A.G. Lafley, a 1969 graduate of Hamilton College, has rejoined Procter & Gamble as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. He will also serve the world’s largest household goods manufacturer as chairman of its board of directors. Lafley, who majored in French and history at Hamilton, was P&G’s president and CEO from 2000 to 2009.
“A.G. Lafley is a bold, strategic thinker,” said Hamilton College President Joan Hinde Stewart. “He became chair of the Hamilton Board of Trustees around the time of the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression. While many colleges retreated, he suggested we use the moment to take bold steps and assert our mission. His emphasis on boldness inspired us to look for opportunities to address specific challenges head on.
“Hamilton adopted a need-blind policy in admission,” Stewart said, “and began constructing new facilities for the visual and performing arts.”
Lafley has also been a strong supporter of career services at Hamilton, Stewart said, and believes the liberal arts are an excellent preparation for a successful career.
“The formula for businesses trying to compete in today's economy is simple,” he wrote in the Huffington Post in 2011. “[H]ire employees with the mental agility, leadership and passion to navigate constant change -- in other words, hire those who are liberally educated.”
Speaking a year ago at Hamilton’s Commencement, Lafley described for the graduates how unexpected twists and turns in his life made him realize that “change is the only constant in life.” A year later, he has another example to prove his point.
