Success to speak at commencement
President of Procter & Gamble will give his words of wisdom
Katie Rosenbaum
Contributing News Editor
businessweek.com
Chairman, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble, Alan G. Lafley will speak at this year’s commencement ceremony. Lafley has made contributions to Xavier and the greater Cincinnati community.
As chairman, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble, whose company tries to touch and improve lives, Alan G. Lafley represents values that the graduates of the Class of 2007 should try to exemplify.
Because of his values and his contributions to P&G and to the community of Xavier, Cincinnati and the world, Lafley will be the undergraduate speaker at the Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m. on May 19 in Cintas Center.
Also at the ceremony, Lafley will be honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris cacuasa ,because of his vision, his implementation of new ideas, his impact in the world and his willingness to act and give generously.
Lafley has been P&G’s president and chief executive since 2000 and in 2002 also added chairman to his title. He helped to stop P&G’s downward trend and increase the holdings and profits. In 2005, he oversaw the acquisition of Gillette, which is currently P&G’s largest acquisition.
Futhermore, Lafley has had a larger impact than merely increasing the monetary worth of the organization. He introduced new thinking into the management of P&G, which emphasized creativity and the power of the customer.
Lafley is involved in the community and has previously served on the Board of Trustees at Xavier. Currently, Lafley is on the board of trustees of Hamilton College, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund, and is a member of the board of directors for United Negro College Fund, General Electric and the American Society of Corporate Executives.
Before becoming president and CEO, Lafley had been an employee of P&G since 1977. Lafley graduated from Hamilton College in New York, received a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and enlisted in the Navy after graduation.
Lafley began working for P&G under the Joy dishwashing liquid account, and was appointed vice-president in 1992. In 1999, he became president of P&G’s global beauty care where he increased profits, customer service and production of products.
At P&G, Lafley emphasizes ethics, management performance and responsibility. At the Commencement Ceremony, Lafley will impart some of his knowledge and experience to new Xavier graduates.
