leadership,” self-leadership, and strategy consulting. Florence has been trained as a coach since 2015 and has been a “Professional Certified Coach” with the largest International Coaching Association ICF since 2020. She was a member of the Program Commission 2015 of the annual ESOMAR- Congress and “Marketer of the Year” 2014 Cannes Lions. Florence studied economics in Wuppertal with a focus on “work and personnel” after qualifying as a garment seamstress. And has extensive executive experience at companies like Estée Lauder, Melitta, Heineken, and Procter & Gamble. Florence speaks German, English, and French, enjoys playing golf, going running and doing yoga, and currently lives in Germany with her husband.

This is a continuation of our series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their free first coaching session @ coaching.pgalums.com.

You’ll enjoy this candid coaching conversation on having courage in life and in leadership.

“Inclusion starts at our kitchen tables. If you aren't building cross-cultural relationships - actively learning about a lived experience not your own - how do you expect to show up differently as an inclusive leader?”

Mita Mallick is a corporate change-maker, and the author of a new book  — Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace. Mita’s an outspoken share of innovative and thought-provoking ideas in the area of inclusion and equity — and has a track record of transforming businesses. Mita's currently Carta’s head of Inclusion, equity and Impact, and the co-host of Brown Table Talk, a top LinkedIn podcast where she helps break down the challenges women of color face in the workplace. Mita’s extensive career - as a fierce advocate of including and representing Black and Brown communities - has crossed orgs like Carta, Unilever, Pfizer, AVON, Johnson & Johnson and more - as she’s a sought after speaker and coach to start-up founders, executives, and public CEOs. Mita’s a LinkedIn Top Voice, a contributor for Harvard Business Review, Adweek, Entrepreneur and Fast Company, and has been featured in the The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Forbes, Axios, Essence, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Business Insider. 

This is a conversation from Raman’s other podcast, Modern Minorities, where each week we share minority conversations for all of our majority years. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about Mita’s experiences and learnings from her new - and confront our own biases and myths. You can order Mita’s book here: 

Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace

https://www.amazon.com/Reimagine-Inclusion-Debunking-Transform-Workplace/dp/1394177097

“There is no formula. There is no direct path. Everybody has to pivot at times in their life. Don't always be looking for the next thing because you won’t be happy in the moment.”

Ana Malmqvist, is the CMO of Front Burner Brands, which owns Melting Pot, the world’s premier fondue restaurant. Ana’s love for beauty products took her to L’oreal right out of business school where she advanced throughout various roles before an inflection point and deciding to move to P&G Beauty as an experienced hire. At P&G Ana worked in Brand Management on Max Factor Cosmetics across North America and Western Europe, as well as on the Prestige Fine Fragrances business on brands like Hugo Boss, Giorgio Beverly Hills, Helmut Lang, and Hervé Leger Parfum. When she left P&G to be closer to family, she entered the hospitality industry - delivering unforgettable experiences via marketing as the VP of Product Marketing at Bloomin’ Brands. Ana has a love for translating marketing to the consumer, in large part due to her language skills developed as a child and learning the art of speaking others’ languages. Ana continues to use her language skills to bring together multi-functional groups she works with and in her mentoring of others. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about the inflection points that change life’s path, and how to find balance and maintain curiosity along the way.

“We are most successful from the core of who we are - don't change into somebody else. But at the same time, what is it about your leadership style that is getting in the way?”

Carol Yang is a certified Global Executive Coach (ICF PCC) with 23 years of global leadership experience across Fortune 500 companies - like P&G and the Timberland Company, where she was VP of Global marketing. As an Executive Coach, Carol works with senior leaders around the world, with an emphasis on empowering female leaders to move up and thrive in bigger, more complex roles. Carol’s clients include senior leaders at Goldman Sachs, Merck, P&G, Agile Technology and others.

Going beyond her own career journey, Carol shares relevant advice on the mindset shift needed to ascend into senior executive roles. This is the first in a series with P&G Alumni Coaching where leading Alumni will dive deep on relevant topics. Just as professional athletes have a coach to help them perform at their best, coaching can help you thrive in career and life life, through powerful questioning, exploration, and action planning. P&G Alums can learn more and sign up for their free first coaching session @ coaching.pgalums.com

You’ll enjoy this candid coaching conversation with Carol on not just the big mindset mindset needed for executive growth, but also how to get clear on what we want, taking ownership of your career, building self awareness, and going beyond the buzzwords of building an authentic personal brand.

“Make the time to scratch beneath the surface in each state. Spending time with the people - in the cities, in the towns, at the restaurants - you're always going to uncover something.”

Part TWO of our USA Travel series - across all 50 states of the USA with Raman and podcast co-founder Drew Tarvin - author of “The United States of Laughter” - as they share stories and learnings from their travels across America - from Nebraska to Wyoming. See last week’s episode for the first part, from Alabama to Montana.

Got some travel learnings from anywhere in the world? Send a voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com, and maybe we'll feature your story on a future episode!

And don’t forget to register for the P&G Alumni Global Conference in Washington DC - November 2-5, 2023. You'll get to hear from many former P&G CEOs, C-Suite alumni leaders, and emerging trendsetters, all while networking with fellow P&G Alums. Learn more and register at pgalums.com

“It's so easy to go onto the next thing - but take that moment to stop and celebrate small and big wins.”

We’re returning to one of our favorite topics - TRAVEL - turning our focus to the strange and foreign land known as the United States of America. Raman is joined by podcast co-founder Drew Tarvin - author of “The United States of Laughter” - as they share stories and learnings from their travels to all 50 American states, in the first of a two-part series, covering from Alabama to Montana.

Got some travel learnings from anywhere in the world? Send a voice memo to pgalumpod@gmail.com, and maybe we'll feature your story on a future episode!

And don’t forget to register for the P&G Alumni Global Conference in Washington DC - November 2-5, 2023. You'll get to hear from many former P&G CEOs, C-Suite alumni leaders, and emerging trendsetters, all while networking with fellow P&G Alums. Learn more and register at pgalums.com