A.G. Lafley

A.G. Lafley
Born Alan George Lafley
(1947-06-13) June 13, 1947[1]
Keene, New Hampshire
Alma mater Hamilton College
Harvard Business School
Occupation Executive Chairman, Procter & Gamble

Alan George "A.G." Lafley (born June 13, 1947) is an American businessman and executive chairman of Procter & Gamble, previously serving as chairman, president and CEO.[2]

As CEO, Lafley is credited with revitalizing P&G [3] under the mantra “Consumer is Boss,”[4] with a focus on billion dollar brands like Crest, Tide, and Pampers.[5] But he also brought in several new brands, like Swiffer and Febreze, by merging P&G’s internal resources with outside “open” innovation, referred to as Connect + Develop.[6]

Prior to rejoining P&G in 2013, Lafley consulted on business and innovation strategy,[7] advising on CEO succession and executive leadership development, and coaching experienced, new, and potential CEOs.[8]

Early Years and Business Legacy

Lafley graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, and earned an A.B. from Hamilton College in 1969. In 1970, after beginning a doctoral program at the University of Virginia,[9] he took a commission with the U.S. Navy as a supply officer during the Vietnam War. Afterwards, he studied at Harvard Business School, receiving his M.B.A. in 1977. He joined P&G upon his graduation.

With Lafley leading the company for most of the 2000s, P&G more than doubled sales since the beginning of the decade. During that time, the company’s portfolio of billion-dollar brands grew from 10 to 24 (including former brands Folgers and Actonel)[10] and the number of brands with sales between $500 million and $1 billion increased five-fold with Lafley at P&G’s helm.[11]

On average, P&G's annual organic sales grew 5%, annual core earnings-per-share grew 12%, and free cash flow productivity averaged 112% a year since 2001.[12] Further, during Lafley’s tenure, the Company’s market capitalization more than doubled, making P&G one of the five most valuable companies in the U.S. and among the 10 most valuable companies in the world.[13]

Lafley is credited with making P&G a more consumer-driven and externally focused company—and with shaping a far more diverse, open, curious and courageous, connected and collaborative culture in which "innovation is everyone’s job."[14]

Recognition and Thought-Leadership

A.G. is broadly recognized for his business leadership. He was awarded "CEO of the Year 2006" by Chief Executive Magazine[15] and the Peter G. Peterson Award for Business Statesmanship presented by the CED in 2009.[16] In 2010, Lafley received the Edison Achievement Award, in recognition of his contributions to innovation, marketing, and human-centered design.[17] He was also recognized with the 2010 Hall of Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.[18] In 2011, Lafley was awarded the Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence[19] and inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame.[20] In 2012, Lafley was inducted into the prestigious Advertising Hall of Fame.[21]

In 2008, Lafley and strategy consultant Ram Charan published The Game Changer, an operating manager's guide to turning innovation into strategic advantage. Business Week selected The Game Changer as one of the year's "Top Ten Business Books." Mr. Lafley has also authored several critically acclaimed articles for Harvard Business Review, including “What Only the CEO Can Do” (May, 2009),[22] “Executive Pay: Time for CEOs to Take a Stand” (May, 2010),[23] “I Think of My Failures as a Gift” (April 2011),[24] and “The Art and Science of Finding the Right CEO” (October, 2011)[25] co-authored with notable author and leadership consultant, Noel M. Tichy.

In 2013, Lafley and Roger Martin wrote Playing to Win, a practical approach to winning strategy--explaining what strategy is for (winning) and what it’s about (choice).[26]

References

  1. ↑ "P&G Biography".
  2. ↑ "A.G. Lafley to Become Executive Chairman".
  3. ↑ A. G. Lafley, Alumni Achievement Awards, Harvard Business School
  4. ↑ Turning the Tide at P&G, US News &amp World Report, 22 October 2006
  5. ↑ "P&G: New and Improved", BusinessWeek, 7 July 2003
  6. ↑ "P&G's New Innovation Model", Harvard Business School, 20 March 2006
  7. ↑ "Business Icons Unite at Elite Leadership Program".
  8. ↑ "G100 Advisors".
  9. ↑ Marketplace.org A.G. Lafley's Bio Retrieved January 23, 2012
  10. ↑ "P&G sells pharmacy business for $3.1 billion".
  11. ↑ "Speaker Biographies".
  12. ↑ "Procter amp; Gamble Chairman to Retire".
  13. ↑ "Procter amp; Gamble: At a Glance". Forbes.
  14. ↑ "A must read book The Game-Changer by A. G. Lafley and Ram Charan".
  15. ↑ "2006 CEO of the Year Award: AG Lafley, Procter & Gamble CEO".
  16. ↑ "Peter G. Peterson Award for Business Statesmanship: AG Lafley".
  17. ↑ "Chairman of P&G, A.G. Lafley, and President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Susan Hockfield, Awarded Prestigious Edison Achievement Award".
  18. ↑ "Grocery Manufacturers Association Recognizes Former Procter & Gamble Executive A.G. Lafley with Hall of Achievement Award".
  19. ↑ "Anthony Von Mandl and A.G. Lafley Receive the 2011 Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence".
  20. ↑ "IndustryWeek 2011 Hall of Fame: In a Class by Themselves"
  21. ↑ "The Coca-Cola Company, Seven Legendary Individual Inductees Headline 63rd Advertising Hall of Fame".
  22. ↑ "What Only the CEO Can Do".
  23. ↑ "Executive Pay: Time for CEOs to Take a Stand".
  24. ↑ "I Think of My Failures as a Gift".
  25. ↑ "The Art and Science of Finding the Right CEO".
  26. ↑ "Are You Playing to Win – Or Just Playing?".

External links

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