Procter & Gamble (P&G) is America’s biggest maker of householdproducts, with at least 250 brands in six main categories: laundry andcleaning (detergents), paper goods (toilet paper), beauty care (cosmetics,shampoos), food and beverages (coffee, snacks), feminine care (sanitarytowels) and health care (toothpaste, medicine).

P&G’s famous brands include Ariel, Pantene, Head & Shoulders,Fabreze, Sunny Delight, and Oil of Olaz. About half of P&G’s sales comefrom its top ten brands.

P&G also makes pet food and PUR water filters and produces thesoap operas Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Finally, P&G produceschemicals. Today, P&G markets its products to more than five billionconsumers in 130 countries. Thecompany has on-the-ground operationsin over 70 countries around the world,and employs more than 106,000people. Last year’s (2000) turnoverequalled $37 billion [￡25.6 billion].

P&G is one of the world’sbiggest advertisers. AdvertisingAge estimates a 1999 media spend of $4.7billion [￡3.3billion], of whicharound $3billion [￡2.1billion] was outside the US, making it the world’s #2advertiser.

Fortune 500 lists America’s Top Performing Companies. P&G ranks#39 on the list, before its main competitor Johnson & Johnson (#57) andKimberly-Clark (#142). P&G also outperforms Unilever and Nestle, thecompany’s main competitors overseas .

Bo b McDo n a l d i s t h ecurrent Chairman of the Board,President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Procter & Gamble.

He ha s ne a r ly 30 ye a r s ofP&G brand-building, marketdevelopment, global businessunit and global operationsleadership experience across the Company and throughout the world.

Bob’s strategy for P&G’s growth in the decade ahead is linked tightlyto the Company’s Purpose. He has committed to build P&G’s business bytouching and improving more consumers’ lives in more parts of the world,more completely, a strategy that he expects will help P&G reach five billionconsumers in the decade ahead, which is roughly double the number ofconsumers P&G was reaching a decade ago.

They shared Purpose attracts and unites an extraordinary group ofpeople, P&Gers, around the world—the most diverse workforce in P&Ghistory. Together, they represent around 140 nationalities. Their recruitingand development philosophy to “build from within” fosters a strong cultureof trust and shared experiences. Their diversity, their shared culture andtheir unified Purpose are the defining elements that enable P&G to touchlives and improve life every day.