Procter & Gamble recently announced the appointment of Bala Purushothaman as the Company’s Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), effective January 1, 2023.
With this, Bala becomes the fourth Indian after Shailesh Jejurikar (COO), Sundar Raman (CEO, Fabric & Home Care), and Kirti Singh (Chief Analytics & Insights Officer) to join the global leadership of the Company in recent years.
Bala will take over the role from Tracey Grabowski, who is retiring from the Company after a career spanning over three decades, including more than four years as the Global CHRO.
Bala began his career with P&G in India in 1992 as a Management Trainee in the Human Resources department. He went on to work across multiple countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Russia, and the United States.
A visionary leader with a depth of experience and passion for diverse people and cultures, Bala is responsible for developing and leading P&G’s people and organization strategy. This includes attracting and developing diverse talent and building a culture that drives innovation and productivity to support P&G’s business strategy and people across 70+ countries.
Bala Purushothaman, Global Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), Procter & Gamble, said, “I feel honored and humbled that P&G entrusted me for this critical role. In three decades with the Company, I have learned from the diversity of our people and the uniqueness each brings. “
“At P&G, we are leveraging the talent of our people as a competitive advantage by delivering a truly superior employee experience. We do this by attracting great people for a career, giving them early and increasing responsibilities, inspiring managers to be coaches, and including everyone. Our focus on employee development is the biggest differentiator for P&G. I can’t wait to get started, and I look forward to working with our incredibly talented teams worldwide”, he added.
Born in Chennai, Bala earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in Human Resources from the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in Jamshedpur.
India has been a talent factory for P&G worldwide and one of the largest exporters of top talent to P&G globally. The Company has more than 300 Indian expats in roles across the Company.
Last year, the Company appointed Shailesh Jejurikar as the Global COO of the Company, the first Indian to hold the position. It had also appointed Sundar Raman as the Global CEO of the Company’s Fabric and Home Care division.
