David S. Taylor

Last updated
David Taylor
Born
David Scott Taylor

(1958-04-20) April 20, 1958 (age 65)
Education Duke University (BS)
Occupation(s)Executive Chairman, Procter & Gamble

David Scott Taylor (born April 20, 1958) is an American business executive who is executive chairman of Procter & Gamble, having previously been chairman, president and CEO. [1]

Contents

Early life

David Taylor was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, and graduated from Duke University in 1980 with a B.S. in electrical engineering.

Career

Upon graduation, he joined Procter & Gamble as a production manager. Taylor spent the first decade of his career in P&G's Product Supply organization, where he managed production and operations at a number of plants, eventually managing P&G's manufacturing plant in Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. This experience gave him hands-on understanding of manufacturing, logistics, engineering, and supply chain operations. [2]

In the early 1990s, Taylor was transferred to the brand management department, his first assignment being Pampers—P&G's largest brand. Since then, he has held leadership roles spanning a number of P&G businesses, including Baby Care, Hair Care, Family Care, and Home Care in which he expanded businesses across North America, Western Europe, and Asia. He also led P&G's Greater China hair care business for nearly four years. [3]

Taylor was Group President of P&G's Beauty Sector and P&G's Grooming and Health Care Sector which included the brands of Crest, Oral-B, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Olay, SK-II, Gillette, Fusion, Mach 3, and Vicks. [4]

According to The Economist , as CEO, Taylor is “thought to be moving P&G in the right direction (albeit too slowly for investors’ taste).” [5]

In January 2019, Taylor said in Switzerland: "The world would be a better place if my board of directors on down is represented by 50% of the women. We sell our products to more than 50% of the women." The Wall Street Journal noted the company's board of directors has more than twice as many men as it does women. [6]

Outside interests

Earlier in his career, Taylor was vice chair of the Greater China Quality Brand Protection Committee, a collaboration between top companies and the Chinese government. He has been a director of P&G's joint venture with Clorox. Taylor was on the Board of Directors for Feeding America for eight years, including two years as board chair. He continues to be a member of the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank. [7] In addition, Taylor is a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. [8]

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References

  1. "David S. Taylor Appointed P&G President and Chief Executive Officer". News.pg.com. 2015-07-28. Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  2. "Who is David Taylor? Those who know him speak about CEO-apparent at Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) - Insider - Story". Wcpo.com. 2015-07-27. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  3. "David S. Taylor : CV" (PDF). Pg.com. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  4. "Big moves at P&G as a contender for CEO emerges and another recedes". Fortune. 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  5. "An epic but inconsequential proxy vote at Procter & Gamble". The Economist . 12 October 2017.
  6. JAMES FREEMAN (29 January 2019). "Gillette, Masculinity and 'Authenticity'". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 30 January 2019. The world would be a better place if my board of directors on down is represented by 50% of the women. We sell our products to more than 50% of the women" [...] the company's website suggests that the potentially toxic males outnumber the females by more than two-to-one.
  7. "2009 Annual Report : Advancing Hop for a Hunger-Free America" (PDF). Feedingamerica.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  8. "Board of Visitors | Duke University's Fuqua School of Business". Fuqua.duke.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-10-14.