Alan George "A.G." Lafley (born in 1947) is the Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble. Originally retired in 2010, he rejoined the Company on May 23, 2013.
As CEO, Lafley is credited with revitalizing P&G under the mantra "Consumer is Boss," with a focus on billion dollar brands like Crest, Tide, and Pampers. 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.
Prior to rejoining P&G in 2013, Lafley consulted on business and innovation strategy, advising on CEO succession and executive leadership development, and coaching experienced, new, and potential CEOs.
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, 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, where he worked until his retirement.
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) and the number of brands with sales between $500 million and $1 billion increased five-fold with Lafley at P&G's helm.
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. 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.
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."
A.G. is broadly recognized for his business leadership. He was awarded "CEO of the Year 2006" by Chief Executive Magazine and the Peter G. Peterson Award for Business Statesmanship presented by the CED in 2009. In 2010, Lafley received the Edison Achievement Award, in recognition of his contributions to innovation, marketing, and human-centered design. He was also recognized with the 2010 Hall of Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the Grocery Manufacturers Association. In 2011, Lafley was awarded the Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence and inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame. In 2012, Lafley was inducted into the prestigious Advertising Hall of Fame.
In 2008, Lafley and renowned 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." He has also authored several critically acclaimed articles for Harvard Business Review, including "What Only the CEO Can Do" (2009), "Executive Pay: Time for CEOs to Take a Stand" (2010), "I Think of My Failures as a Gift" (2011), and "The Art and Science of Finding the Right CEO" (2011) 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).