This Much I Learned: P&G on instilling a culture of continual learning

Procter & Gamble has a reputation as one of the leading marketing organisations for fostering young talent and helping to develop the careers of some of the top marketers working in the UK today.

One way it does that is by instilling a culture of continual learning. In this podcast two marketers at different stages of their career at P&G share how they have benefitted from this constant sharing of ideas, particularly via the company’s mentor programme, and the ethos that as soon as you feel comfortable it’s time to move on.

Emma Gerrard is brand director for feminine care, working on brands including Always and Tampax, and has been at P&G for nearly six years. She worked her way up from junior brand manager on Gillette and Oral B, to brand manager on Fairy and Daz and then senior brand manager for Pampers, before taking on her current role in October 2020.

Meanwhile, Alexa Copeland joined P&G a year ago and is brand manager for emerging channels and fabric care.

P&G’s Marc Pritchard: ‘I fire and rehire myself every 18 months’

As well as discussing the benefits of having a mentor/mentee relationship, which Gerrard says has been “critical” at every stage of her career, they share what they are doing to attract more people into marketing. Because, while they are incredibly passionate about marketing now, they both admit it was not a career path they necessarily planned to take.

From opening up about mental health issues to closing the career confidence gap, you can listen to previous episodes of Marketing Week’s This Much I Learned podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify.