"What made me stay with Procter and Gamble (P&G) for over 27 years is the people I worked with, and the values of the company,” stated Ohio based Freddy Bharucha who was recently appointed president, North America Personal Care and Beauty Operations of the 187-year-old American multinational which in 2023 showed net sales of USD 82 billion (Rs 6,81,751 crore). Following his experience in multiple areas including beauty, health, fabric and home care, his new portfolio will require him to oversee P&G’s personal beauty care franchises as well as the company’s beauty scale operations in North America, announced the company website us.pg.com. This includes iconic brands such as Old Spice, Secret, Olay, Ivory, Native, Safeguard and Gillette Body.
Top: Freddy Bharucha; above, center: at the Olay launch in Beijing in 2017;
above: with family (from l, standing) Anita Choksi, Freddy, Nobel and Eva Bhathena,
Shanaya Bharucha, Adil Bhathena, Jasmine and Kayzad Bharucha, (sitting) Phiroza Bharucha
Commenting on his nearly three-decade tenure, in an email interview with Parsiana Bharucha mentioned, "Of course, I was offered several better paying jobs with bigger titles through my career. But P&G gave me and my family experiences to work and live in so many parts of the world like Japan, China, Europe, USA and Singapore… Brought up with the strongest values of integrity and honesty,” what mattered even more was "the promise made to me in my job interview 27 years ago: ‘You can sleep every night on your pillow knowing that P&G will never make you do anything even slightly wrong.’”
The company website describes him as "an inspiring, passionate and innovative leader. His impact extends to the broader P&G enterprise as a leader who champions equality, diversity and inclusion for all.” Remarked the 52-year-old new president, "I believe that diversity of style, knowledge and experience creates a better outcome than if everyone was the same. If my leadership team looked like me, thought like me and approached issues like me, then why would I need anyone? A role of a leader is to bring out the best in all persons on their team (so that) they feel empowered and deliver their very best.”
Last year he was the recipient of the Inspirational Leader in Equality and Inclusion Award. For three years, from 2019 to 2021 he was conferred the R. V. Goldstein Brand Building Award for Old Spice. He also serves as board member of Personal Care Products Council.
Among his several assignments, he considers his appointment as senior director for Hair Care in Japan "the most challenging and rewarding. It was my first entry from the Fabric and Home Care categories into the world of P&G Beauty.” Moving from Europe to Japan, he had to adjust to the new culture and gain the confidence of the team when he had never worked in the Beauty segment. Despite competition from Japanese beauty companies that have "a deep sense of design,” he was able to turn Pantene from the 15th to the No 1 Hair Care brand in Japan in 2003. He was even able to launch Head and Shoulders successfully in Japan and Korea despite years of failed test markets previously.
"My guiding principles on business and organization have been ‘Stay ahead; stay hungry; stay humble; stay kind,’” noted the popular leader who believes in being proactive with a clear vision and a higher performance goal. Among the many lessons he learnt from his mentor, 85-year-old former chief executive officer of P&G, John Pepper, is "to truly love and care for people at the workplace.”
Born in Bombay to Phiroza and Percy Bharucha, Freddy completed his early education from Campion School and continues to retain close ties with schoolmates like Dr Aashish Contractor. After graduating in commerce and economics from Bombay’s H. R. College he pursued his master’s in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Calcutta.
He gave credit to his mother, a music teacher and an artist who brought out "my creative, passionate side… When I have a tough meeting and I come home, it is thanks to her that I sit at the piano and compose and sing a new song to release my stress.” His father who passed away last year was "one of the kindest souls I knew and taught me life lessons on love, humility, charity.” He appreciated that his parents "worked so hard in our younger years to give my sister and me the best things in life, while they had very little.” Sister Jasmine was "the first Indian female singer to release her albums and music on MTV back in the 80s” but readily gave up her career and money to join her husband Adil Bhathena in Canada and become a leading real estate agent.
Wife Anita (née Choksi), a fellow alumna from IIM Calcutta and a senior director in P&G, working on mergers and acquisitions, is the "wind beneath my wings, my guide, advisor and love for over 29 years.” Their 22-year-old son Kayzad is graduating this year with a double major in biotechnology and business strategy and a minor in computer science. Eighteen-year-old daughter Shanaya will be majoring in computer science.
Convinced that "prayers reinforce positive energy for me,” Freddy mentioned, "I always like to start the day by doing a kusti. I wear a sudreh-kusti proudly as does the rest of my family.” He enjoys listening to the recorded prayers of Dastur Nowrooz Minochehr-Homji just as he does to live prayers by their close friend and priest in Cincinnati, Ervad Fred Desai.
Despite his professional commitments, Freddy is active with the Zoroastrian Association of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana (ZAKOI) and mentions that the 2024 Navroz jashan and get-together for over 50 people will be held at his residence. He considers ZAKOI president Bakhtavar Desai, "one of our leaders in the community here and an inspiration.”
His philosophy in life has been "to always aim high. If you believe you can, and have positive energy, you will be surprised how Ahura Mazda will support you. And if you fail sometimes, that is a good thing. To experience the high, you must realize the low too. Failure is only failure, if you don’t learn from it.”