宝洁即将迎来首位主管亚洲业务的亚裔

    宝洁公司（Procter & Gamble）今天出人意料地宣布，负责美容业务的主管维吉尼娅•德罗索斯将从公司退休，此决定从9月1日开始正式生效，而且公司将把护肤、化妆品及个人护理总部从辛辛那提迁至新加坡。德罗索斯的职位将由担任亚洲业务总裁多年的黛博拉•亨莱塔接替。

    这一决定也意味着宝洁两大如日中天女性命运开始发生转变：亨莱塔正领导着宝洁在亚洲走向欣欣向荣的局面，而49岁的德罗索斯虽然曾登上《财富》最具影响力女性榜，但却因为美容业务在发达国家市场的放缓而步履维艰。作为宝洁公司全球美容、护肤、化妆品和个人护理业务的总裁，德罗索斯的退休时间明显过早，但是宝洁公司发言人表示，她离开的原因是因为，“虽然是她本人一手策划将这个业务部门转移至亚洲”，但她不希望让她尚未成年的孩子离开辛辛那提。尽管如此，他也表示德罗索斯期待去“领导另一家公司”。

    49岁的日本高管Hasunori Kiriyama将接替亨莱塔的职位，同时也将成为宝洁主管亚洲的第一位亚裔掌门人。对于一家长期由美国管理层主导的公司来说，这是另一项重大举措。然而Kiriyama不会向亨莱塔一样负责中国的业务；该公司大中华区总裁施文圣将直接对副董事长沃纳•葛斯勒汇报中国业务。

    尽管这些举措被称作宝洁年度管理调整行动的一部分，但它们出台的时机却值得玩味。近期，由于宝洁好几个季度的业绩效益令人失望，分析人士称首席执行官麦睿博倍感压力。不过，可以肯定的是，宝洁这个国际日用化学品巨头深知未来最佳的发展机遇在何方——答案肯定不是辛辛那提。

    In a surprise announcement, Procter & Gamble said today that Virginia Drosos, who oversees its beauty business, is retiring from the company, effective September 1, and that the company is moving its skin care, cosmetics and personal care headquarters from Cincinnati to Singapore. Drosos will be replaced by Deborah Henretta, who has headed Asia for the last several years.

    The decision shows a shift in the fortunes of two high profile women at P&G—Henretta, who has guided Asia to strong results, and Drosos, 49, who has been one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women for some time but who has struggled as the beauty business in developed economies has slowed. Drosos, Group President of global beauty, skin care, cosmetics and personal care, is obviously rather young to retire, but a spokesman for P&G (PG) says she is leaving because, "although she was an architect of the division's move to Asia," she did not want to move her teenage children out of the Cincinnati area. He also, however, said that she looks forward to "leading another company" (search firms, start your engines).

    Taking Henretta's role as head of Asia will be Hatsunori Kiriyama, 49, P&G's first Asian-born leader in Asia—another significant move from a company long known for its American leadership corps. Kiriyama will not, however, have responsibility over China, as Henretta did; Shannon Stevenson, China's group president, will report to P&G's vice chair, Werner Geissler.

    The moves, while characterized as part of P&G's annual management changes, come at a time when P&G CEO Robert McDonald finds himself under extreme pressure from analysts after a few disappointing quarters. (See also Can P&G make money in places where people earn $2 a day?) If one thing is clear, however, it's that this global giant knows where its greatest opportunity lies—and it's not in Cincinnati.