24/7 Wall St. CEO Of The Year Finalist: Alan Lafley Of Procter & Gamble (PG)

24/7 Wall St. has evaluated over 200 CEOs in order to select it CEO of the Year. Six finalists were chosen from the list. The measurements were based on company stock performance for the last two years, innovation, financial results, and the quality of the competition that each company faces in its markets. We also took into consideration whether the corporation was operating in an industry with special challenges.

Alan Lafley clearly learned the business the right way. He has been with P&G since graduating from business school in 1977. He became CEO in 2000.

At $74.12, Procter & Gamble (PG) shares are not just up 15% for the year, they are at an all-time high.

For the company’s fiscal year ending June 30, revenue hit $76.5 billion up from $68.2 billion the year before. Diluted EPS from continuing operations rose from $2.64 to $3.04. In the company’s first fiscal quarter for the current year, P&G increased sales and operating income in each of its divisions.

Managing P&G, an extremely comlex company, requires a level of detailed knowledge that often only comes from years of working within the organization. P&G has large businesses in health, beauty, and household care. The firm sells everything from razors to batteries to coffee to diapers.

P&G competes with scores of companies across almost every country in the world and does it extremely well.

Douglas A. McIntyre is the former editor-in-chief and publisher of Financial World Magazine which started the CEO of the Year Awards in 1981. He was also the president of Switchboard.