R. Alexandra (Alex) Keith

Chief Executive Officer, Beauty
Executive Sponsor, Corporate Sustainability

Alex Keith leads Procter & Gamble’s global Beauty business: the world’s 4th largest beauty company, with a $15 billion portfolio of products in daily-use categories where performance drives brand choice. This includes Pantene, the world’s largest hair care brand; Head & Shoulders, the world’s largest shampoo brand; Olay, the fifth largest skin care brand in the world, as well as iconic beauty brands Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret and SK-II.

Since taking leadership of P&G’s Beauty portfolio in 2017, Alex has driven the sector’s turnaround by leveraging integrated growth strategies to stem seven years of decline with eight consecutive years of top-line growth.

An intuitive, strategic business leader and passionate, creative brand builder, Alex has consistently enabled the development of P&G Beauty’s brand portfolio in response to consumers’ ever-evolving beauty needs, starting with the 2017 acquisition and ensuing expansion of Native, a brand known for clean, simple and effective products. In 2022, she led the creation of a Specialty Beauty division, helping P&G better reach consumers in the prestige beauty segment with acquired brands OUAI, Farmacy, Tula and First Aid Beauty. Recognizing growing demand for products serving multicultural hair types, Alex led the 2023 acquisition of textured hair care brand Mielle Organics.

As Executive Sponsor for Corporate Sustainability, Alex works alongside P&G’s Chief Sustainability Officer to guide the Company’s sustainability progress, including programs like Ambition 2030 that have resulted in creation of P&G’s Climate Transition Action Plan (2021) and Plan for a Water Positive Future (2022).

During Alex’s 35 years with P&G, she has worked in Product Supply, Brand Management and General Management, spanning multiple business categories including Fabric Care and Beauty, and in the North America, Asia, and Europe regions. Across these roles, Alex has led category transforming innovations like Olay Complete Facial Moisturizer, Old Spice Body Wash, and Secret Clinical Strength early in her career. As Senior Vice President of North America Fabric Care, Alex led the overall strategy development, design, and launch execution of two new-to-the-world product forms: unit dose laundry detergents (Tide Pods and Gain Flings) and in-wash scent boosters (Downy Unstopables), which have since contributed several billion dollars of sales and value creation.

In 2020, Alex was elected to Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Board of Directors. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband, Chris Keith.

Affiliations, Activities & Recognition

• WWD Beauty Inc CEO of the Year, 2021
• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Board of Directors, 2020 - present
• Fortune’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
• Cosmetic Executive Women Leadership Excellence Award, 2019
• Cosmetic Executive Women, Board; 2016-2022; Member 2002-present
• Personal Care Products Council, Board of Directors, 2015-2022
• National Underground Freedom Center, Board of Directors, 2012-2016
• American Cleaning Institute, Board of Directors, 2012-2014
• Go Vibrant, Board of Directors, 2011-2014
• Cosmetic Executive Women Achievers Award, 2010
• P&G Corporate Fine Arts Fund, Campaign Chair, 2009-2010
• Girls on the Run of Cincinnati, Board of Directors, Development Co-Chair, 2008-2015
• Advertising Age “Women to Watch,” 2006
• Cincinnati Ballet, Board of Directors, 2002 and 2007
• Cincinnati Business Courier, “Forty Under 40”