Wednesday, February 02, 2000
VP leaving P&G for seminary
Marketing whiz wrought change
BY RANDY TUCKER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
One of Procter & Gamble's best and brightest has jumped off the corporate ladder to pursue a higher calling — from God.
Denis Beausejour — P&G's vice president of global marketing, who most recently headed the start-up of the company's Internet beauty care business, reflect.com — has announced he will resign April 1 to enter a seminary. Mr. Beausejour, 42, delivered news of his resignation Jan. 21 in a memo to colleagues. He was on vacation and unavailable for comment Tuesday.
In the memo, Mr. Beausejour said he would become involved in a variety of ministry and community-related activities in the Cincinnati area as he moved toward the “next chapter in my life.”
Mr. Beausejour was instrumental in developing the online strategies that helped P&G, the world's largest advertiser, win recognition as Advertising Age magazine's Interactive Marketer of the Year in 1998.
He also implemented a fun damental change in the way P&G pays its ad agencies by tying compensation to product performance rather than ad billings.
Mr. Beausejour was widely regarded as the heir apparent to Robert L. Wehling, P&G's global marketing officer.
Mr. Wehling has already assumed most of Mr. Beausejour's responsibilities. He's been handling those duties for about six months while Mr. Beausejour spent most of his time in San Francisco, working on the reflect.com business.
Mark Schar, P&G's vice president of interactive ventures, will take over for Mr. Beausejour as head of interactive marketing for the company, a P&G spokeswoman said.
She said Mr. Beausejour's position would not be filled immediately.
Mr. Beausejour, named to Advertising Age's “Power 50” list for four consecutive years, joined P&G in 1978 as a brand assistant on Pampers in his native Canada.
Beginning in 1988, he spent four years in New Zealand, where he was promoted to vice president and general manager of advertising in the region.
Following his assignment there, he led P&G's health and beauty care business in Japan. He remained in Asia to manage the laundry and cleaning business in China before returning to North America in 1996 as P&G's vice president of advertising worldwide.
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