Most people think leading a titan like Procter & Gamble is all about big, flashy acquisitions or shouting from the rooftops about "disruption." But when you look at P&G CEO David Taylor, you see a completely different blueprint. He wasn't the guy trying to be the loudest in the room. Honestly, he was the guy making sure the machines ran on time before he ever touched a marketing plan.
Taylor stepped into the top job in 2015 at a moment when P&G was, frankly, a bit of a mess. The stock was stagnant. Activist investors like Nelson Peltz were knocking at the door with hammers. People were whispering that the 180-year-old giant had finally become too big to move. Taylor didn't come in with a chainsaw. He came in with a "constructive disruption" mindset that fundamentally saved the company.
The Factory Floor to the Corner Office
You can't understand David Taylor without knowing he’s an electrical engineer by trade. He graduated from Duke in 1980 and went straight to the factory floor. We’re talking Greenville, North Carolina. He spent a decade managing production lines and logistics.
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That matters. Why? Because while other CEOs are purely "finance guys" or "marketing gurus," Taylor actually understood how the soap gets made. He knew the supply chain wasn't just a line on a spreadsheet; it was the heartbeat of the business.
When he finally transitioned to brand management in the 90s, he didn't forget those roots. He helped build the heavy hitters: Pampers, Tide, and Ariel. He lived in Europe. He lived in Asia. By the time he was named CEO, he had 35 years of P&G dirt under his fingernails.
What He Inherited
The situation in 2015 was grim. P&G was bloated. They had too many brands that didn't make money. They were losing "mindshare" to smaller, nimbler startups that knew how to sell on Instagram while P&G was still buying 30-second TV spots.
- The Activist Fight: Nelson Peltz of Trian Fund Management launched a massive proxy battle. It was the largest in corporate history.
- The Portfolio Problem: P&G had over 170 brands. It was impossible to focus.
- The Culture: It had become insular. "The P&G way" was becoming a handicap instead of a strength.
How David Taylor Fixed the Giant
Taylor’s strategy was deceptively simple: Shrink to grow. He slashed the portfolio from 170 brands down to about 65. He kept the winners—the ones where P&G actually had a "technological advantage"—and ditched the rest. If a brand didn't have a clear path to being #1 or #2 in its category, it was gone. He sold off the specialty beauty business to Coty. He offloaded Duracell to Berkshire Hathaway.
It was a bold move. It meant lower revenue in the short term, but much higher margins.
The "Constructive Disruption" Philosophy
Taylor famously talked about learning from Silicon Valley. He didn't want to be a startup, but he wanted P&G to have the "speed and curiosity" of one. He broke down the massive, multi-functional R&D teams. Instead of one giant group working on a 5-year plan, he created 150 small groups.
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These teams were told to "fast-cycle learn." Basically, fail fast and move on.
This led to innovations that actually solved consumer problems. Take Tide PODS or the Oral-B iO toothbrush. They weren't just new scents or colors; they were genuine tech upgrades to household chores. Taylor’s P&G focused on "irresistible superiority." If the product wasn't noticeably better than the generic version, it wasn't good enough.
The Nelson Peltz Showdown
You can't talk about Taylor without the proxy fight. It was messy. It was expensive. At one point, the vote was so close they had to do a recount that lasted weeks.
In the end, even though Taylor technically "won," he did something rare in corporate America: He listened. He eventually gave Peltz a board seat. Instead of treating the activist as an enemy to be silenced, Taylor used the pressure to accelerate his own plans. He used the "outsider" perspective to push for more accountability. By the time Taylor stepped down as CEO in 2021, P&G’s stock had nearly doubled. Organic sales were growing at levels the company hadn't seen in a decade.
Beyond the Balance Sheet: Sustainability and Social Impact
Taylor didn't just care about Tide shipments. He became a major voice in corporate sustainability. He co-founded the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a coalition of companies putting $1.5 billion toward cleaning up the oceans.
He also navigated the "woke" branding era with varying degrees of success. P&G’s "The Talk" and Gillette’s "The Best Men Can Be" campaigns sparked massive debates. Some people loved them; others vowed to never buy a Mach 3 again.
Whether you liked the ads or not, Taylor stood by them. He believed that for a brand to matter in the 21st century, it had to stand for something more than just "getting stains out." He focused heavily on food insecurity, serving as the board chair for Feeding America.
Life After P&G
When Taylor handed the keys to Jon Moeller in November 2021, he didn't just disappear into a golf course. He moved into the Executive Chairman role for a bit to ensure a smooth hand-off.
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Today, he’s still a heavy hitter in the boardroom. He's the Chairman of Delta Air Lines and the Chairman of Opella (the consumer healthcare giant). He’s also a senior advisor at the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
He still lives in Cincinnati. He’s still deeply involved with Duke University. He hasn't lost that "engineer's eye" for how systems work.
Actionable Insights for Leaders
What can you actually learn from David Taylor’s tenure? It’s not just "sell more soap."
- Understand the Floor: You can’t lead what you don't understand. If you're in tech, code. If you're in retail, work a shift. Taylor's 10 years in the plants gave him the authority to lead the office.
- Focus is a Force Multiplier: Doing 60 things well is better than doing 170 things mediocrely. Identify your "Core 65" and be ruthless with the rest.
- Constructive Disruption: Don't wait for a startup to kill you. Create internal teams that are allowed to break things, as long as they are building something better.
- Lean into the Friction: When an "activist" or a critic attacks your business, look for the grain of truth. Taylor used Nelson Peltz’s pressure to make P&G faster.
David Taylor's legacy isn't a single product. It’s the fact that he took a 19th-century company and made it work in the 21st. He proved that you don't have to be a tech company to be innovative. You just have to be willing to disrupt yourself before someone else does it for you.
Review your own "brand portfolio." Are you spreading yourself too thin? Most of us are. Taylor’s success suggests that the path to growth often starts with a pair of scissors. Focus on where you have an unfair advantage and let the rest go.