P&G's Steele to retire, business units to be consolidated

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble on Tuesday announced that Robert Steele, vice chairman of global health and well-being, will retire effective Sept. 1.

Steele oversees oral care, feminine care, personal health care, pet care and snacks for P&G.

Between now and September, Steele will serve as vice chairman of healthcare strategy, reporting to P&G chairman, president and CEO Robert McDonald.

"Robert has been and remains an outstanding leader whose impact on P&G stretches across the company and will endure for decades to come," McDonald said. "He led P&G's North America business from 2000 to 2006, delivering six consecutive years of value-share growth, and he played a pivotal role in the successful integration of Gillette's North America commercial operations. More recently, he has revitalized our global health and well-being strategy and portfolio, focusing on businesses where P&G can win long term."

As part of this management change, P&G will consolidate its current three global business units into two: beauty and grooming, and household care. The oral care and feminine care businesses will become part of P&G's beauty and grooming GBU, and will be lead by Ed Shirley, P&G's vice chairman of global beauty and grooming. The personal health care, pet care and snacks businesses will become part of P&G's household care GBU, which will be lead by Dimitri Panayotopoulos, who is vice chairman of P&G's global household care business.