True Leadership is Treating Others — John Pepper stories

“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 [email protected]

“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 [email protected] — and we may just feature it on a future episodeThis 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 [email protected]

“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 [email protected]

“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 MehraSPECIAL 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 [email protected] — 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/23a8c953e3dfd1e5amazon.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.