Procter & Gamble commits to new actions and shares strong progress on commitments to promote Equality and Inclusion

The company announced new commitments at the P&G #WeSeeEqual Pakistan summit that saw participation from equality & inclusion advocates namely Sima Kamil, Urooj Mumtaz and Sidra Iqbal, among others

PAKISTAN, Karachi, May 23, 2023 - Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) today announced new commitments aimed toward advancing Equality & Inclusion (E&I) at its third annual #WeSeeEqual summit held in Karachi. The event saw participation from renowned advocates and personalities from the private and public sectors.

P&G Pakistan Chief Executive Officer, Adil Farhat, announced the new commitments, which were earlier communicated at the regional event to advance progress in the region:

1. Through its ‘Keeping Girls in School’ program, P&G will educate more than 35 million adolescent girls on puberty and menstrual hygiene across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, over the next 3 years.

   • The company will focus on increasing awareness about the need for period education and preventing girls from missing and dropping out of school.

2. Over the next year, P&G will set up a task force of certified ‘Mental Health First Aiders’ across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

   • Studies point out that there is a close connection between mental health and DEI. The mental health of an individual can also be affected by factors such as microaggressions, lack of representation, and unconscious bias. P&G’s ‘mental health first aiders’ will be P&G employees from different workgroups who will be trained and certified by licensed authorities and organizations to provide support and assist peers experiencing mental health issues. Across markets for 19,000 employees in the region, these First Aiders will act as the first line of response and will be equipped to identify signs and symptoms of emotional distress and initiate a supportive conversation with a colleague, guide them towards available resources in the company, and encourage them to seek professional support.

The summit focused on emerging trends and insights in the DEI space including bridging the gap between generations, particularly focusing on Gen Z, as it becomes a prominent cohort in the workforce and consumer base; diversity in leadership styles and perspectives to foster innovation and creativity; and how different stakeholders can accelerate progress to serve consumers and communities. For the first time, the summit also shed light on mental wellness as an integral part to advancing E&I, highlighting biases that can lead to discrimination and exclusion, which can have a negative impact on mental wellness.

On the occasion, Adil Farhat said: “We acknowledge the immense power of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, which hold the key to unlocking growth in both businesses and society. As a company, we are committed to taking proactive measures, leveraging our brands, and collaborating with our partners to generate value for our employees and communities. It brings us great joy to host the 'We See Equal' Summit in Pakistan, centered around the theme of 'Unique and United.' This event provides us with a valuable opportunity to engage with influential thought leaders and foster transparent and meaningful dialogues on how we can persistently drive equality and inclusion forward.”

The company also shared strong progress on commitments across the AMA region made last year as part of the annual #WeSeeEqual summit in 2022:

• Last year, P&G introduced the 'P&G ReLaunch program' in a few markets to welcome back talented professionals who took a break from the workforce and looking to restart their careers in STEM roles, with targeted support and development. This program is now part of the company's commitment to strengthen diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and will focus on people looking to relaunch their careers in IT, Research & Development, and Product Supply
• As part of its commitment to spend a cumulative total of $300 million by deliberately working with women-owned and women-led businesses across the AMA region, from the year 2021 to 2025, P&G has made headways on this front and has already invested $175 million in this initiative. Through its flagship AMA Women Entrepreneurs Academy program, P&G has built the capability of over 1000 Women Entrepreneurs in 10 markets in the region that will enable them to make their businesses more competitive
• P&G committed to improving the accessibility of its brand advertising, including social media content and websites, by making most of our communication accessible to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024. The company has made strong progress on this commitment and by 2024, a majority of its communication will be accessible to people with sight and hearing impairments
• P&G continues to work towards achieving equal representation of female directors behind the camera for the company's brand advertisements. In the AMA region, P&G has increased the representation of female directors from 16% in 2019 to more than 35% today. The company aims to achieve 50% women behind the camera through a comprehensive set of actions to build, fuel, and connect a pipeline of diverse female talent in advertising, media, and content

The P&G ‘We See Equal’ Summit saw the participation of influential personalities and industry leaders, including:

• Alla Kamins, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Sidra Iqbal, Award-winning Storyteller
• Andrew Bailey, Managing Director, BASF Pakistan
• Urooj Mumtaz, Cricket Commentator & Chief Selector at PCB
• Dr. Sarah Gill, Social Activist & first transgender doctor of Pakistan
• Dr. Sana Yasir, Wellness Master Coach

The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G’s continued commitment to creating a more equal and inclusive world and is also a winner of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for Women’s Empowerment in 2019. As one of the world’s largest advertisers, P&G and its brands will also continue to leverage their influential voice in media and advertising to drive further awareness, tackle bias, spark conversations, and motivate change.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.