Victor Aguilar Reflects on Inspiring Market Visits and the Drive for Irresistible Superiority

I’m a firm believer that at any given time, someone, somewhere has an idea that will change the world. Exploring possibilities through Research & Development (R&D) is not only part of the job, but also a personal passion for us.

At P&G, innovation means solving the real problems consumers face every day. We’re obsessed with them because for us, nothing is more important than understanding, exploring and fixing the friction in consumers' lives. If it touches how consumers care for their families or their homes, we want to know about it, and we want to make it better. We work alongside thousands of multidisciplinary experts who are committed to seeking insights, solving problems and creating breakthroughs through science.

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As the Chief R&D and Innovation Officer, I have the unique vantage point of seeing the depth and breadth of technical expertise and passion of our employees around the world and how their daily work leads to irresistibly superior products and experiences. This is both a privilege and a responsibility which I take very seriously. Over the past several months, I have seen this first-hand as I have traveled to our global Innovation Centers, and I’ve valued the opportunity to celebrate our long -term commitment to consumers through several anniversary milestones. Specifically, this year marks:

• 75 years in Mexico — I had the opportunity to return to Mexico, where I started my P&G career, and celebrate with our team, which is committed to improving the daily lives of millions of Mexican consumers through innovation. We reflected on our history, which started with a small factory and 40 employees that grew to six production plants, three offices and more than 7,000 employees now reaching 99.8% of Mexican households with at least one of our 30 brands there. The journey we have had in this country only reinforces the commitment we have to our consumers, partners, our environment, and the communities we serve.

• 100 years of Product Research Expertise and Excellence — In May this year, our Products Research organization celebrated 100 years of bringing consumer insights together with leading technology to deliver irresistibly superior products. Within our R&D organization, these experts focus on consumer research. These scientists and engineers leverage their diverse skills to deeply understand consumer needs, hopes and desires. Their deep technical knowledge enables a high level of scientific rigor, which helps translate these consumer needs into technical objectives. Throughout this process, our researchers engage with experts in product design, development, product supply, manufacturing, technology development and marketing to ensure they are identifying innovation opportunities and building delightful products that our consumers will love and trust.

It is always a humbling moment when we reflect on the depth of our history in any discipline, and particularly as a company, 100 years is a significant milestone. The Products Research capability at P&G is unique in our industry as we go a step further by leveraging research tools and approaches that help us get to the heart of what our consumers want and need, sometimes before they even know themselves.

• 70 Years of Innovating in Geneva — P&G Geneva is at the heart of our innovation ecosystem in Europe, where we have four R&D Innovation centers in Brussels, Newscastle, Reading and Frankfurt. At the recent P&G Innovation Expo in Geneva, we proudly showcased how we are focusing on irresistible superiority that is sustainable and how we are featuring our newest product initiatives. We shared how we innovate — showcasing our unique R&D skills, PS investments, IT and A&I capabilities. We also shared the ways we innovate for everyone — using our products, our resources and our voice to promote equality & inclusion.

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Looking ahead, I’m confident we have the people, the skills and the vision to continue to double down on raising the bar to delight our consumers with a keen focus on:

• Maximizing in-use consumer delight
• Designing products and packages that delight, which in turn encourage positive habits (such as using the right amount of product, using products more consistently or correctly applying products in ways that provide even better performance outcomes
• Strengthening our “core” products, balancing the portfolio to focus on “more” innovations that expand brands into new sources of growth and value creation
• Continuing our focus on sustainability through products and packages that deliver on both the brand’s core performance promise and our commitment to the environment.

We realize that innovation rarely happens in a vacuum, and there are countless R&D stories to tell. We know the greatest discoveries are inspired by everyday life, and we’re committed to sharing them with you. Explore these stories and more at PGResearchDevelop.com.