Leading consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) created P&G CEO Challenge as a platform to discover talents who have the potential to employ an entrepreneurial approach to business management. It is also aimed to shape Filipino students to lead at an early age.
A business immersion and case competition, the P&G CEO Challenge is held annually in local, regional and global levels. It gives candidates a chance to learn about the P&G workplace culture, the different functions in the company, and how each function contributes to the overall success of the business.
The competition was designed to test a student’s aptitude for innovation and highlight their entrepreneurial spirit for an opportunity to learn how to think critically and address business challenges for one of the world’s leading consumer brands under P&G’s portfolio. Expected output from students is a business plan to be presented to P&G’s leadership team.
On its fourth year and with over 7,000 students participating all over Asia, three Filipino case competition winners bagged first runner up at the regional round in Singapore earlier this year. Other winners were university students from Singapore and Japan who were named champions and second runner up, respectively.
“P&G believes that the best way for potential employees to understand the unique advantage of joining P&G is by giving them a feel of what the company can offer. As such, it created the P&G CEO Challenge wherein students can experience what actual P&G employees do, and how each P&G employee is challenged and valued for contributing to the business daily,” P&G Philippines General Manager Rafael Fajardo shares.
Winners of the regional round will go to Dubai for the global competition. Those who triumph at the global round will have the privilege to meet and be mentored by P&G Global CEO, David Taylor in the P&G Headquarters in Cincinnati, USA. Finalists will also be prioritized for internship or full-time employment.
On representing the home country and learning from the best of P&G
During their recent stint, the P&G CEO Challenge Philippine team composed of Miguel De La Cruz from Ateneo de Manila University, Belle Ginez from the University of the Philippines, and Brian Chen from De La Salle University echoed the same sentiments that it was a privilege to go through a learning opportunity that harbors innovative thinking and an entrepreneurial spirit for university students who aspire to become leaders someday.
To Brian, now a P&G Associate Finance Manager, the experience was more memorable than expected. Apart from bagging one of the coveted top prizes, such as an all-expenses paid trip to Singapore, he credits the competition for being an unparalleled learning opportunity that he could not have elsewhere. He shares, “It was extremely refreshing and humbling to be placed in a situation where you just constantly pick up all the information, learn, and get mentored by the brightest minds in the corporate world.”
Belle echoes the sentiment — “In a span of a few days, I was able to learn a lot of concepts and business knowledge that I can use in the future. I was able to experience handling business challenges that only top executives get to face.” She further adds, “The experience is nothing short of an eye-opener and a challenge. It’s a balance of work and play, which really says a lot about P&G work culture.”
The experiences of Brian, Miguel and Belle demonstrate how companies today should create a culture that inspires employees to lead. At P&G, leadership development is at the core of recruitment and career development, making the company a great place to work because employees feel engaged and valued for contributing to the business.
When asked about his key takeaway from the competition, Miguel, now a P&G Associate Finance Manager, shares, “I think having been instilled with new and more organised approach to diagnosing problems and solving them is something to thank CEO challenge for.”
The local round for P&G CEO Challenge 2020 is set on November 21. This year’s local finalists are:
