Procter & Gamble is elevating an operations veteran with world expertise to guide the patron items behemoth because it navigates an formidable workforce restructuring, tariffs, and geopolitical headwinds. The management shuffle comes a month after P&G introduced it could lower 7,000 jobs, equal to about 15% of its non-manufacturing workforce.
Chief working officer Shailesh Jejurikar, 58, will formally take the reins on Jan. 1, 2026, the corporate introduced on Monday. Present CEO Jon Moeller will transition to an govt chairman function, the place he’ll lead the board and advise Jejurikar, the corporate mentioned. There’s no timeline for Moeller within the govt chair seat; the P&G board will decide how lengthy he’ll stick round.
P&G chief communications officer Damon Jones instructed Fortune Moeller leaves behind a robust observe report and legacy at P&G. The corporate ranks 149 on the Fortune 500 and is nineteenth on the World’s Most Admired Corporations record.
“We thank Jon for his strategic management and steerage as he has performed a pivotal function in designing and implementing P&G’s built-in portfolio, superiority, productiveness and group technique, as a part of probably the most vital transformations within the firm’s historical past,” mentioned Joe Jimenez, lead impartial director on P&G’s board. “The corporate has continued to constantly ship robust development and worth creation by way of Jon’s regular management as CEO. A powerful plan is in place for sustained success and now could be the time to transition to Shailesh as CEO. We’re lucky and grateful to have Jon proceed as Government Chairman.”
Jejurikar has served as COO since 2021 and beforehand held the function of chief govt of worldwide cloth and residential care. From 2016 to 2021, Jejurikar was the manager sponsor of worldwide sustainability at P&G, the place he led the mixing of the corporate’s sustainability objectives into enterprise operations with a deal with optimistic affect on surroundings and society whereas creating worth for shareholders, his LinkedIn states.
P&G pays Jejurikar $1.6 million in wage with a possible bonus valued at $3.2 million. The board awarded him long-term fairness valued at $14 million, evenly cut up between efficiency shares and long-term incentive awards. Final yr, Jejurikar made $10 million as COO, whereas Moller’s complete compensation was valued at $23 million.
From Head Boy to CEO
P&G was based in 1837 by English-born candlemaker William Procter and Irish-born cleaning soap maker James Gamble. Apart from a quick stint between 1999 and 2000 when P&G was led by Netherlands-born Durk Jager, Jejurikar—a naturalized citizen—would be the second CEO born outdoors the U.S. to guide the corporate.
His rise to the highest at P&G got here after a childhood spent in India. Jejurikar instructed the P&G Alumni podcast in 2023 he began his education in an space outdoors Mumbai, which he described as being “just about in the course of nowhere.” The closest college was a 45-minute drive away, he mentioned.
He moved to Hyderabad in eighth grade and began boarding college as a junior. Jejurikar mentioned his highschool years in Hyderabad helped him actually discover himself. He found cricket, a sport he excelled at and performed competitively each Sunday. In twelfth grade, he was named head boy of the varsity, which supplied him an actual probability at management.
Jejurikar mentioned considered one of his principal life classes got here throughout his time as head boy. College students normally awakened within the morning, went to PE, got here again to their dorms and showered earlier than going to a research hour. As head boy, it was Jejurkar’s job to ensure everybody’s rooms had been so as and beds had been made. He usually made his mattress each morning earlier than he left for PE, however he was speeding at some point and forgot. As he was checking different college students’ rooms to ensure they’d tidied up, he realized he had forgotten to make his personal mattress.
Jejurikar mentioned he ultimately realized his chemistry trainer had found the error, made the mattress, and by no means talked about a phrase about it to Jejurikar—no remark, no lecture, nothing.
“It left me with the most important lesson, Jejurikar mentioned. “What I took away from that was by no means to ask anybody to do one thing I wouldn’t do myself.”
Jejurikar went to school in Bombay after which bought his MBA from the Indian Institute of Administration in Lucknow. P&G employed him as an assistant model supervisor in 1989, and he has labored for the corporate in varied cities everywhere in the world within the a long time since.
Develop Your Personal CEO
P&G famously employs a “construct from inside” tradition and in its 174-year historical past has by no means employed a CEO from outdoors its personal ranks. Executives with a 30-year observe report on the firm are extra the rule quite than the exception, P&G has mentioned.
Former celebrity CEO A.G. Lafley, who took over after Jager stepped apart lower than two years into the function, served from 2000 to 2009 earlier than Bob McDonald succeeded him. McDonald navigated the enterprise by way of the worldwide monetary disaster and in 2013, the P&G board introduced again Lafley for a second act as a boomerang CEO, quite than look outdoors.
Certainly one of Lafley’s principal priorities after he got here again for a second stint was to focus the board on succession planning for his alternative. He handed the baton in 2015 to David Taylor, who served as CEO from 2015 to 2021, and as govt chairman from 2021 to 2022.
The restructuring plan Jejurikar is inheriting includes exiting sure manufacturers, divestitures, and market exits, the corporate defined in a sequence of slides offered on the Deutsche Financial institution Shopper Convention in Paris final month.
“I’m honored to function P&G’s CEO,” mentioned Jejurikar in a firm assertion. “P&G folks, our manufacturers, and our capabilities in innovation and operational excellence gas my confidence for a way forward for sustained development and worth creation.”
“It has been an honor to function CEO of P&G, and I’m extremely pleased with the worth created by the folks of P&G by way of an built-in technique that’s being executed with excellence,” mentioned Moeller. “I stay up for supporting Shailesh and your complete group as they proceed to enhance the efficiency and worth of P&G manufacturers and classes to win with customers and clients all over the world.”
