Ep. 7: Patrice Louvet, Group President at Procter & Gamble

Connections Leadership Series Podcast

My latest interview is with Patrice Louvet who is the Group President of Global Beauty at P&G. Patrice oversees some of the world most iconic brands such as Olay, Secret, Old Spice, Pantene, Herbal Essences, Gillette and more. I found Patrice incredibly down to earth but his professional track record shows that he is anything but laid back. He has achieved so much in his career and has always been a high performer. I've come across many global leaders but Patrice certainly stands out as one of the top with international experiences after living and working in countries like France, Switzerland, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. He touches on a couple of key points that really resonate with me. The first is on focus. Focus on the few things that really matter as everything else is just noise. The second is that to guarantee success, you have to make others around you successful. There is plenty of wisdom in this interview and I think you'll enjoy it.

This Podcast is brought to you by Exact Media, which works with brands to sample their products using the excess space in eCommerce parcels. Companies like P&G, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oréal, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have all used Exact Media to reach consumers in their homes. Learn more at www.exactmedia.io.

Here are some of the key highlights:

- To pay for tuition in College, he hustled and ended up writing a book, Exporter aux États-Unis, on the challenges of importing French goods into the United States. The book ended up getting published and he used the proceeds to fund his College tuition.

- His first job was in the French Navy (which was mandatory at the time in France) where he had to manage the driver, the assistant and the cook for one of the Admirals. Funny fact was that he had to recite the menu every day in the form of rhyming poetry.

- His first job at P&G was actually not in beauty or haircare but as a brand assistant on Mr. Clean.

- The role that gave him confidence that he could one day progress to a senior leadership position at P&G was when he was sent over to help turnaround a very sick Japanese and South Korean haircare business. He initially turned down the role as he had no interest in Asia both personally and professionally. Interestingly enough, the last two CEOs at P&G, A.G. Lafley and Bob MacDonald both oversaw the Japanese business at one point in their careers as it has always been considered one of the most challenging international assignments.

- In Japan, the first six months were horrendous. He tried to do way too much early on, from upgrading the packaging, to changing personnel and to modifying the brand portfolio. Early on, he failed to connect with his team and didn't share his vision for the business. The biggest punch to the stomach came when his head of consumer research (a Japanese woman) said to him that she didn't think it was going to work out for him. At the time, it felt like utter failure. All of that combined with moving his family over to a country where he could not speak the language or even buy milk for his young daughter. It was a miserable period of time.

- The two things that he feels sets him apart. The first is that he's committed to making other people successful. The best way to be successful is to make others successful. The second thing is that he listens more than he speaks. He often cites the Chinese Proverb, "you have two years and one mouth, and there's a reason for that."

- It's essential for people to have international assignments if their aspirations are to become a key leader within the organization. The ability to decipher different behaviors through various cultural lenses is critical to being a leader of a global business.

- He actually quit P&G in his early 30s. He received an offer to join McKinsey and also was given the opportunity to be the assistant to Sergio Zyman (CMO of Coca Cola at the time). Patrice made the decision to move to Atlanta to work alongside Sergio but shortly after, P&G counter offered him with an assignment to the UK where he would move into the beauty business. He feels that it's healthy and not a betrayal to explore other career opportunities. It's a reality check on whether you really want to commit to the company that you're currently in.

- In order for his children to receive an education in a French-American school, he made the decision to live in New York. This has required an immense amount of travel as Gillette is based in Boston, P&G is based in Cincinnati and he has direct reports all over the world. He travels at least a week a month to different cities around the world, rotating regions. With the heavy travel schedule, he works very hard to protect the weekend so that he can spend time with his family. In order to stay fresh, he does a lot of sports. On weekends, he has a personal trainer that comes in and he's regularly playing tennis, golf and finds time to cycle on Sundays. Lastly, he sleeps! The quality of his sleep is highly correlated with his productivity at work.

- On advice he'd give to his 25-year old self, he has a few. The first would be to cherish the moment more. Carpe Diem is latin for "Seize the Day". Rather than always thinking about the future so much, enjoy the moment. The second advice would be to stay focused. One can get caught up in so many different activities that don't really move the needle forward. Instead, focus on the things that truly matter. The third advice would be to focus on the outside world more. Find out what's happening in other industries and in other worlds that could interest you both personally and professionally. He doesn't think that your company will necessarily give you the space and time. You have to intentionally carve out time in your own calendar to spend in the field or at conferences.