External Business Partners,
As we enter the new fiscal year, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on FY20/21 and share my thoughts about the opportunities and priorities for the new year.
Looking back at what was shared at this time last year, FY20/21 proved to be every bit as challenging as we had predicted. The combination of multiple factors, including COVID19 uncertainties, labor shortages, global transportation limitations, unplanned demand, and the 2021 Winter Storm in the US, created unprecedented constraints in every single area of the supply chain. Despite all these challenges, we made so much progress together and were able to stay true to our commitment of protecting our people, serving consumers, and supporting our communities. We managed through another year without having the benefit of face-to-face interactions, and made it work. We had an incredibly successful virtual EBP Citizenship Summit and Workshops. We recognized the sustained contributions of outstanding partners with EBP Excellence Award and Partner of the Year Awards. We helped enable P&G’s recognition as a Gartner Supply Chain Master for the 7th year in a row. We made a difference. The examples of dedication and personal perseverance as the pandemic raged on were amazing. As the leader of our Purchases organization, two of the proudest moments of the year was watching our teams step up to source oxygen tanks in Brazil and India, and enable P&G employees to be vaccinated in India.
Above and beyond, we met the demanding needs of the business, globally and enabled the Company to deliver another solid year of results. Our 20/21 results are evidence of what we can achieve together. I encourage you to review the detailed summary of our 4th quarter and end of the fiscal year performance. Below is a high-level snapshot.
As we enter the new year, I ask that you continue to work closely with your P&G team to bring value to the Company, with a special focus on a few priorities.
- We all will continue to face constraints from commodities, ocean freight, labor, etc. We have made so many advancements in fortifying our supply chains, yet we have more work to do to enable a truly resilient supply chain.
- Cybersecurity remains a critical area of focus. We must protect the systems that support our operations and implement solid lines of defense. To see what is needed of you, please read the May Letter.
- I am passionate about the role that Purchases and our EBPs can play in advancing the Company’s progress in the area of ESG. Through our more holistic approach to Supplier Diversity, now including Supplier E&I practices, and our ESG assessments through EcoVadis, together we can make a tremendous citizenship impact.
In closing, I want to thank you again for your contributions and unwavering commitment to P&G. I am confident this will be another challenging but successful year and I look forward to engaging with you.
Chief Purchasing Officer