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CINCINNATI — Today, Always® and Walmart® in collaboration with America’s Promise Alliance – the nation’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people – launched their latest Live #LikeAGirl program to help girls grow in confidence and reach their full potential. A recent Always Confidence & Puberty Survey revealed that nearly 1 in 5 U.S. girls miss school because they do not have access to the period products they need. But it’s not just school they miss, it also means they miss out on activities they love, which can ultimately have a huge impact on their overall confidence. The program will provide girls’ teams across all 50 states with a year’s worth of pads to help them stay in the extracurricular activities that are crucial to their mental and emotional development.

The program was kicked off in Florida, where Always and Walmart recently worked with a local martial arts studio that serves girls in need. See an emotional view of the teams’ experience with Always’ and Walmart’s donation efforts and hear directly from the girls impacted here: https://youtu.be/MZBrna5E0u4

Always understands that puberty can be a difficult and confusing time when girls’ confidence may plummet, with the onset of menstruation marking the lowest moment for many girls. This decrease in confidence is so much worse for girls that lack access to period protection, which is often referred to as “period poverty.” Period poverty can force her to miss out on important confidence-building experiences in the classroom or in after-school activities. These activities should be something to look forward to, and not something a girl loses out on because she doesn’t have access to period products. Missing out on things like this can limit her from reaching her full potential during puberty and beyond.

“We’re so excited to help ensure that fewer girls miss the extracurricular activities they enjoy most due to lack of access to period products,” shared Marty Vanderstelt, North America Always Brand Director. “We know that this is a crucial life stage for young women and, with the support of Walmart, we want to help them have every opportunity to continue to grow and become whoever they want to be.”

The program is a continuation of Always’ #EndPeriodPoverty program that launched nationally in August last year. Now, with the support of Walmart, Always is donating a year’s worth of period products to 50 girls’ teams in need across the 50 states. The #EndPeriodPoverty campaign has also worked in close collaboration with America’s Promise Alliance, which has leveraged its network of non-profit organizations, government organizations, and businesses to help identify and connect the campaign with the 50 teams of participating girls across the country. Leaders from each team will be coached by top medical and confidence experts to help better prepare them to support girls’ needs at this stage in life.

About Always
Always®, the world’s leader in feminine protection, offers a wide range of feminine pads, wipes and liners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. For over 35 years, Always has been empowering millions of girls globally through puberty and confidence education, and the provision of products to girls in need. More recently, the Always #LikeAGirl campaign has furthered these efforts by helping tackle key societal barriers to girls’ confidence. Together, Always believes we can create a world where puberty is a moment that propels girls forward into confident womanhood. Please visit www.always.com for more information.

In 2016, Always was proud to announce that all feminine care owned production sites have achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill. Please visit https://us.pg.com/environmental-sustainability/ for more information.

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.

About America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. The Alliance brings together more than 450 national organizations and thousands of community leaders to focus the nation’s attention on young people’s lives and voices, lead bold campaigns to expand opportunity, conduct groundbreaking research on what young people need to thrive, and accelerate the adoption of strategies that help young people succeed. GradNation, a signature campaign, has helped to increase the nation’s high school graduation rate to a record high. In the past 12 years, an additional 2 million young people have graduated from high school. Please visit www.americaspromise.org for more information.

NEW YORK & SUMMIT, N.J., – Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire Celgene in a cash and stock transaction with an equity value of approximately $74 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Celgene shareholders will receive 1.0 Bristol-Myers Squibb share and $50.00 in cash for each share of Celgene. Celgene shareholders will also receive one tradeable Contingent Value Right (CVR) for each share of Celgene, which will entitle the holder to receive a payment for the achievement of future regulatory milestones. The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the combination.

The transaction will create a leading focused specialty biopharma company well positioned to address the needs of patients with cancer, inflammatory and immunologic disease and cardiovascular disease through high-value innovative medicines and leading scientific capabilities. With complementary areas of focus, the combined company will operate with global reach and scale, maintaining the speed and agility that is core to each company’s strategic approach.

Based on the closing price of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock of $52.43 on January 2, 2019, the cash and stock consideration to be received by Celgene shareholders at closing is valued at $102.43 per Celgene share and one CVR (as described below). When completed, Bristol-Myers Squibb shareholders are expected to own approximately 69 percent of the company, and Celgene shareholders are expected to own approximately 31 percent.

“Together with Celgene, we are creating an innovative biopharma leader, with leading franchises and a deep and broad pipeline that will drive sustainable growth and deliver new options for patients across a range of serious diseases,” said Giovanni Caforio, M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb. “As a combined entity, we will enhance our leadership positions across our portfolio, including in cancer and immunology and inflammation. We will also benefit from an expanded early- and late-stage pipeline that includes six expected near-term product launches. Together, our pipeline holds significant promise for patients, allowing us to accelerate new options through a broader range of cutting-edge technologies and discovery platforms.”

Dr. Caforio continued, “We are impressed by what Celgene has accomplished for patients, and we look forward to welcoming Celgene employees to Bristol-Myers Squibb. Our new company will continue the strong patient focus that is core to both companies’ missions, creating a shared organization with a goal of discovering, developing and delivering innovative medicines for patients with serious diseases. We are confident we will drive value for shareholders and create opportunities for employees.”

“For more than 30 years, Celgene’s commitment to leading innovation has allowed us to deliver life-changing treatments to patients in areas of high unmet need. Combining with Bristol-Myers Squibb, we are delivering immediate and substantial value to Celgene shareholders and providing them meaningful participation in the long-term growth opportunities created by the combined company,” said Mark Alles, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Celgene. “Our employees should be incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and excited for the opportunities ahead of us as we join with Bristol-Myers Squibb, where we can further advance our mission for patients. We look forward to working with the Bristol-Myers Squibb team as we bring our two companies together.”

Compelling Strategic Benefits
Leading franchises with complementary product portfolios provide enhanced scale and balance. The combination creates:
Leading oncology franchises in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies led by Opdivo and Yervoy as well as Revlimid and Pomalyst;
A top five immunology and inflammation franchise led by Orencia and Otezla; and
The #1 cardiovascular franchise led by Eliquis.
The combined company will have nine products with more than $1 billion in annual sales and significant potential for growth in the core disease areas of oncology, immunology and inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

Near-term launch opportunities representing greater than $15 billion in revenue potential. The combined company will have six expected near-term product launches:
Two in immunology and inflammation, TYK2 and ozanimod; and
Four in hematology, luspatercept, liso-cel (JCAR017), bb2121 and fedratinib.
These launches leverage the combined commercial capabilities of the two companies and will broaden and enhance Bristol-Myers Squibb’s market position with innovative and differentiated products. This is in addition to a significant number of lifecycle management registrational readouts expected in Immuno-Oncology (IO).

Early-stage pipeline builds sustainable platform for growth. The combined company will have a deep and diverse early-stage pipeline across solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, immunology and inflammation, cardiovascular disease and fibrotic disease leveraging combined strengths in innovation. The early-stage pipeline includes 50 high potential assets, many with important data readouts in the near-term. With a significantly enhanced early-stage pipeline, Bristol-Myers Squibb will be well positioned for long-term growth and significant value creation.
Powerful combined discovery capabilities with world-class expertise in a broad range of modalities. Together, the Company will have expanded innovation capabilities in small molecule design, biologics/synthetic biologics, protein homeostasis, antibody engineering and cell therapy. Furthermore, strong external partnerships provide access to additional modalities.
Compelling Financial Benefits

Strong returns and significant immediate EPS accretion. The transaction’s internal rate of return is expected to be well in excess of Celgene’s and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s cost of capital. The combination is expected to be more than 40 percent accretive to Bristol-Myers Squibb’s EPS on a standalone basis in the first full year following close of the transaction.
Strong balance sheet and cash flow generation to enable significant investment in innovation. With more than $45 billion of expected free cash flow generation over the first three full years post-closing, the Company is committed to maintaining strong investment grade credit ratings while continuing its dividend policy for the benefit of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene shareholders. Bristol-Myers Squibb will also have significant financial flexibility to realize the full potential of the enhanced late- and early-stage pipeline.
Meaningful cost synergies. Bristol-Myers Squibb expects to realize run-rate cost synergies of approximately $2.5 billion by 2022. Bristol-Myers Squibb is confident it will achieve efficiencies across the organization while maintaining a strong, core commitment to innovation and delivering the value of the portfolio.
Terms and Financing

Based on the closing price of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock on January 2, 2019, the cash and stock consideration to be received by Celgene shareholders is valued at $102.43 per share. The cash and stock consideration represents an approximately 51 percent premium to Celgene shareholders based on the 30-day volume weighted average closing stock price of Celgene prior to signing and an approximately 54 percent premium to Celgene shareholders based on the closing stock price of Celgene on January 2, 2019. Each share also will receive one tradeable CVR, which will entitle its holder to receive a one-time potential payment of $9.00 in cash upon FDA approval of all three of ozanimod (by December 31, 2020), liso-cel (JCAR017) (by December 31, 2020) and bb2121 (by March 31, 2021), in each case for a specified indication.

The transaction is not subject to a financing condition. The cash portion will be funded through a combination of cash on hand and debt financing. Bristol-Myers Squibb has obtained fully committed debt financing from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and MUFG Bank, Ltd. Following the close of the transaction, Bristol-Myers Squibb expects that substantially all of the debt of the combined company will be pari passu.

Accelerated Share Repurchase Program
Bristol-Myers Squibb expects to execute an accelerated share repurchase program of up to approximately $5 billion, subject to the closing of the transaction, market conditions and Board approval.

Corporate Governance
Following the close of the transaction, Dr. Caforio will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Two members from Celgene’s Board will be added to the Board of Directors of Bristol-Myers Squibb. The combined company will continue to have a strong presence throughout New Jersey.

Approvals and Timing to Close
The transaction is subject to approval by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene expect to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2019.

Advisors
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as lead financial advisor to Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Evercore and Dyal Co. LLC are serving as financial advisors to Bristol-Myers Squibb. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as Bristol-Myers Squibb’s legal counsel. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as lead financial advisor and Citi is acting as financial advisor to Celgene. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal counsel to Celgene.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated global biopharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through next-generation solutions in protein homeostasis, immuno-oncology, epigenetics, immunology and neuro-inflammation. For more information, please visit www.celgene.com. Follow Celgene on Social Media: @Celgene, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube

RICHMOND, Va.- Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE:MO) today announces it signed and closed a $12.8 billion investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. (JUUL), the U.S. leader in e-vapor. The service agreements will accelerate JUUL’s mission to switch adult smokers to e-vapor products. Altria’s investment represents a 35% economic interest in JUUL, valuing the company at $38 billion. JUUL will remain fully independent.

“We are taking significant action to prepare for a future where adult smokers overwhelmingly choose non-combustible products over cigarettes by investing $12.8 billion in JUUL, a world leader in switching adult smokers,” said Howard Willard, Altria’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We have long said that providing adult smokers with superior, satisfying products with the potential to reduce harm is the best way to achieve tobacco harm reduction. Through JUUL, we are making the biggest investment in our history toward that goal. We strongly believe that working with JUUL to accelerate its mission will have long-term benefits for adult smokers and our shareholders.”

“Altria’s investment sends a very clear message that JUUL’s technology has given us a truly historic opportunity to improve the lives of the world’s one billion adult cigarette smokers,” said Kevin Burns, Chief Executive Officer of JUUL. “This investment and the service agreements will accelerate our mission to increase the number of adult smokers who switch from combustible cigarettes to JUUL devices.”

JUUL will remain fully independent and will have access to Altria’s best-in-class infrastructure and services. As part of the service agreements:

Altria will provide JUUL access to its premier innovative tobacco products retail shelf space, allowing JUUL’s tobacco and menthol-based products to appear alongside combustible cigarettes. JUUL’s flavored products will continue to only be available on JUUL.com.
Altria will enable JUUL to reach adult smokers with direct communications through cigarette pack inserts and mailings to adult smokers via Altria companies’ databases.
Altria will apply its logistics and distribution experience to help JUUL expand its reach and efficiency and JUUL will have the option to be supported by Altria’s sales organization, which covers approximately 230,000 retail locations.
An Extraordinary E-vapor Company with a Strong Product Pipeline

Fueled by its unique and innovative Silicon Valley approach to product development and founded by former smokers, JUUL has rapidly built an industry-leading position by satisfying adult tobacco consumers with its differentiated e-vapor products.

JUUL has quickly grown both revenue and share, and today represents approximately 30% of the total U.S. e-vapor category.1 JUUL has a deep innovation pipeline and currently operates in eight countries, with rapid international expansion plans.

“This is a unique and compelling opportunity to invest in an extraordinary company, the fastest growing in the U.S. e-vapor category. We are excited to support JUUL’s highly-talented team and offer our best-in- class services to build on their tremendous success,” added Willard.

Advances Altria’s Long-Term Tobacco Harm Reduction Goal

In 2000, Altria became the first and only company in the industry to support FDA regulation of tobacco products, an important step to providing accurate and scientifically-grounded communications about reduced-risk products to smokers.

Today, the FDA has regulatory authority over all tobacco products, and the FDA distinguishes between the harm associated with combustible versus non-combustible products.

Altria will participate in the e-vapor category only through JUUL. The investment complements Altria’s non-combustible offerings in smokeless and heat-not-burn, upon FDA authorization of IQOS.

Commitment to Underage Tobacco Prevention

Altria and JUUL are committed to preventing youth from using any tobacco products. As recent studies have made clear, youth vaping is a serious problem, which both Altria and JUUL are committed to solve. As JUUL previously said, “Our intent was never to have youth use JUUL products. But intent is not enough, the numbers are what matter, and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarette products is a problem.”

As a result, JUUL recently began implementing a number of actions to prevent underage vaping, including stopping the sales of flavored products to retail stores, enhancing age-verification for its online sales, eliminating social media accounts and developing further technology solutions.

JUUL believes that it cannot fulfill its mission to provide the world’s one billion adult smokers with a true alternative to combustible cigarettes if youth use continues unabated. Together, JUUL and Altria will work to prevent youth usage through their announced initiatives, further technological developments and increased advocacy for raising the minimum age of purchase for all tobacco products to 21.

Positioning Altria for Long-Term Growth

Building on Altria’s previously announced growth investment in Cronos Group Inc. (Cronos Group), Altria believes its investment in JUUL strengthens its financial profile and enhances future growth prospects.

Altria continues to position its business to return value for shareholders over the long-term through earnings growth and dividends. Altria expects its growth to be driven by maximizing income from its wholly-owned operating companies and increasing contributions from its equity and strategic investments. Altria’s service companies will contribute their strong capabilities to enhance value creation in both its wholly-owned subsidiaries and, when appropriate, its investments.

Strategic Rationale

Provides significant stake in the largest and fastest growing e-vapor company with a highly-talented management team, successful in-market products and strong innovation pipeline.
JUUL will remain independent and retain complete operational autonomy to capitalize on its entrepreneurial success.
Provides exposure to strong revenue and volume growth opportunity with attractive unit economics.
Investment in the leading U.S. e-vapor company complements Altria’s non-combustible product portfolio.
Exposure to significant international growth plans and global e-vapor profit pool.
Better positions Altria with adult smokers interested in alternatives while continuing to compete vigorously in all other tobacco product markets.
Key Transaction Terms

Altria signed and closed an agreement with JUUL, the U.S. leader in e-vapor, to invest $12.8 billion in cash for non-voting convertible common shares of JUUL, representing 35% of JUUL’s outstanding capital stock as of the closing date.
As part of this investment, JUUL signed service agreements with Altria to accelerate its mission to switch adult smokers. Proceeds will be used to return capital to employees and shareholders and create a fortified $1 billion balance sheet to expedite product development and market access.
Upon antitrust clearance, Altria’s 35% non-voting shares will automatically convert to 35% voting shares, and Altria will be able to appoint directors representing one-third of JUUL’s Board of Directors.
Altria receives a broad pre-emptive right to purchase shares to maintain its ownership percentage.
Altria will be subject to a standstill agreement under which it may not acquire additional JUUL shares above its 35% interest. Altria agrees not to sell or transfer any JUUL common shares for six years from closing.
Altria will participate in the e-vapor business only through JUUL as long as Altria is supplying JUUL services, which Altria is committed to doing for at least six years.
A copy of the Purchase Agreement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 8-K.

Financing

Altria financed the JUUL stock purchase through a $14.6 billion term loan facility arranged by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. $1.8 billion of the facility remains undrawn and may be used by Altria to finance its recently announced investment in Cronos Group. Altria may consider seeking permanent financing in the future.

Financial Implications

Accounting Treatment

Altria will initially account for its JUUL investment as an investment in an equity security. Upon antitrust clearance, Altria expects to account for its investment in JUUL under the equity method of accounting.

Cost Reduction Program

Altria also announces today a cost reduction program designed to deliver approximately $500 million to $600 million in annualized cost savings by the end of 2019. This program will include, among other things, reducing third-party spending across the business and workforce reductions. Altria expects this program to offset most of the interest expense associated with the debt incurred to finance the JUUL and Cronos Group investments.

Altria estimates total pre-tax restructuring charges in connection with the cost reduction program to be in a range of approximately $230 million to $280 million, or $0.09 per share to $0.11 per share, the majority of which is expected to be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018. The estimated charges, substantially all of which will result in cash expenditures, relate primarily to employee separation costs of approximately $190 million to $220 million and other costs of approximately $40 million to $60 million.

The estimated charges do not reflect the non-cash impact that may result from pension settlement and curtailment accounting.

PALO ALTO, Calif.–Walker & Company Brands, the company that makes health and beauty simple for people of color, today announced that it will join the Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) family of brands to better serve consumers of color around the world.

Founded in 2013, Walker & Company Brands has spent the last five years developing products and services tailored for people of color. It brings with it well-respected, high performance brands, including Bevel, a comprehensive grooming experience designed for the specific needs of men with coarse or curly hair, and FORM Beauty, a premium hair care collection developed to meet the unique needs of the increasing number of women with textured hair.

Walker & Company Brands will operate as a separate and wholly-owned subsidiary of P&G, continuing to be led by CEO and Founder Tristan Walker.

“When I started Walker & Company Brands, I set out to build a company that would meet the health and beauty needs of people of color on a global scale,” said Tristan Walker, CEO of Walker & Company Brands. “Having access to P&G’s outstanding technology, capabilities and expertise helps us to further realize that vision, giving us the power to scale and bring new products to people of color, while staying true to our mission and continuing to nurture the loyal community we’ve worked hard to build.”

“We have tremendous respect for the work Tristan Walker has accomplished and we are excited to welcome Walker & Company to the P&G family,” said Alex Keith, CEO of P&G Beauty. “The combination of Walker & Company’s deep consumer understanding, authentic connection to its community and unique, highly customized products and P&G’s highly-skilled and experienced people, resources, technical capabilities and global scale will allow us to further improve the lives of the world’s multicultural consumers.”

The merger will grow P&G’s multicultural business and accelerate growth for Walker & Company’s existing brands, as well fuel the development of additional products designed for the specific needs of people of color.

About Walter & Company Brands
Walker & Company Brands is a family of brands designing health and beauty solutions for people of color. Our vision is to build the world’s most consumer-centric health and beauty products company, inspiring unprecedented customer loyalty. Walker & Company launched with the introduction of the Bevel brand in 2013. Bevel provides grooming products and services designed to help reduce razor bumps and skin irritation. FORM, the first women’s prestige hair care collection to celebrate beauty in all its forms, is now available for order at formbeauty.com. To learn more about Walker & Company Brands, visit www.walkerandcompany.com.

About P&G
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. To learn more about P&G’s Citizenship work, visit: http://www.pg.com/citizenship.

CINCINNATI–P&G-owned hair care brand Herbal Essences is producing the first-ever mass hair care bottle design in North America that will make it easier for vision impaired consumers to distinguish its shampoo and conditioner products through the sense of touch. The newly enhanced package features tactile indentations that will help differentiate the brand’s shampoos from its conditioners in-shower given they share the same bottle shape, alleviating in-shower confusion and helping consumers confidently perform daily tasks.

Behind the initiative is creator Sumaira “Sam” Latif, P&G’s Special Consultant for Inclusive Design, who has been with the Company for over 18 years and is herself blind. Latif’s unique perspective lit the spark for the idea, which was refined by working with other individuals who are vision impaired. In fact, they represent some of the 253 million people worldwide or 23 million people in the US today who face the challenges associated with vision impairment every day.

“Imagine the daily challenges, like choosing matching clothes in the morning or simply taking a shower after a long day. As a blind person, you must do these things using touch rather than sight. You don’t really know which bottle the shampoo, conditioner, or soap is…you have to get creative. I used to put an elastic band around shampoo or sellotape on conditioner to remind me,” says Latif speaking from personal experience. And as it relates to the bottle design, she says the intention was clear: “It was important that we invent a feature, universally recognizable tactile feature, which would work for people who haven’t had the opportunity to learn braille.”

The production to create the new bottle feature was not a seamless one, according to Latif. “While the solution might sound relatively simple, we process hundreds of bottles a minute, so changing a manufacturing process is complicated when you’re dealing with those kinds of quantities.”

Shane Mays, Herbal Essences Packaging Engineer, and Latif became instant friends working on this project together. “In my 15 years working at P&G, I have never worked on a project with as much personal passion as this one. I am so incredibly proud of what we are doing and the impact we will have. This pride and passion was contagious across the entire manufacturing team who worked together to make this possible on the fast manufacturing lines,” expresses Mays.

Despite the technical solves needed, the Company’s collective passion for the initiative is what pushed it through. Herbal Essences North America Brand Manager, Lynn Hicks, states that not only did she feel it was “the right thing to do,” but explains that there was a solid business case behind this decision. “Making our products more accessible can improve the experience for everyone. We want to be sure everyone can experience the positive power of nature through Herbal Essences every day. While we designed this tactile feature specifically for the visually impaired, others, like seniors or kids, will also benefit from this feature.”

Latif is excited to see how consumers respond saying, “Every time I pick up this new bottle in the shower I smile. Knowing for the first time in my life I can be so sure that its shampoo, that feels great, and I hope others experience this same feeling.”

The shampoo bottles have four tactile vertical lines on the bottom of the back label and the conditioner has two rows of dots on the bottom of the back label. The features were purposely kept very simple and easy to differentiate by touch. The brand hopes that once people learn about the new tactile features, they will easily be able to tell their shampoo and conditioner apart by touch.

Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, shares, “We are pleased to see an industry leader like P&G and its Herbal Essences brand incorporate accessibility into the design of packaging. This new tactile feature enhances our independence and shows that the brand wants to truly serve all consumers. We hope other manufacturers will take note of this effort and work with blind people to find solutions that allow us to identify their products quickly and independently.”

The new Herbal Essences packaging will be available on Herbal Essences bio:renew shampoo and conditioner bottles beginning January 2019 everywhere that the brand’s hair care products are currently sold.

To learn more about this initiative, please visit HerbalEssences.com or watch our visually descriptive video (link below) and share the news on social media using #HerbalEssences and #WorldSightDay.

About Herbal Essences
Herbal Essences was born into nature with a free spirit and a joyful heart. Our bohemian roots still have the power to inspire young women today with products that merge the best of nature with science. Because there will always be women who aspire to a unique and authentic beauty that can only come from a closeness to nature and a true sense of self. Herbal is not about problems, but the freedom to immerse yourself in the positive power of nature every day. Herbal believes in ingredients with intent, packaging as items of beauty for her & the earth, colors found in nature, irresistibly delicious fragrances, & formulas that are as clean as possible without compromising the results women crave. And Herbal hair? Herbal hair is hair that is healthy, undone, natural looking and free – just like the women who choose it. Simply put, Herbal Essences does beautiful things for your hair & your head. To learn more about Herbal Essences visit www.herbalessences.com, or follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/HerbalEssences, Twitter: twitter.com/HerbalEssences and Instagram: @herbalessences.

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.

CINCINNATI–Are you a college student looking for a business competition to demonstrate your aptitude for strategy and problem-solving? If you’d like to showcase your ingenuity and critical thinking skills beyond the college campus on a global scale, then P&G’s CEO Challenge is the opportunity. The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE: PG) has opened the window for applications to its next Global CEO Challenge, a creative way to attract top talent to P&G. It invites students to demonstrate their business skills in several real-world scenarios, showcasing the type of work they could do for P&G brands. Apply by visiting https://www.pg-ceochallenge.com/ Deadlines vary by country.

“Students want an opportunity to demonstrate that they can put what they’ve learned into action,” said P&G Chief Executive Officer David Taylor. “The CEO Challenge allows you to do just that. If you want exposure to the kind of work you’d do at P&G while showcasing your skills, this is your chance.”

The first worldwide challenge in 2018 was a huge success with more than 23,000 students from 40 countries applying. The 2018 winner was an all-female team of industrial engineers from Saudi Arabia: Linah Hussain, Malak Mously and Rawan Baik. They met P&G CEO David Taylor in Cincinnati this summer, attended the Company’s annual SIGNAL Accelerator Summit, and received employment offers from P&G.

For the 2019 challenge launching now, you’ll get to work on a business case study for Gillette, the world’s largest grooming brand. The competition includes three rounds: local, regional and global. In the local and regional rounds, students’ work includes real P&G case studies, and you’re asked to build a business strategy. In the global round, you’ll compete in a business simulator that requires you to make decisions in the company as the CEO.

What’s in it for students?
An opportunity to interview with P&G through real-world business problem solving, potentially leading to an employment offer
An all-expenses paid trip to the location of the Regional Finals and to Dubai, UAE to compete in the Global Finals
Official winners will be invited to our Cincinnati headquarters to meet P&G leaders and CEO David Taylor
The Global Finals will be held in Dubai, UAE from May 20-24, 2019.

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.

BOSTON–In the world of marketing, less than seven percent of directors are women.* Gillette Venus wants to help close that gap with the launch of the Her Shot campaign, a social experiment in storytelling and celebration of all the ways a female perspective can disrupt and improve the world.

Gillette Venus is partnering with 10 up-and-coming female directors to create video content spotlighting the importance of a woman’s point of view and sharing unique perspectives on the positive impact this can have on the world. The brand is also partnering with actress/director Regina King to serve as a voice of inspiration to the directors, providing tips and advice on success so they can elevate their voices in the industry.

Although shaving has been an important step in many women’s everyday routines for decades, shaving products weren’t truly designed for women until 2001 when Gillette Venus launched the first razor made specifically for a woman. Razors created to fit a woman’s shaving needs are just one expression of what designing for a woman really means, and Gillette Venus wants to explore all the ways that the designed-for-her difference can come to life with this campaign.

“Whether it’s stronger female characters or a more realistic portrayal of the female experience, there’s so much potential for women to shape the world with the stories they tell. I’m looking forward to seeing the unique perspectives from these 10 women,” says Regina King. “Right now with the majority of content coming from male directors, we’re too often seeing the world through a male lens. I’m excited to partner with Gillette Venus on this campaign because giving women more of these content creation opportunities is a step in the right direction.”

Gillette Venus is inspired by women from all walks of life, and the brand knows that every woman has a unique perspective and story that is waiting to be told. That’s why the brand tapped into Fiverr, the world’s largest marketplace of creative and digital services, to select 10 female directors to be the driving forces behind these stories.

“Gillette Venus has always designed products based on listening to women and what they want. With this campaign, we’re continuing to promote female perspective and design, but through a lens,” says Hillary Mone, North America Gillette Venus Brand Manager.

Earlier this year, the Procter & Gamble Company announced its commitment to gender equality through a series of new actions, commitments and partnerships to achieve 100% accurate and positive portrayals of women in advertising and media. In that spirit, the Her Shot campaign is all about supporting female creativity and committing to bringing more of it to the forefront.

You can learn more about the campaign and view all the content from these directors by visiting the brand’s Instagram TV hub at Instagram.com/GilletteVenus and follow along with the conversation using #HerShotxVenus.

*Source: https://www.freethebid.com/how-to/

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.

PURCHASE, N.Y. and TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 20, 2018 — PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) (“PepsiCo”) and SodaStream International Ltd. (NASDAQ / TLV: SODA) (“SodaStream”) today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which PepsiCo has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of SodaStream for $144.00 per share in cash, which represents a 32% premium to the 30-day volume weighted average price.

PepsiCo logo (PRNewsFoto/PepsiCo)

“PepsiCo and SodaStream are an inspired match,” said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. “Daniel and his leadership team have built an extraordinary company that is offering consumers the ability to make great-tasting beverages while reducing the amount of waste generated. That focus is well-aligned with Performance with Purpose, our philosophy of making more nutritious products while limiting our environmental footprint. Together, we can advance our shared vision of a healthier, more-sustainable planet.”

Daniel Birnbaum, SodaStream CEO and Director said, “Today marks an important milestone in the SodaStream journey. It is validation of our mission to bring healthy, convenient and environmentally friendly beverage solutions to consumers around the world. We are honored to be chosen as PepsiCo’s beachhead for at home preparation to empower consumers around the world with additional choices. I am excited our team will have access to PepsiCo’s vast capabilities and resources to take us to the next level. This is great news for our consumers, employees and retail partners worldwide.”

PepsiCo’s strong distribution capabilities, global reach, R&D, design and marketing expertise, combined with SodaStream’s differentiated and unique product range will position SodaStream for further expansion and breakthrough innovation.

The transaction is another step in PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose journey, promoting health and wellness through environmentally friendly, cost-effective and fun-to-use beverage solutions.

“SodaStream is highly complementary and incremental to our business, adding to our growing water portfolio, while catalyzing our ability to offer personalized in-home beverage solutions around the world,” said Ramon Laguarta, CEO-Elect and President, PepsiCo. “From breakthrough innovations like Drinkfinity to beverage dispensing technologies like Spire for foodservice and Aquafina water stations for workplaces and colleges, PepsiCo is finding new ways to reach consumers beyond the bottle, and today’s announcement is fully in line with that strategy.”

Under the terms of the agreement between PepsiCo and SodaStream, PepsiCo has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SodaStream International Ltd. for $144.00 per share, in a transaction valued at $3.2 billion. The transaction will be funded with PepsiCo’s cash on hand.

The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. The transaction is subject to a SodaStream shareholder vote, certain regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, and closing is expected by January 2019.

Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor to PepsiCo in this transaction. Centerview also acted as financial advisor to PepsiCo in the transaction. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP acted as lead counsel to PepsiCo, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as U.S. tax counsel, and Herzog, Fox & Ne’eman as Israeli legal counsel. Perella Weinberg Partners acted as financial advisor to SodaStream with White & Case LLP acting as SodaStream’s U.S. legal counsel and Meitar Liquornik Geva Lesham Tal as Israeli legal counsel.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About SodaStream
SodaStream is the #1 sparkling water brand in volume in the world and the leading manufacturer and distributor of Sparkling Water Makers. We enable consumers to easily transform ordinary tap water into sparkling water and flavored sparkling water in seconds. By making ordinary water fun and exciting to drink, SodaStream helps consumers drink more water. Sparkling Water Makers offer a highly differentiated and innovative solution to consumers of bottled and canned carbonated soft drinks. Our products promote health and wellness, are environmentally friendly, cost effective, customizable and fun to use. Our products are available at more than 80,000 individual retail stores across 45 countries. To learn more about how SodaStream makes water exciting and follow SodaStream on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, visit http://www.sodastream.com.

CINCINNATI–For the fourth consecutive year, The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is the presenting sponsor of the Cincinnati Music Festival (CMF), and proudly announces its ongoing commitment to its home city as lead sponsor through 2022. Inviting music lovers around the country to reminisce, restore, and recharge to the beat in a way that #FeelsLikeCMF, the 3-day festival kicked off July 26th at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium with an exciting lineup featuring Charlie Wilson, Jill Scott, and a dozen other R&B performers.

“During the past four years, we’ve witnessed the power of music and its authentic ability to encourage empowering messages, establish strong community connections, and foster an inclusive spirit while celebrating diversity,” said William P. Gipson, Chief Diversity Officer at P&G. “Ensuring the success of the Cincinnati Music Festival for another four years presents an exciting opportunity to continue our social and corporate responsibility to Cincinnati where many of our own employees live and work. This festival in particular allows us to connect with over 90,000 music fans and ignites a critical conversation that promotes economic, social and cultural development in our community.”

Last year, CMF saw a total attendance of 91,200 people over the three days, making it one of the largest urban music festivals in the United States. In addition to the Cincinnati Music Festival, P&G is also partnering with various community organizations and media in an effort to connect thousands of music lovers with the sights, sounds and spirit of the “Queen City” through musical entertainment, new experiences and by bringing P&G brands to life.

Continuing its mission to spark a meaningful dialogue that promotes positive change for Black women, P&G’s My Black Is Beautiful is honored to collaborate with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists on Saturday, July 28th to host a community event, “Navigating Barriers and Possibilities.” This program will include an opening keynote regarding entrepreneurship advancement for women by Legendary Hip Hop pioneer, MC Lyte. Following, multifaceted journalist, writer and editor, Liz Brazile will moderate a dynamic discussion with a panel that includes Camille “Mimi” Borders, Terri Bolds and Dr. Robin Martin, to address barriers that confront Black women and the insights these esteemed panelists have leveraged to drive incredible possibilities.

Capturing the excitement of the weekend and bringing the events and conversations surrounding CMF to a national platform, P&G is excited to partner with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and their high-rated series, Love Is __ to give their audience an all-access look into the “best of the fest.” From celebrating empowerment amongst Black women at the community event to engaging with the festival’s hottest musical acts, and offering an up-close tour around P&G’s interactive brand experiences, the OWN audience can get a VIP view at all that CMF and P&G have to offer when these festival moments air throughout commercial breaks within the show’s August 7th episode.

During the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend, Procter & Gamble brands, including Always, Bounty, Charmin, Crest, My Black is Beautiful, Olay, Pantene, Secret, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice, and Tide have designed experiences that continue the best of previous years while adding exciting new elements for festival attendees to transport to the nineties in a way that nostalgically #FeelsLikeCMF.

Visit the Goddess Patio Spa featuring a complimentary self-service beauty bar for hair touch-ups, stylist consultations and product sampling from Pantene Gold Series, as well as a product demo Beauty Bar from Olay, MBIB-branded furnishings, a Goddess selfie photo booth, and countless other product demos and trials.
Hang out with Old Spice and Head and Shoulders in the Kickback Man Cave featuring product samples, sneaker cleaning services and so much more.
Feel the certainty of clean by stepping into the Tide Spin Cycle experience.
Enjoy Pre-show performances on the #FeelsLikeCMF Plaza featuring local artists and musicians.
Stop at the Secret and Always Restroom Refresh Stations to cool down and freshen up.
Grab snacks at the Bounty Concession Takeovers.
Enjoy the go with Charmin Restroom Takeovers.
#FeeltheWhip with Olay’s Regenerist Whip Installation and Light as Air photo booth.
Create memories with the Crest Smile Patrol who will be roaming the grounds in their 90’s inspired tracksuits, snapping Polaroids.
Supporting Cincinnati Businesses and Fostering Community Connections

A 2018 study conducted by the UC Economics Center and commissioned by the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau shows the Cincinnati Music Festival presented by P&G provides a $107.5 million economic impact to the region, making it the largest annual driver of tourism in the tri-state.

Procter & Gamble invests in the communities where it lives, works and serves. The Company partners with local business and cultural entities such as the Santangelo Group, CMF retail partner The Kroger Family of Stores, 3CDC, Agar, Source Cincinnati, Vibe, and Radio One to bring events like CMF to Cincinnati. In doing so, P&G fosters connections that drive awareness, participation, excitement, and revenue for the city.

To promote a deeper sense of community, the Local Talent Search, presented by the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati.com, gives a local Cincinnati musician the opportunity to perform live on the CMF main stage during the festival weekend.

The Cincinnati Music Festival Presented by P&G will take place July 26 – 28th, 2018, and will feature performers such as Charlie Wilson, Jill Scott, The Roots, Common, XScap3, Boyz II Men, and more. Tickets are on sale at http://www.cincymusicfestival.com.

Show your support at these events by tagging #FeelsLikeCMF.

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.

About Kroger
Kroger, one of the world’s largest retailers, employs nearly 400,000 associates who serve customers in 2,626 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The company also operates 780 convenience stores, 327 fine jewelry stores, 1,342 supermarket fuel centers and 37 food processing plants in the U.S. Recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in America, Kroger supports hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, the military and their families, and more than 30,000 schools and community organizations. Kroger contributes food and funds equal to 200 million meals a year through more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber’s Million Dollar Club.

About The Santangelo Group
The Santangelo Group, led by Owner Joe Santangelo, has promoted or co-promoted the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paul Brown Stadium since 2005. Prior to that, they promoted the Festival as the Macy’s Music Festival, the Coors Light Music Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and the Ohio Valley Music Festival stretching back to 1962. In addition to the Cincinnati Music Festival, The Santangelo Group promotes the Hampton Jazz Festival in Hampton, VA.

CINCINNATI–Jon Moeller, Chief Financial Officer of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) will be a featured speaker at the Deutsche Bank dbAccess Global Consumer Conference in Paris on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 8:30 A.M. CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Media and investors may access the live audio webcast at www.pginvestor.com beginning at 8:30 A.M. CEST (Central European Summer Time). The webcast will also be available for replay.

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.

CINCINNATI–The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, for a purchase price of approximately 3.4 billion euro.

This acquisition enables P&G to expand its successful consumer health care business by adding a fast-growing portfolio of differentiated, physician-supported brands across a broad geographic footprint. It also provides P&G with strong health care commercial and supply capabilities, deep technical mastery and proven consumer health care leadership that will complement P&G’s existing consumer Health Care capabilities and brands such as Vicks, Metamucil, Pepto-Bismol, Crest and Oral-B.

“We like the steady, broad-based growth of the OTC Health Care market and are pleased to add the Consumer Health portfolio and people of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to the P&G family,” said David Taylor, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer.

P&G’s acquisition of the Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will improve P&G’s OTC geographic scale, brand portfolio and category footprint in the vast majority of the world’s top 15 OTC markets. These brands provide great solutions in relieving muscle, joint and back pain, colds and headaches, as well as supporting physical activity and mobility, many of which are treatment areas not currently addressed in P&G’s portfolio.

“Over the past few years, our Health Care business has delivered consistent growth and strong shareholder value creation,“ said Steve Bishop, Group President, Global Health Care. “The Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, brings a strong set of brands, products and capabilities, and provides an attractive and complementary footprint to further fuel growth as we continue to grow our existing leading brands.”

The acquisition of the Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, replaces and improves upon the highly successful PGT Healthcare joint venture P&G had with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE: TEVA), which will be terminated July 1, 2018, pending regulatory approvals.

The PGT Healthcare joint venture delivered disproportionate top- and bottom-line growth and established a major presence in over 50 countries since its formation. However, following a recent review, Teva and P&G concluded that priorities and strategies were no longer aligned and agreed to terms where it would be mutually beneficial to terminate the partnership. PGT product assets will return to their respective parent companies to reestablish independent OTC businesses.

The $1 billion Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, grew 6% over the past two years and provides a broad range of OTC product remedies to relieve muscle, joint and back pain, colds and headaches as well as products for supporting physical activity and mobility. Top brands include Neurobion, Dolo-Neurobion, Femibion, Nasivin, Bion3, Seven Seas and Kytta, along with many others. These are sold primarily in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

“These leading brands and the great employees of the Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will complement our Personal Health Care business very well,” said Tom Finn, President, P&G Global Personal Health Care. “This acquisition helps us continue to drive sales and profit growth for P&G by providing the capabilities and portfolio scale we need to operate a winning global OTC business on our own, without the aid of a health care partner.”

“The divestment of our Consumer Health is an important step in our strategic focus on innovation-driven businesses within Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials. It is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to actively shape our portfolio as a leading science and technology company,” said Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Consumer Health is a strong business that deserves the best possible opportunities for its future development. With P&G we have found a strong, highly recognized player who has the necessary scale to successfully drive the business going forward.”

“P&G’s global scale and strategic interest in the health and well-being of consumers provide an excellent basis for accelerating growth, leveraging our teams’ capabilities and expanding the Consumer Health business profitably. The marketed portfolios, product pipelines and geographic footprints of both businesses are highly complementary,” said Belén Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Healthcare. “With this transaction, we continue to rigorously deliver on our strategy to become a global specialty innovator and bring breakthrough medicines to patients.”

The Consumer Health business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is active across 44 countries and includes more than 900 products. P&G is targeting to close this deal during the 2018/19 fiscal year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances.

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.

CINCINNATI–Chrissy Teigen has joined the Pampers family as the first-ever Creative Consultant for the new Pampers Pure Collection. Made with premium cotton and other thoughtfully selected materials, stylish prints and 100% Pampers protection, the Pampers Pure Collection is a new choice for parents searching for diaper and wipe options in the “natural” category who don’t want to sacrifice performance.

“When Pampers approached me to collaborate on the new Pampers Pure Collection, I jumped at the chance to work with a brand that I love. I wore Pampers… John wore Pampers…. we are a Pampers family!” said Chrissy Teigen. “From the moment Luna was born, John and I, like all parents, have done anything we can to make sure she is happy, healthy and loved. Luna has super sensitive skin so choosing what we think is best for her is especially true when it comes to diapers and wipes. A Pampers diaper was the first thing she wore, and I have always relied on them. Pampers Pure gives me the protection I trust from Pampers with new choices that are important to me, like no fragrance or lotion. Plus the diapers are so stylish and fun! I didn’t think Luna’s tush could be any cuter, but her llama butt is the cutest!”

In this first-of-its-kind creative-led partnership for Pampers, Chrissy will provide her mom expertise and fashion know-how over the next two years, collaborating with designers, R&D and marketing on all things Pampers Pure, like the adorable diaper prints.

“Chrissy is a great fit for Pampers and represents how many moms feel on their parenting journey in her own fun, down-to-earth way. We’ve all seen the photos of Luna in a Pampers diaper, and knowing they were a Pampers family made Chrissy an obvious choice for us. We couldn’t be more excited to see how her real-life experiences help shape the Pampers Pure Collection,” said E. Yuri Hermida, P&G NA VP BabyCare. “Like Chrissy, many parents want both cute prints and the Pampers performance and quality they love. With the Pampers Pure Collection we are proud to offer a no compromise option that delivers all the features they’re looking for with the Pampers protection they know and trust.”

To kick-off her partnership, Chrissy and Pampers are acknowledging the shared passion that parents have to give their babies what they believe is best. In a brand new video released today, Chrissy and other moms share their heartwarming stories of unconditional love and no compromise.

Check out the Pampers Pure Collection video featuring Chrissy and other moms here: https://youtu.be/2yYxRoC5-tY

About the Pampers Pure Collection

Pampers Pure diapers and wipes are:

Made without chlorine bleaching, fragrance, lotion, parabens, natural rubber latex and the 26 allergens identified by the European Union.
Dermatologically tested and clinically proven hypoallergenic and gentle for baby’s delicate skin
Made with premium cotton and provide Pampers trusted performance
Pampers Pure Protection diapers are also independently reviewed and accredited as skin safe by the Skin Health Alliance. Each size option of Pampers Pure Protection diapers features different stylish, fun prints (llamas, corgis, and sloths, oh my!), and the much-loved Wetness Indicator.

Pampers Aqua Pure wipes are designed to give parents Pampers highest water content wipe while still delivering outstanding skin protection. The wipes are crafted with carefully-selected ingredients including 99% pure water and a touch of premium cotton, making them safe and soft even on delicate newborn faces, hands and bottoms.

The Pampers Pure Collection holds itself to the same safety standards as all Pampers products. More than 25 million babies and toddlers use Pampers every day making it among the safest products in the world.

Pampers Pure Protection diapers are available in sizes N through 5 for a suggested retail price of $11.99. Pampers Aqua Pure wipes are available for a suggested retail price of $5.97. Pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer.

About Pampers®
For more than 50 years, parents have trusted Pampers to care for their babies. Pampers is a part of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and is the #1-selling diaper worldwide. Every day, more than 25 million babies in 100 countries around the world wear Pampers. Pampers offers a complete range of diapers, wipes and training pants designed to provide protection and comfort for every stage of baby’s development. Visit www.pampers.com to learn more about Pampers products, join the Pampers Rewards program, and find ideas and information to help your baby get the most out of love, sleep and play.

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.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland–Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) today is recognized for the second year in a row as a Global Top Employer. This year’s certification from the Top Employer Institute is awarded to PMI teams in 44 countries, a testament to the company’s consistency and excellence in offering an enriching and dynamic work environment, and exceptional development opportunities for employees across the globe. PMI has been recognized by the Top Employer Institute for six consecutive years. This year, PMI was awarded with five regional certifications in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and, for the first time, in North America and Latin America. Additionally, Indonesia was the first PMI affiliate to be certified in Asia.

“It is a proud moment for all of us at PMI,” said Charles Bendotti, PMI Senior Vice President, People and Culture. “Our success as a company relies on the men and women who come to work every day with a passion to achieve, and a willingness to learn, grow, and take on new challenges. We believe that companies don’t change industries – people do – and as a Global Top Employer we make every effort to ensure that our workplace is vibrant, inclusive and full of new opportunities for our people.”

PMI employs approximately 81,000 people worldwide, dedicated to transforming the company to create a smoke-free future. The company offers robust training and development programs, challenging international career opportunities together with strong reward and recognition programs.

Philip Morris International Inc.
We are a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the United States of America. We’re building our future on smoke-free products that are a much better consumer choice than continuing to smoke cigarettes. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, we aim to ensure that our smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. Our vision is that these products ultimately replace cigarettes to the benefit of adult smokers, society, our company and our shareholders. For more information, see www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

CINCINNATI–David S. Taylor, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jon R. Moeller, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) will be featured speakers at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference in Boca Raton, Fla., on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Media and investors may access the live audio webcast at www.pginvestor.com, beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. The webcast will also be available for replay.

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.

Chalfont St Giles, UK and Changxing, Zhejiang, China – 23 January 2018 — Clover Biopharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on developing novel and transformative biologic therapies, has chosen GE Healthcare’s FlexFactory, a biomanufacturing platform based on single-use technologies, for its new facility located in Changxing, Zhejiang in China. The new facility will mainly be used to produce biological fusion protein products, including innovative drugs and biosimilars. This will help Clover Biopharmaceuticals to bring local access to biologic therapies faster, while also opening global markets through the proven track record of FlexFactory in meeting global regulatory requirements and quality standards. The biomanufacturing facility includes two 2,000 liter bioreactors from GE, and it will be operational in the latter half of 2018.

Clover Biopharmaceuticals’ new production facility will be located in one of the national economic development zones in China, Changxing Economic and Technological Development Zone, where a new biopharmaceutical industrial cluster is being developed. China has a broader strategy on biotechnological innovation per the government’s 13th Five-Year Plan, and there are plans to build up to twenty science parks for biomedicine by 2020 to accelerate local research and development activities. In 2015, the Chinese biopharmaceutical market was valued approximately at USD 13 billion, and the estimated annual growth rate (CAGR) is around 13 percent for the next few years(1).

“Adopting high-quality technologies and driving innovation in our manufacturing operations is important for Clover Biopharmaceuticals. GE’s FlexFactory represents the latest in biomanufacturing technologies, and it will help us establish flexible production capacity quickly, while fulfilling good manufacturing practices (GMP) requirements,” said Dr. Peng Liang, Co-founder, Chairman and President of Clover Biopharmaceuticals.

“The first therapeutic product produced using this biomanufacturing platform is SCB-808, a prefilled syringe formulation Enbrel® (etanercept) biosimilar candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. We believe that SCB-808 addresses a major unmet need for patients in China and hope that we can provide patients with safer, more efficacious and convenient modern biologic therapies.”

“China has one of the fastest growing biopharmaceutical industries in the world, and it is important when new production facilities are being built that the chosen biomanufacturing technologies support this positive development, bringing high-quality biologics fast to market. We are excited to collaborate with Clover Biopharmaceuticals and to contribute to their promising and ambitious product pipeline by delivering a flexible, start-to-finish biomanufacturing platform based on single-use technologies,” said Sven Henrichwark, General Manager, Global Commercial BioProcess, GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

(1) Source: IMS data, CMH data, internal modeling and analysis

About FlexFactory
GE Healthcare’s FlexFactory is a centrally automated, flexible biomanufacturing platform for the production of biopharmaceuticals, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. It allows manufacturers to quickly and easily establish biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity within an existing building or as part of a new facility. Designed to help manufacturers such as Clover Biopharmaceuticals to rapidly respond to local healthcare needs and to support global customers in bringing lifesaving treatments to market more quickly, FlexFactory is comprised of single-use technologies and associated process hardware as well as all necessary automation and control components for start-to-finish manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.

About Clover Biopharmaceuticals
Clover Biopharmaceuticals is a global, clinical-stage, research-based biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing transformative biologic therapies, with a focus on oncology and autoimmune diseases. Clover is utilizing its proprietary Trimer-Tag© technology platform to develop novel biologics targeting trimerization-dependent pathways. Additionally, Clover is leveraging its in-house cGMP biomanufacturing capabilities to develop select biosimilars. For more information, please visit Clover’s website: www.cloverbiopharma.com.

About GE Healthcare
Harnessing data and analytics across hardware, software and biotech, GE Healthcare is the $18 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading provider of medical imaging equipment, with a track record of more than 100 years in the industry and more than 50,000 employees across 100 countries, we transform healthcare by delivering better outcomes for providers and patients. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter or The Pulse for latest news.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal standard intended to improve the safety of children’s folding chairs and stools.

The new federal safety standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F2613-17a, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Children’s Chairs and Stools), but limits the scope of the CPSC standard to children’s folding chairs and stools. The mandatory standard contains several requirements for children’s folding chairs and stools, including:

latching and locking mechanism or adequate hinge-line clearance requirements,
rearwards and sideways stability testing, and
warning labels.
Between January 2003 and August 2017, CPSC received a total of 153 reports of incidents, including 105 injuries, related to children’s folding chairs and stools.

The most frequent injuries associated with children’s folding chairs and stools include pinching, finger injuries and tip-overs due to instability.

The effective date for the new mandatory children’s folding chairs and stools standard is six months after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.

The Commission is required by the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), to issue consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. In the past 7 years, the Commission has approved new federal safety standards for durable infant or toddler products, including full-size cribs, non-full-size cribs, play yards, baby walkers, baby bath seats, children’s portable bed rails, strollers, toddler beds, infant swings, handheld infant carriers, soft infant carriers, framed infant carriers, bassinets, cradles, portable hook-on chairs and infant sling carriers.

The Commission voted unanimously (4-0) to approve the standard on December 8, 2017.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to help ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle announced that Joseph J. Martyak has returned to CPSC to serve as Director of the Office of Communications. He reports directly to CPSC’s Acting Chairman.

Mr. Martyak has extensive communications experience in several government, private sector, and non-profit positions, including: Vice President of Communications for the Hawaii Community Foundation; Chief of Staff for former CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord and Chief Counsel for Commissioner Ann Marie Buerkle at CPSC; Associate Administrator for Public Affairs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior; General Manager, Golin Harris International (Washington); Executive Vice president for Marketing, Communications and Public Policy for the American Legacy Foundation; and Vice-President for Corporate Affairs for two global corporations.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to help ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

CINCINNATI–Whether you are moving into a new home, adopting your first pet or figuring out how to create a monthly budget, adulthood is full of milestones big and small. A huge part of becoming an adult is learning how to clean up after yourself – and others – and maybe realizing you actually get excited about having a clean home! To show how nothing cleans a busy – and messy – life like Swiffer, the brand today released two new comedic videos showcasing how to master the Art of Adulting starring actress and comedian Abby Elliott.

“Adulting can be hard! Between my busy filming schedule and taking care of my fur child George, I don’t have much time for cleaning,” said Abby Elliott. “Swiffer is my go-to tool that lets me quickly clean my home and have a great time doing it!”

The new videos showcase common adulting moments most people go through in their own lives – like learning how to upgrade dinner from cold pizza to a meal-planned homemade casserole – while accepting that adulting takes baby steps – or, adult steps – to figure out. Adulting is hard, but Swiffer makes it easy, even if all the time you have is the few minutes you need to let that casserole cool down!

“Since Swiffer debuted 18 years ago, our products have been helping time-crunched families get their homes clean in the time that they have – even if it’s just a few spare minutes,” said Kevin Wenzel, Associate Brand Director, NA Surface Care. “As the original cleaning hack, Swiffer is the fast and easy way to tackle your to-do list and nail the Art of Adulting!”

To celebrate the new videos, Swiffer is also releasing additional digital content including brand new adulting gifs (giphy.com/swifferofficial) and custom iMessage stickers available for free for Apple and Android users. Apple users can download the iMessage stickers via the iTunes Store or emojiTap. Android users can download the Android stickers on emojiTap via the Google Store.

Check out Swiffer’s new videos on their YouTube page at https://youtu.be/GTQ1R2TuS2Y and https://youtu.be/8uGNakIHn1o, and comment with your own adulting moments with the hashtag #AdultingWithSwiffer.

For more information on the Swiffer family of products, please visit swiffer.com, facebook.com/swiffer or youtube.com/swifferusa.

About Swiffer®
In 1999, Swiffer made its debut and soon established itself as both a pioneer in the cleaning systems category and a pop culture icon. Swiffer products have starred on “Saturday Night Live,” have been featured in Hollywood blockbusters and have graced the cover of Rolling Stone. With the support of Swiffer fans around the world, Swiffer has built a family of distinctive products built smarter than traditional cleaning tools. Today, Swiffer® Sweeper, Swiffer® Sweeper Heavy Duty, Swiffer® SweeperVac®, Swiffer® WetJet®, Swiffer® Dusters®, Swiffer® 360° Dusters, Swiffer®Dusters Extender, Swiffer® Dust and Shine and Swiffer® Steamboost® are used in more than 50 million households worldwide and continue to revolutionize the way people clean.

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.

BADEN, SWITZERLAND—November 21, 2017—Aligning with India’s goal to improve the efficiency and reduce emissions of the country’s installed fleet of coal-fired power plants, GE’s Power Services business (NYSE: GE), in consortium with NGSL (50:50 joint venture of NTPC and GE) and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL), today announced the milestone results of a steam turbine modernization project at the Ukai power station in the state of Gujarat. The project was completed on May 24, 2017, by utilizing GE’s latest modernization solutions, including its Advanced Steam Path (ASP) technology—part of the company’s Fleet360* portfolio

“Power generation efficiency and emissions are widely discussed topics around the world and will play a critical role, especially in existing coal fleets, in how we work to meet future energy demands and challenges on a global scale,” said Mr. Pradip Dahake, managing director, GSECL. “India is no exception. When it came time for us to modernize some of our generation equipment, it was GE’s cross-fleet service capabilities that gave us the efficiency and emissions improvements we were looking for. GE’s solutions enabled us to better position our operations to meet not only expected increases in demand, but also future, potential, emissions requirements.”

At Ukai, GE modernized the 200-megawatt (MW) Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)-supplied, LMZ steam turbine (unit 4) at the 1,350-MW Ukai power station with its ASP technology. The ASP modernization features high-pressure and intermediate-pressure full module upgrades and a low-pressure inner block upgrade.

The retrofit will extend the unit’s life by 25 years, and it restored its output back to its original capacity of 200 MW. Final tests at Ukai’s plant displayed more efficient operations that will help the plant reduce its coal consumption by more than 140,000 tons per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 180,000 tons per year. The emissions reduction will provide environmental benefits equal to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed by approximately 732 square kilometers of forest per year (an area 35 percent bigger than the Corbett National Park) or equivalent to 162,000 Indian cars being taken off the road. In addition, reducing coal consumption will result in approximately US$7 million savings for the utility every year.

Upgrading Ukai is a milestone project for GE’s Powering Efficiency Center of Excellence (COE), which aims to slash global CO2 emissions from the world’s fleet of existing coal plants through a total plant hardware and software solution approach.

“By combining our cross-fleet capabilities with our Powering Efficiency COE’s commitment to boost efficiency and reduce emissions of coal-fired power plants, we provide our customers with the tools they need to modernize the world’s installed steam turbine fleet to meet future energy challenges,” said Ashok Ganesan, senior executive in charge of steam plant solutions for GE’s Power Services business and the global COE leader.

“With GE’s acquisition of Alstom’s power business back in 2015, we added significant technologies and capabilities to help modernize coal-fired power plants,” Ganesan continued. “We offer power producers added value with our Fleet360 portfolio, and we have comprehensive capabilities to service and upgrade not only our own equipment, but also that of more than 90 other original equipment manufacturers.”

This project is a first-of-its-kind shaftline retrofit for BHEL 200-MW class units in India and is aimed at increasing power, efficiency and reliability while also reducing emissions. Earlier this year, GE announced it would help NTPC Limited, India’s largest utility, to modernize three 200-MW Ansaldo steam turbines with ASP technology at the Ramagundam station. The upgrades will increase turbine output and improve efficiency and flexibility. Upgrade projects like these will better position the country to meet future energy demands and challenges including backing up renewables—in the New Policies Scenario, electricity demand will more than triple in the next two decades, rising by 4.9 percent per year on average from 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2013 to almost 3,300 TWh by the end of 2040.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

About GE Power
GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gepower.com.

About GE’s Power Services
GE’s Power Services, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class service solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets across 90+ brands of power generation equipment and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytics.

About NGSL
NTPC GE Power Services Pvt. Ltd. (formerly NTPC ALSTOM Power Services Pvt. Ltd) an ISO 9001:2008 compliant organization, formed in September 1999, is a 50: 50 Joint Venture Company of NTPC Limited, India and GE Power Systems GmbH, Germany (A GE group Company committed to provide energy efficient retrofit solutions for coal based thermal power stations in India. It provides cost effective, technologically advanced and environmental friendly engineering solutions along with world class erection services to its customers enabling them to generate clean and efficient power.

MILWAUKEE, – UI LABS and ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) today released a groundbreaking workforce analysis that identifies 165 data-centric jobs that will define the future of manufacturing in the United States.

Descriptions for jobs such as collaborative robotics specialist, manufacturing cybersecurity strategist and enterprise digital ethicist give a window into the advanced skills and knowledge needed to put new technology into practice and remain globally competitive.

The Digital Workforce Succession in Manufacturing report is the first to offer such a comprehensive workforce playbook to help companies develop a talent pipeline for existing and future factories. The research includes in-depth profiles for 20 roles that span a range of “digital” technologies and business practices, such as virtual reality/augmented reality systems specialist.

The report also describes the type and level of educational degree associated with each position, ranging from an AAS in Robotics Technology to a Ph.D. in Mathematics or Engineering.

“The new roles we have identified will help prepare American workers for the technological shift that is underway, providing attractive, well-paying jobs for the next generation of manufacturers,” said Caralynn Nowinski Collens, CEO of UI LABS. “A smart factory is going to be very dependent on this new workforce.”

“Digitization is transforming the job market, creating a need for people with more advanced skills in manufacturing, and our work with UI LABS is evidence of this,” said Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup. “By mapping the digital roles and skills of the future, our research will help companies and schools upskill today’s manufacturing workforce for the connected, smart machine and augmented-technology jobs of an increasingly digital enterprise. This will help bridge the skills gap and highlights the advanced and attractive jobs emerging on the forefront of the manufacturing sector.”

UI LABS’ Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute and ManpowerGroup’s Right Management and Experis brands conducted the research, which was supported by more than 30 industry, academic and government partners. DMDII financed the research using funds from the U.S. Department of Defense, with ManpowerGroup’s experts leading the detailed skills analysis.

The project is part of DMDII’s mission to promote the adoption of new technology across U.S. manufacturing. It also aligns with ManpowerGroup’s broader MyPath™ strategy aimed at closing the skills gap by identifying the roles of the future, building the talent and skills that clients need, and providing people with the guidance and access to jobs that enhance their employability for the long-term.

“The workforce analysis conducted by DMDII and ManpowerGroup offers insight into exciting new roles and skills needed to advance American manufacturing,” said Gail Norris, Director of Customer Technical Learning Services at Siemens. “The report envisions a future in which digital technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality are commonplace in factories across the United States.”

Read the full report, The Digital Workforce Succession in Manufacturing, and view the 20 detailed profiles of advanced digital manufacturing roles at www.uilabs.org/taxonomy.

About UI LABS and DMDIIUI LABS is an innovation accelerator that leverages its network of hundreds of partners from universities + industry to address problems too big for any one organization to solve. Our mission is to transform industries, starting with manufacturing and infrastructure, using digital technology. We drive value for our partners and help make the U.S. economy and workforce the most productive in the world.

In February 2014, UI LABS announced the formation of its first innovation platform, the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, to transform American manufacturing through the digitization of the supply chain. DMDII’s goal is to provide U.S. factories with the tools, software and expertise they need to build things more efficiently, less expensively, and more quickly, so they can win more business and bring jobs back to the United States. Learn more at uilabs.org.

About ManpowerGroup ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for over 400,000 clients and connect 3+ million people to meaningful, sustainable work across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for nearly 70 years. In 2017, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the seventh consecutive year and one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com.