John Pepper, Former Chairman of Procter & Gamble, to Assume Yale's Top Financial and Administrative Post

President Richard C. Levin today announced the appointment of John Pepper, the former chairman of Procter & Gamble and the senior fellow of the Yale Corporation, as the University’s vice president for finance and administration.

“He is a leader of exceptional distinction, and the University is exceedingly fortunate that he has agreed to serve his alma mater in this extraordinary way, “Levin said of Pepper, a 1960 graduate of Yale College. “He has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most principled and successful business leaders.”

“John Pepper is one of America’s great business leaders - - effective, thoughtful, highly principled. Everyone at Yale - - students, faculty, and administrators - - will benefit enormously from his presence here,” added Jeffrey Garten, Dean, Yale School of Management.”

Sterling Professor Emeritus of History and former Yale President Howard Lamar adds, “I have known John Pepper since he was an undergraduate over 40 years ago. He was outstanding then and remains so today. His strong connection to Yale combined with his outstanding business leadership makes him extraordinarily appropriate for the position.”

Pepper has been a member of the Yale Corporation, the University’s governing board, for eight years, including service as senior fellow for the last 18 months. He will resign from the Corporation when he assumes his duties as vice president.

This is the second time that Levin has recruited an Officer of the University from the Yale Corporation. His first appointment as President was Linda Lorimer, who left the Yale Corporation to become Vice President and Secretary of the University.

“I am confident, given his knowledge of Yale and his record of success in the management of complex organizations, that he can make an enormous contribution to the University in the period ahead,” Levin said. “I have been grateful for his counsel as Senior Fellow. As he resigns his position on the Corporation to become an Officer, the entire community will benefit directly from his wisdom.”

“I am delighted to be joining Yale’s leadership team,” said Pepper. “My affection for the University and my respect for its leadership have grown immensely during the eight years I have served on the Yale Corporation. I look forward with enthusiasm to working with President Levin and everyone else involved to make Yale a role model in the quality and value of its support services and in the satisfaction and growth of the men and women who provide them.”

Pepper, whose appointment is effective January 1, 2004, said it was his expectation that he would lead Yale’s financial and administrative operations for no more than two years.

“I believe there is no one better suited to inspire those who work in administrative units across the University,” Levin said. “I have also asked John to make the most of the opportunities presented by our new labor contracts to improve labor-management relations.”

Pepper retired last year as Chairman of the Board of Procter & Gamble, where he had devoted 39 years in helping to create and lead one of the world’s largest consumer products companies. During his tenure as President and CEO, Procter & Gamble was regularly cited as one of America’s “Most Admired Companies” in Fortune Magazine’s annual survey. Pepper began his career at Procter & Gamble in 1963, becoming general manager of Procter & Gamble Italia in 1974 and group vice president in 1980. In 1984 he was elected to the company’s board of directors and in 1986 became president. He helped lead P&G’s expansion into Eastern and Central Europe and Greater China in the first half of the 1990s. Pepper was named chairman and chief executive in July 1995.

In addition to his leadership of Procter & Gamble, Pepper was a key force over ten years ago in the creation of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, a nationally recognized program that provides youth employment, mentoring/tutoring and college scholarships for those in need. He also chaired the Greater Cincinnati United Way campaign in 1994 and has served on numerous other local and national non-profit boards. Most recently, he has been instrumental in the creation of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which will open next year to educate the public, secure freedom, and promote a spirit of courage and cooperation among all races.

“John Pepper has helped to correct nearly 140 years of often purposeful national neglect and denial with respect to America’s most shameful chapters of history. It would be difficult to imagine a greater public service than his leadership in creating a national museum that will educate and convey to present and future generations the extremely complex and shocking truths about our heritage of racial servitude,” said David Brion Davis, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition.

Pepper is a director of the Xerox Corporation, Motorola, Inc., and Boston Scientific and formally served as chairman of the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Additionally, he is a member of the Beijing Mayor’s Advisory Council, and was instrumental in building the partnership between the Haas Business School (Berkeley) and St. Petersburg University School of Management (Russia). This partnership enabled the school to expand enrollment from an initial class of 35 in 1993 to over 1,000 students today, to acquire and upgrade facilities, and to increase the quality of education for its students.

As one of six officers reporting to the president, Pepper will oversee an array of activities including financial operations, facilities, construction, human resources, and administrative services.