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Welcome again to a new edition of Data Talks.
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This one is very special with one of the top leaders of one of the top companies in the world.
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Welcome to the show, Ram Ragawan von Colgate Palm Belief.
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Thanks, Wolfgang.
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Wonderful to be here.
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Honestly, look forward to this conversation with you.
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Fantastic, Rah.
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Ram, we have been also working with you and your team for a while.
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For the viewers who don't know Ram, Ram looks very young, but he's I don't know when he started at Colgate, but he's a 30-year career, almost 30 years.
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Tell us about some of the big moments of the journey, but also at the early moments.
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I think you grew up in India and how that transition, a big life, I did also change continents a few times in my life.
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Tell us about the early part and the big milestones.
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Listen, as you can say, you know, it's been it's been almost three decades with Colgate.
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Uh, as you can imagine, I obviously joined the company when I was five years old.
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Uh I think jokes apart, Colgate is the first and uh only company I've actually worked for post uh business school.
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Uh so I joined Colgate straight out of B school in India, and this is my you know, quite literally coming up on 29 years with the company.
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Interestingly enough, uh having said that, this is my 12th or 13th job with the company.
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Uh, and I've had the good fortune uh of working quite literally all around the world.
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Uh I started my career, believe it or not, in sales actually, uh, from carrying the bag and selling, uh literally selling toothpaste, toothbrushes, and bar soaps uh from Kirana store to Kirana store in India.
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Um, and then moved across the world, uh spending time in APAC, in North America and Latin America uh as well.
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Funny story about how my journey began with the organization.
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And and and you know, actually at B school, I was looking to pursue a career in banking or in consulting.
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Uh, it was my my now wife, but but then a batchmate of in B school.
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She sat in for the um for the presentation from from from a senior executive at Colgate who started talking a lot about who Colgate was and what we did and how we operated.
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And my wife, uh, you know, back then she came back and told me, This looks like a phenomenal company.
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I think you should join.
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Um, or I said, you know what, what the hell, might as well apply.
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And and lo and behold, uh, almost three decades later, here I am, and I can tell you perhaps uh the best decision I ever made, or rather, the best decision my wife made for me.
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Uh, but most naturally I'm enjoying the biggest benefits uh of it.
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Um wow.
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Uh a person where a strong wife is behind, hope the biggest decision was to marry her.
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Absolutely, absolutely.
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Wow.
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And well, that comes.
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We have something in common.
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I'm actually celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary this year, too.
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So while you celebrate your 30th year with Colgate, we have two big milestones.
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My wife still tells me that that she still thinks I'm married to Colgate first and then to her.
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Oh, classic.
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Um, for the younger viewers here, maybe also the younger staff in Colgate, what's your advice?
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Given when you started, we had a different world, also in terms of careers.
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I was a bit similar to you, had a long-term career with the World Bank.
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What's your advice and why should they join companies like Colgate?
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You know, look, I think I think uh companies like Colgate, first and foremost, have a phenomenal purpose.
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Uh, you know, people talk about finding things that that actually excite you, uh, of doing good in the world.
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Uh, I have a job today that I would argue is an unb unbelievably enviable one.
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My my purpose in life, I wake up every morning with one objective, uh, to put more smiles on people's faces all around the world.
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I I don't think it can get bigger than that, frankly.
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Uh, but I think when I look back at my journey, a few big things that I believe Colgate and most certainly a broader CPG stroke FMCG industry teaches you.
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I I think number one is human.
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How do you be human-centric, people-centric, or having this clarity of understanding of ultimately what drives people to do things and then figure out how you as a brand, as an organization, as a business, uh, whether you're a profit-making one or an NGO, can actually step in to help resolve those challenges or opportunities that consumers or people have.
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I think the second thing that companies like Colgate uh teach you is what I would define as a grassroot level understanding of how things get done anywhere in the world.
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Uh, you know, we we live in a day and age where we all think that I can click a, not think we actually do click a button and something gets delivered.
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What no one's paid attention to is that entire back-end logistics.
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Where's that product actually made?
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Who makes it?
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What's the kind of quality uh solutions it goes through before it comes to me?
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Uh, where is it actually stored?
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Is someone how long has it been stored for?
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You know, when you start breaking down the simple act of intent to action, and then let's say from something you see or hear of, and then a click to buying it, companies like Colgate teach you grassroots understanding of how business is structured.
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I think that's number one.
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Uh, the second, I think CPG and FMCG industries touch almost every aspect of a business, whether it's opportunity identification, whether it's innovation, whether it's brand building, communication, distribution, supply chain, financials, uh, balance sheets, PLs, uh you name it, you kind of uh CPG gives you that breadth of exposure.
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As a result of that, the applicability of it then becomes tremendously broad.
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Tomorrow, you know, I may not know banking, but my training has certainly enabled me to go and ask the right questions, right?
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And the skill sets it's provided me is to learn to understand what logistics mean for a banking industry or uh for any other industry for that matter, right?
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Similarly, innovation, you learn the you learn how to innovate, you could take those skills and apply it on any business problem or any uh industry issues.
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I think that's the second thing that CPG really teaches you, is it touches quite literally every aspect of a of a business, right?
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Uh, and then the transferability of it.
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I think the other pieces that I would say, and I and I obviously talk with a great deal of passion on Colgate, is the global footprint.
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Um it's not often in your life that you get to that that you get to work on a brand or on a set of brands that that has this magnitude in terms of scales.
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You know, it's it's a uh today Colgate is the most penetrated brand in the world, available in almost what 740, 745 million homes on a global basis.
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That's something we're we're tremendously proud of, at the same time, we're tremendously humbled by as well.
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So, this idea that any action and everything that you do, that the impact is it has on a global level, I think it can be unbelievably humbling yet inspiring.
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So I think Colgate gives you that kind of an outlook.
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I can promise you this, Wolfgang, 30 years ago.
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If you asked me, uh, would I be sitting here, you know, a with in in New Canaan?
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I would not have probably even known when New Canaan, Connecticut existed or not.
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Uh, but I think uh Colgate does that for us.
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You know, it it allows us to have this not just a global mindset in terms of thinking, but physically enables us to be uh experience so many different cultures that I think shapes uh greater diversity and thought processes amongst leaders.
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And last is I think what I would advise anybody is two pieces of advice is would be, you know, think of your career as a collection of experiences.
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Um, you know, and and sometimes uh the connections or the experiences may not be as linear as you think they are, but when you connect the dots, it broadens your outlook and gives you skills that you perhaps would not have had in a conventional linear career.
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And last but certainly not the least, and I can I can most certainly vouch for Colgate here, is the culture of an organization.
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Uh, you know, every organization can have strategies, will have good quarters and bad quarters, uh, and good years and bad years.
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But I think what really shapes longevity, and specifically when you when you look at organizations such as ours, and and when we've been around for 221 years, uh is the fact that you know it's not just our brands uh and the people, but more importantly, it's this wonderful culture that every one of us continues to elevate and and amplify.
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And I and I think culture of an organization is often understated.
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Wow.
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Um Rahan, humbling and inspiring, you said.
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That was a very good capture.
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I didn't realize actually, almost in 222 years soon is the anniversary, another type of anniversary.
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Um, you covered a lot already of Colgate's footprint and position.
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Um, it has an incredible market share.
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I think it may be unmatched to any other peers and other industries.
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What uh what's the story behind that strength?
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And uh and it's not just I think that when you reach that market share, but you maintain it.
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So maybe touch on some of the few secrets of core gate success.
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Let me not give away our secrets, but let me start off with listen, like I said, I you know, when when you are the world's most penetrated brand, um frankly, it it's we treat it as as a responsibility and a huge responsibility at that.
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Uh give or take, like I said, 740, 750 million homes not just wake up to a Colgate, but more importantly, put our products in their and their children's and their families' mouths.
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Now, that doesn't, that kind of trust, that kind of belief, that kind of relationships don't happen overnight.
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They they take decades and decades of unbelievable and unwavering perseverance towards the translating a purpose that we have into our products, our brands, and the science that we ultimately bring to the table.
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So I think for me, the responsibility, the way we see it, it starts with an unrelenting focus on the consumer.
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Uh what are they looking for not just today, but tomorrow, the day after, and perhaps a year from now as well, and maybe five and ten years from now.
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Uh so it's about ensuring that we stay focused on their needs.
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I think the second, as I highlighted, our purpose is big and and and it requires us to think big.
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Uh we talk about reimagining a healthier future for all, right?
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And and you think about reimagining a healthier future.
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There's two, three big words in there: reimagining, healthier, and a future.
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And then when we land it in the context of oral health, we step back and always look at one of the things that we believe we've done well and continue to do well, is elevating oral health.
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The next thing I think that automatically would would link itself from there is really about ensuring we have a portfolio that allows us to meet these consumer needs no matter where they are, no matter what they're looking for, and no matter what socioeconomic groups that they belong to.
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Right?
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Uh, we have portfolios that address any and every benefit in the category at any and every price point in the category, right?
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Um, and then last but certainly not the least, I would say is a commitment to elevating and championing oral health.
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And why do I use these words championing and elevation?
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Because I think behavior change is the single hardest thing that any human being can undertake.
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You know, think about the number of uh resolutions that are made on Jan 1, and by Jan 5th, pretty much most of them are gone, right?
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So in our case, our commitment is in the context of uh ensuring consumers look at oral health as a fundamental way to improve lives.
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Uh, and that could be about brushing twice a day, that could be about brushing at night, that could be about brushing uh for two minutes, or it could also be about visiting the dentist twice a year, right?
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These are behavioral shifts that we remain committed to.
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Uh, in fact, I can tell you one of our programs called Bright Smiles, Bright Futures just celebrates its its 31st year, 30th, 31st year.
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Uh, and it's a grassroots program that that looks to go to schools around the world and educates children, creating awareness for oral health on what it what happens to their teeth and their mouths on an everyday basis.
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And now oral health is critical as a part of their lives and not just uh keeping them problem-free, but more importantly, enabling them to thrive in the future.
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Um, it's a program that's reached two billion children over the last three decades.
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Uh, right, uh long before corporate social responsibilities and and all these elements were there, we committed to this as an organization.
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So I think it's this combination of category growth, consumer understanding, category growth, portfolios, brands, and science.
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And I think it's this this combination of this magic formula that's really been the secret of our success.
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And like I said, it's something we never take for granted.
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Uh, you know, it's a position that comes with tremendous accountability in our minds.
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So we remain unwavering in our efforts to ensure we continue to deliver against the consumer needs.
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Humbling and inspiring, right?
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I think that is a theme here.
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Um, and um yeah, you mentioned 250 million homes roughly in my ballpark, but we can one of the numbers for you should be across to two billion people.
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So that is quite remarkable.
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Um now you can only reach that when you're across, you know, you're global, as you outlined.
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I hope I get this right, but you lived and worked in India, China, Canada, Mexico, and the US on a global role.
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Um tell us a bit about the experiences, but also about Colgate's positioning in these markets, which are really different and quite complex.
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Look, I think you know, um every market has degrees of uniqueness and degrees of similarity, as I would put it.
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Uh, when you step back, and I'm gonna go back to people centricity, uh, given the conversation we've always had on people and data and understanding uh where people are, what they're doing, and what motivates them, right?
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I I just think it when you're clear about core motivations, the degrees of development typically would vary.
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Uh, and what do I mean by that?
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If you if I if I double-clicked and asked you 20 questions on why is it that you want wider teeth, uh more often than not, it would come down to a few core human-centric motivations.
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It it's about your ability to fit in, it could be about the confidence to express yourself, it could be about giving you inner strength that enables you to shine, right?
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Now, the degree of development of whitening may vary around the world, but the core need still exists, number one.
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Second, the way we look to solve it may vary, uh, right, and this could be a combination of regulatory environments as well as uh consumer expectations in terms of value propositions and the price they will be willing to pay for certain things.
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Um in the US, prevalence and and uh you know, prevalence and visits to dentists significantly high, therefore, can and including in-office whitening treatments, therefore, comfort, understanding of ingredients, what goes in, uh what uh what makes the difference, how it works, tremendously high.
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So our challenge in the US, you know, has been about how do we take ingredients that dentists actually use in the or in the clinic and then are able to give it to you in an everyday toothpaste solution that you can use at home as well.
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So it's not that we're gonna be replacing the dentist, but we are actually augmenting or complementing uh an investment perhaps you've made in the dental office that you can now continue to enjoy even when you're back at home, right?
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Um it's often when you go through a whitening treatment in the in the dental clinic, uh, it's often called the white diet.
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So you come out of that and then you try to restrict the amount of coffee, tea, wine that you're drinking.
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But with solutions like optic white, we've taken the same ingredient.
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The technology, our strength has been in taking that technology and applying it on a toothpaste, and and therefore enabling you to enjoy your life or not having to compromise your desire to drink coffee, tea, wine, whatever your uh favorite beverage is, but still get remain and hold on to that white teeth.
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Now flip the problem to a country like India, where uh affordability criteria come into play, right?
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Uh how do we create the right technologies at the right price point?
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So we we we've just uh last year we launched the first uh at-home whitening solution in India at about uh I'm gonna say four and a half dollars or five dollars.
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Uh now, again, a superior technology, something that does not exist in the marketplace, but with done in a way that a consumer in India would be comfortable using, and more importantly, is able to afford it as well.
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Right?
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So you see the whitening need, but we're able to tailor our portfolios in accordance with what that consumers want.
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The second example I would give you is in the same realm of white nuances, is there are functional benefits, and then there are what we would call experiential benefits or outcomes, right?
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Flavor is a great example.
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Whitening, functional, I want wider teeth.
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But if I go to you go to markets like China, there are flavor profiles Chinese consumers love, just like food habits, right?
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You go to Mexico, and even within Latin America, if you go between Brazil and Mexico, food profiles vary dramatically.
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That has direct implication on flavor profiles as well, right?
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Consumer palettes.
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So we still need to be able to give you the same benefit that you're looking for, but I have to nuance the flavor or the experience so that you know a consumer in Brazil enjoys as much as a consumer in China or Thailand or India or or the UK does.
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So I think you know, when we have that kind of understanding, we're able to leverage how we look to solve for it.
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Uh the the third variable I would say is our portfolio flexibility.
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Uh, like I mentioned to you, we've kind of been able to take um take the world and translate it into what we call need states or segmentations, right?
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Based on need states.
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And a need state is a simple exercise that enables you to understand what motivates the why.
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Why do I want this?
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And whether it's whitening, whether it's uh gum, gum, gum protection, whether it's uh cavity solutions, why do I want this?
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The second question we look is to answer is what.
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Okay, so I know why you're looking for it, then I can figure out the what behind it, and then the magic happens in the how.
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Right?
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So it's it's that loop that we look to close.
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What we find more often than not, the whys at a very core human level are quite similar.
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It's the what and the how that you have to constantly, like leavers, keep fine-tuning till you get them right, right?
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And the last piece I leave, and specifically uh for us, uh, given the strength of our brand and the presence of our brands and portfolios, is the role that advertising and communication plays.
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Because that's where strategy hits execution, right?
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Uh understanding cultural nuances and ensuring that the what and the hows are addressed in the context of those cultural needs, desires, tones is critical.
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So if I if I very put simply, parenting is a universal phenomenon, right?
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Universal.
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Every parent, you know, looks to wants the best for their child.
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Now you go to different parts of the world, wanting the best for their child is extremely Expressed quite differently.
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Right?
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In European geographies, it's about creating freedom and independence very early in their lives.
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Right?
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Enabling them to say, listen, you go out there, I'm there behind the scenes, but they parents want their children to learn that degree of freedom and independence.
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You go to Asian cultures, it's a little bit more nurturing and protective.
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But the principle of parenting hasn't changed.
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So reflecting those cultural nuances in our communication, in our go-to-markets, is the other variable that enables us to intelligently participate and succeed, irrespective of the geographies we choose to be in.
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Wow, what a brilliant analogy, Ram.
00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:49.440
You mentioned earlier that your grassroots efforts and work in India.
00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.119
You mentioned affordability.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:01.200
Actually, the first work we did together with your colleagues was actually in Africa, and that aspect of affordability, and call it the bottom of the pyramid, is also part of it.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:05.279
What role do some of the underserved still play?
00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:14.960
Because there's some aspect of price point, but our estimates are still 3.5 billion people in the world below the middle class threshold that typically are a classic Colgate consumer.
00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:19.759
What's the Colgate approach to those who can't yet afford toothpaste?
00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:24.319
I I think you know, I would I wouldn't say that can't afford toothpaste.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:29.440
I think it's more about a frequent penetration of oral care and toothpaste.
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:33.440
Uh thank God has become largely universal.
00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:39.519
Uh you know, I don't I I again it's not it's something that we've strived for over the years.
00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:51.119
If if I spoke to you, if we were chatting 25 years ago or 20 years ago, even in geographies like Africa or India, toothpaste penetration would have been in its 50s and 60s.
00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:57.119
Uh today it is 19, 95, 99, depending on the geographies you are in.
00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:08.079
I think the biggest, our biggest focus and efforts, one of our big focus and efforts is more around uh consumption behavi and the behaviors associated with oral care.
00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:15.039
Uh unfortunately, still large parts of the world don't brush twice a day.
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:23.839
Uh unfor, in fact, many geographies they don't even brush seven times a week, which is they're skipping even single-day brushing, right?
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:32.240
So I our focus really with our Bright Smiles Bright Futures program is about creating that behavior as a child.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:42.079
Because I think the single biggest insight we've learned over the years is habits you create as a child stick with you all through your life.
00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:54.160
You know, I'm I'm sure uh try actually, you should not, I should never be saying you should try this, but I'm sure you've missed a brushing at night in your life, ever you know, ever so now and then.
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.720
I guarantee you you feel different when you wake up the next day, right?
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:01.519
Because that's that's the habit that's been created in you.
00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:12.480
So, number one, our focus is on that creation of habit, those good habits that we want people to then that we want to ensure that sticks with you all your lives.
00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:18.880
The second piece of it is again in the context of duration of brushing.
00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:28.319
Uh, unfortunately, the average duration of brushing is about 80 seconds or 90 seconds, uh, whereas the dentist recommended brushing is two minutes.
00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:29.279
Right?
00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:38.720
Um, and and most people, and and and if you can imagine the global average being at about 80-90 seconds, this number varies all around the world, right?
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:46.480
Um, so I think the second key thing for us is to ensure the consistency and the correctness of the habit.
00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:51.839
So, first is about making sure you brush twice a day, then you do it the right way.
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:56.799
And then, third, for me, would be about ensuring you have the right solution.
00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:04.640
So, the right toothpaste, the right toothbrush, you know, uh ensuring that all these three things come together.
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:08.000
Uh, so I think that's how we we we look at it.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:22.400
The best example I can give you to highlight sometimes this notion of, and I and in all honesty with Kang, I do not like to qualify the world as developed and emerging because I I don't I think those are paradigms that have long gone.
00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:39.839
I'm gonna take Brazil as a wonderful example where the right interventions between private public partnerships ensured brushing behaviors occurred after every meal, including at school.
00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:44.640
As a result, today, most Brazilians brush three times a day.
00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:51.359
You know, so I just think it's and you know, depending on who you are, someone may tell you Brazil is an emerging or not an emerging market.
00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:57.920
So I just think there are uh those that criteria is not the way we look at the world.
00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:14.319
We look at it in the context of where people are with oral care and their oral health, the access they have, the behaviors they have, and then we look to define the right levels of interventions to ensure that we're able to move the needle accordingly.
00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:15.200
Wow.
00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:18.640
So Brazil in your books is on the high top end.
00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:26.000
And for all the viewers, if you just take one thing away, is time yourself when brushing teeth tonight and make sure it's two minutes.
00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:27.519
That's from Mr.
00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:29.680
Ram Ragavana, big advice here.
00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:35.599
Um, Yuri, uh got a got us a sense of where the industry is going and where Colgate is going.
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:40.400
You're leading an effort every year on uh on a foresight of the industry.
00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:52.799
Um give us just a few latest insights of where you see in someone sense this very stable enterprise and and sector, at the same time, a very dynamic world where we are heading with oral care.
00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.119
I I great question, Wolfgang.
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.200
Can I let me start with with a point on data first, right?
00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:01.279
You and it's a passion point for both of us.
00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:10.000
Uh so let me start at the point on data, and then I'll come in, contextualize data in the bigger purpose of trends and and therefore how we see the world.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:22.000
Um, you know, the the I'm gonna start with a story about um data is the breadcrumbs of human behavior.
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:23.839
Let me let me open with that.
00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:28.240
I'm gonna tell you a story of my wonderful 80-year-old mom.
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:34.880
So she comes and lives with us sometimes three months in a year, sometimes a couple of months, sometimes six months, right?
00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:41.519
And now she's an avid reader, and and strangely, uh again, no judgment, it's my mom.
00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:42.400
I love her.
00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:49.279
Uh she loves reading books on two subjects, among many other things, but two subjects are her big passion.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:56.799
Number one, British period romantic novels from the 15th, 16th, 17th century.
00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:04.240
And second is Tamil, which is an Indian uh language, uh, Tamil scripture uh books.
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:06.160
Very varied.
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:14.480
Now she comes in and then you know, she'll ask me to down buy it on my Amazon account, and then you know, I'm downloading it on her Kindle.
00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:23.119
You can imagine after three months of being with us, what happens to my recommended list at a on my device, right?
00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:29.279
Suddenly I'm getting recommendations about British period novels or romantic British period novels.
00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.319
That's not my thing.
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:48.960
So if you just went by the what, every algorithm would start giving me more and more, and would never be able would never be able to understand why it is that Ram bought it for these three months and but suddenly has stopped buying it.
00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:55.519
So I think the biggest thing in data is about the next question, the why.
00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:02.480
So that's why I say data is the breadcrumbs of human behavior, it defines the what.
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:07.359
Humans have to step in to understand the why.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:19.519
Because that goes back then to the motivations behind why is it that I am displaying those behaviors or lack of those behaviors, you know, uh, in the context of that.
00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:21.119
So let me start with that.
00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:29.200
And and therefore, when I look at data on a global basis, the macro trends show you where the breadcrumbs are heading.
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:36.079
Our task really is about decoding the breadcrumbs, understanding that why, right?
00:30:36.240 --> 00:30:49.279
And and we don't just look at 2026, we obviously look at the next 12 months, we look at the next five years, and then we look at the next beyond that as well, because that's the longevity we look to see, right?
00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:55.759
Um, and I would say it starts from two two different sides of the equation.
00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.119
The first part we touched on quite a bit, so I won't repeat it.
00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:11.440
It really is about elevating oral health, behavioral change, you know, making it a habit that that sticks with you and and fundamentally driving good behavioral practices, right?
00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:33.519
The second is look, the trends are obvious, whether it's the Gen Alphas, or I recently heard it's the it's now becoming Gen Zalphas, I believe, between the Gen Z and the Alphas or the Zelenia, so it's now becoming Zalpha uh to silver generations, to K-shaped economies, to heightened focuses on health.
00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:41.440
You know, some of these trends have been around and are just manifesting themselves in product solutions today.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:44.400
Uh let me give you a couple of examples.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.519
We saw the health trend kick off a few years ago.
00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:57.440
The big I think COVID unfortunately triggered in all of us a dramatic shift from apathy towards preventative health.
00:31:57.599 --> 00:31:57.920
Right?
00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:05.519
We were we got very comfortable as a race uh to say, listen, if something happens, I know how to deal with it, there'll be a medicine for it.
00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.319
Right.
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:16.400
Uh I think COVID said, damn it, I better be ready for something, and I need to take pre preventative or precautionary measures as much as I need to take curative measures.
00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:19.279
So I think one of the biggest shifts we made was last year.
00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:23.759
We relaunched one of our flagship brands called Colgate Total.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:34.480
What was traditionally 25-30 years ago, the brand was established as a pioneer in oral health, solving multiple problems, one toothpaste that solved many problems.
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:43.839
We've had a dramatic change, uh, and we're leading the category in moving towards superior everyday preventative health.
00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:50.799
So shifting the narrative from solving problems only to actually preventing problems before they even start.
00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:52.960
Uh that's literally underway.
00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:55.359
We we began the journey about a year and a half ago.
00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:58.720
So I think that that's our why behind the what.
00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:04.160
So we saw COVID enabled us to see this heightened shift in health.
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:07.039
We tried to understand the why.
00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:19.200
The why came down to reduction in anxiety, the why came down to taking charge of people's lives, the why came down to ensuring I have healthy lives, right?
00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:24.960
Colgate total uh everyday superior preventative care was our solution to it.
00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:29.200
Similarly, let me take another example.
00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:33.279
A big trend, you know, we we live in a selfie world, Wolfgang.
00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:42.319
Uh you know, I think the number is what 1005 million selfies a day or something, some some some large and obscenely large number like that.
00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:53.119
Now, what is what again the 105 million selfies a day is the what you gotta understand the why behind it, right?
00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:59.440
And the why behind it then enables us to we we've just launched, actually, it's just hot off the press.
00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:03.200
Uh, we've been in market for about quite literally maybe two months now.
00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:10.960
Our optic white, we've just upgraded the formula with a new active shine, uh, a patented active shine technology in it.
00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:14.239
Uh, now what does the active shine technology do?
00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:28.480
It it actually gives consumers a visible uh a visible whiter teeth, not just that you can see, but actually, if you run your tongue around your teeth, you can feel it as well.
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:33.440
So now we start landing the what the why into the what and the how.
00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:44.800
So I think you know, we look at oral care from that lens, we observe these trends, and we start looking for how we can connect dots and land it in oral care.
00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:58.880
And these are just some of the examples uh I've highlighted, but as you can imagine, uh there are many, many more of these uh that we talk about all the time, and our products are just a reflection of how we bring them to life.
00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:10.639
Ran, would you think that in the future people would talk about Colgate as much in a healthcare and as a healthcare enterprise as an FMCG enterprise?
00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:23.280
Uh look, I think you know, we we our our uh product portfolio at Colgate Palm Olive, like I said, our purpose is about reimagining a healthier future for all people, pets, and the planet.
00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:34.159
Uh so while we have a large oral care business, we also have a very healthy and large personal care, home care, pet health, and skin health business.
00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:48.960
You know, uh so when we look at the portfolio of products and categories we operate in, that's why we we look at it as a healthier future, not just the context of people, but people, their pets, and the planet as well.
00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:55.760
Yeah, for those many don't know, but yeah, one of the most profitable parts, right, of Colgate is the pet care business.
00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:06.639
I I you know, and I think one common thread that I would say, many common threads that hold things together, but I think I'll start with the first one for us is science.
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:15.440
I I you know I go back to being being the most penetrated brand in the world, being amongst the most trusted brands in the world, uh, doesn't come easy.
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:34.960
Uh so our science is something we relentlessly, as much as the emphasis on the consumer, we ensure that our science, whether it's you know, whether it's uh oral health, whether it's uh pet health, whether it's our skin health, whether it's our personal care products, our science is uncompromisable.
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:42.079
You know, we we look at science in the context of the proven superior outcomes it has.
00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:47.440
And then more importantly, our ability to democratize science.
00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:47.920
Right?
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:54.239
So today, if you go and pick up the 10 rupee pack, 10 rupees is what, one one ninth of a dollar?
00:36:54.639 --> 00:37:04.239
So you're talking about you know a 10, nine, 10 cent solution in India in our what we call our Colgate strong teeth.
00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:10.480
That technology is by far the best in the world in terms of the goodies that we put into it.
00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:16.880
Uh, you know, so our ability to democratize science is, I think, a second strength.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:23.760
And the third one that unites many of our businesses together is the advocacy models.
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:36.079
Whether it's the the dentist, whether it's the vet, whether it's the dermatologist, you know, there is an advocacy model that that that you get the positive effect in terms of driving brand preference that comes from it.
00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:40.000
So there are multiple synergies that exist there.
00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:46.239
Ran, I'm I'm sure that our um viewers will confirm that this was very inspiring.
00:37:46.400 --> 00:37:53.599
Um, this podcast always ends with the guest's favorite number and the story behind the number.
00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:56.079
So tell us your number, Ran.
00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:57.679
Um six.
00:37:57.920 --> 00:38:13.039
It it it it's funny you you asked me this because I was in a I was in a workshop for the last few days, and strangely, one of the exercises was writing your lucky number or the number, and and and I wrote six, and and I was asked the same question, funny enough.
00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:22.719
Um, so six appears in my life or in the strangest of places, uh, without me realizing that it was a lucky number.
00:38:22.880 --> 00:38:28.800
Uh so simply put, um, my my wife and I got married on the 6th of December.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:34.000
We have two boys, one's born on the 6th of May, one's born on the 6th of September.
00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:39.119
Uh, the last apartment we lived in, the number was um 2202.
00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:41.199
So if you added it up, it was six.
00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:51.679
Uh, and like I was telling you, I was in a workshop yesterday, and the table that I was with, uh, I had put there six, and there were a couple of other people on the table.
00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:56.320
One had 0606, uh, the other one had six six.
00:38:56.880 --> 00:39:06.320
Um, you know, so there's just a strange set set set of coincidences that come in, and the number six keeps popping up in my life time and time again.
00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:09.519
Uh I associate the number six with Ram.
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:14.559
So a very round number and uh an inspiring uh exchange.
00:39:14.719 --> 00:39:22.719
You listen to somebody who's very passionate, uh, very inspiring, uh yeah, and one of the top uh you know leaders in the world in oral care.
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:24.400
Thank you so much, Ram, for being on the show.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:25.039
Not at all.
00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:26.159
Thank you, Wolfgang.
00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:26.960
It's been a pleasure.
00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:30.639
Hopefully, it it it you know you enjoyed it as much as I did.
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.520
Welcome again to a new edition of Data Talks.
00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:08.960
This one is very special with one of the top leaders of one of the top companies in the world.
00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:13.199
Welcome to the show, Ram Ragawan von Colgate Palm Belief.
00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:14.800
Thanks, Wolfgang.
00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:16.079
Wonderful to be here.
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:19.839
Honestly, look forward to this conversation with you.
00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:22.399
Fantastic, Rah.
00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:25.679
Ram, we have been also working with you and your team for a while.
00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:34.399
For the viewers who don't know Ram, Ram looks very young, but he's I don't know when he started at Colgate, but he's a 30-year career, almost 30 years.
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:38.640
Tell us about some of the big moments of the journey, but also at the early moments.
00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:44.960
I think you grew up in India and how that transition, a big life, I did also change continents a few times in my life.
00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:47.920
Tell us about the early part and the big milestones.
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:52.479
Listen, as you can say, you know, it's been it's been almost three decades with Colgate.
00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.640
Uh, as you can imagine, I obviously joined the company when I was five years old.
00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:04.319
Uh I think jokes apart, Colgate is the first and uh only company I've actually worked for post uh business school.
00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:12.560
Uh so I joined Colgate straight out of B school in India, and this is my you know, quite literally coming up on 29 years with the company.
00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:18.079
Interestingly enough, uh having said that, this is my 12th or 13th job with the company.
00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:22.959
Uh, and I've had the good fortune uh of working quite literally all around the world.
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:35.439
Uh I started my career, believe it or not, in sales actually, uh, from carrying the bag and selling, uh literally selling toothpaste, toothbrushes, and bar soaps uh from Kirana store to Kirana store in India.
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:43.840
Um, and then moved across the world, uh spending time in APAC, in North America and Latin America uh as well.
00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:48.640
Funny story about how my journey began with the organization.
00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:55.280
And and and you know, actually at B school, I was looking to pursue a career in banking or in consulting.
00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:00.480
Uh, it was my my now wife, but but then a batchmate of in B school.
00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:11.919
She sat in for the um for the presentation from from from a senior executive at Colgate who started talking a lot about who Colgate was and what we did and how we operated.
00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:16.879
And my wife, uh, you know, back then she came back and told me, This looks like a phenomenal company.
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:18.319
I think you should join.
00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.759
Um, or I said, you know what, what the hell, might as well apply.
00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:32.560
And and lo and behold, uh, almost three decades later, here I am, and I can tell you perhaps uh the best decision I ever made, or rather, the best decision my wife made for me.
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:36.560
Uh, but most naturally I'm enjoying the biggest benefits uh of it.
00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:38.000
Um wow.
00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:43.039
Uh a person where a strong wife is behind, hope the biggest decision was to marry her.
00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:46.080
Absolutely, absolutely.
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:46.960
Wow.
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:48.159
And well, that comes.
00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:49.280
We have something in common.
00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:52.639
I'm actually celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary this year, too.
00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:57.280
So while you celebrate your 30th year with Colgate, we have two big milestones.
00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:02.400
My wife still tells me that that she still thinks I'm married to Colgate first and then to her.
00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:04.960
Oh, classic.
00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:10.159
Um, for the younger viewers here, maybe also the younger staff in Colgate, what's your advice?
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:14.159
Given when you started, we had a different world, also in terms of careers.
00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.840
I was a bit similar to you, had a long-term career with the World Bank.
00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.439
What's your advice and why should they join companies like Colgate?
00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:27.520
You know, look, I think I think uh companies like Colgate, first and foremost, have a phenomenal purpose.
00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:33.919
Uh, you know, people talk about finding things that that actually excite you, uh, of doing good in the world.
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:39.439
Uh, I have a job today that I would argue is an unb unbelievably enviable one.
00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:48.240
My my purpose in life, I wake up every morning with one objective, uh, to put more smiles on people's faces all around the world.
00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.759
I I don't think it can get bigger than that, frankly.
00:03:51.919 --> 00:04:02.879
Uh, but I think when I look back at my journey, a few big things that I believe Colgate and most certainly a broader CPG stroke FMCG industry teaches you.
00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:05.840
I I think number one is human.
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:31.360
How do you be human-centric, people-centric, or having this clarity of understanding of ultimately what drives people to do things and then figure out how you as a brand, as an organization, as a business, uh, whether you're a profit-making one or an NGO, can actually step in to help resolve those challenges or opportunities that consumers or people have.
00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:45.199
I think the second thing that companies like Colgate uh teach you is what I would define as a grassroot level understanding of how things get done anywhere in the world.
00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:54.160
Uh, you know, we we live in a day and age where we all think that I can click a, not think we actually do click a button and something gets delivered.
00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:59.439
What no one's paid attention to is that entire back-end logistics.
00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:01.279
Where's that product actually made?
00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:02.079
Who makes it?
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:07.600
What's the kind of quality uh solutions it goes through before it comes to me?
00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:09.439
Uh, where is it actually stored?
00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:12.240
Is someone how long has it been stored for?
00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:30.079
You know, when you start breaking down the simple act of intent to action, and then let's say from something you see or hear of, and then a click to buying it, companies like Colgate teach you grassroots understanding of how business is structured.
00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:31.680
I think that's number one.
00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:58.800
Uh, the second, I think CPG and FMCG industries touch almost every aspect of a business, whether it's opportunity identification, whether it's innovation, whether it's brand building, communication, distribution, supply chain, financials, uh, balance sheets, PLs, uh you name it, you kind of uh CPG gives you that breadth of exposure.
00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:05.439
As a result of that, the applicability of it then becomes tremendously broad.
00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:13.839
Tomorrow, you know, I may not know banking, but my training has certainly enabled me to go and ask the right questions, right?
00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:25.040
And the skill sets it's provided me is to learn to understand what logistics mean for a banking industry or uh for any other industry for that matter, right?
00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:34.800
Similarly, innovation, you learn the you learn how to innovate, you could take those skills and apply it on any business problem or any uh industry issues.
00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:42.560
I think that's the second thing that CPG really teaches you, is it touches quite literally every aspect of a of a business, right?
00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.120
Uh, and then the transferability of it.
00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:52.560
I think the other pieces that I would say, and I and I obviously talk with a great deal of passion on Colgate, is the global footprint.
00:06:52.800 --> 00:07:04.000
Um it's not often in your life that you get to that that you get to work on a brand or on a set of brands that that has this magnitude in terms of scales.
00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:13.839
You know, it's it's a uh today Colgate is the most penetrated brand in the world, available in almost what 740, 745 million homes on a global basis.
00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:20.560
That's something we're we're tremendously proud of, at the same time, we're tremendously humbled by as well.
00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:33.920
So, this idea that any action and everything that you do, that the impact is it has on a global level, I think it can be unbelievably humbling yet inspiring.
00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:37.920
So I think Colgate gives you that kind of an outlook.
00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:41.199
I can promise you this, Wolfgang, 30 years ago.
00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:48.720
If you asked me, uh, would I be sitting here, you know, a with in in New Canaan?
00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.959
I would not have probably even known when New Canaan, Connecticut existed or not.
00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:55.920
Uh, but I think uh Colgate does that for us.
00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:13.759
You know, it it allows us to have this not just a global mindset in terms of thinking, but physically enables us to be uh experience so many different cultures that I think shapes uh greater diversity and thought processes amongst leaders.
00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:23.759
And last is I think what I would advise anybody is two pieces of advice is would be, you know, think of your career as a collection of experiences.
00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:40.799
Um, you know, and and sometimes uh the connections or the experiences may not be as linear as you think they are, but when you connect the dots, it broadens your outlook and gives you skills that you perhaps would not have had in a conventional linear career.
00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:47.360
And last but certainly not the least, and I can I can most certainly vouch for Colgate here, is the culture of an organization.
00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:55.519
Uh, you know, every organization can have strategies, will have good quarters and bad quarters, uh, and good years and bad years.
00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:18.480
But I think what really shapes longevity, and specifically when you when you look at organizations such as ours, and and when we've been around for 221 years, uh is the fact that you know it's not just our brands uh and the people, but more importantly, it's this wonderful culture that every one of us continues to elevate and and amplify.
00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:22.559
And I and I think culture of an organization is often understated.
00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:24.399
Wow.
00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.200
Um Rahan, humbling and inspiring, you said.
00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:28.879
That was a very good capture.
00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:34.799
I didn't realize actually, almost in 222 years soon is the anniversary, another type of anniversary.
00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:40.159
Um, you covered a lot already of Colgate's footprint and position.
00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.960
Um, it has an incredible market share.
00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.480
I think it may be unmatched to any other peers and other industries.
00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.840
What uh what's the story behind that strength?
00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:54.639
And uh and it's not just I think that when you reach that market share, but you maintain it.
00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:59.360
So maybe touch on some of the few secrets of core gate success.
00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:15.840
Let me not give away our secrets, but let me start off with listen, like I said, I you know, when when you are the world's most penetrated brand, um frankly, it it's we treat it as as a responsibility and a huge responsibility at that.
00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:30.960
Uh give or take, like I said, 740, 750 million homes not just wake up to a Colgate, but more importantly, put our products in their and their children's and their families' mouths.
00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:38.720
Now, that doesn't, that kind of trust, that kind of belief, that kind of relationships don't happen overnight.
00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:53.440
They they take decades and decades of unbelievable and unwavering perseverance towards the translating a purpose that we have into our products, our brands, and the science that we ultimately bring to the table.
00:10:53.600 --> 00:11:00.879
So I think for me, the responsibility, the way we see it, it starts with an unrelenting focus on the consumer.
00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:09.600
Uh what are they looking for not just today, but tomorrow, the day after, and perhaps a year from now as well, and maybe five and ten years from now.
00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.919
Uh so it's about ensuring that we stay focused on their needs.
00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:22.799
I think the second, as I highlighted, our purpose is big and and and it requires us to think big.
00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:27.039
Uh we talk about reimagining a healthier future for all, right?
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:29.759
And and you think about reimagining a healthier future.
00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:35.279
There's two, three big words in there: reimagining, healthier, and a future.
00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:47.440
And then when we land it in the context of oral health, we step back and always look at one of the things that we believe we've done well and continue to do well, is elevating oral health.
00:11:48.080 --> 00:12:09.600
The next thing I think that automatically would would link itself from there is really about ensuring we have a portfolio that allows us to meet these consumer needs no matter where they are, no matter what they're looking for, and no matter what socioeconomic groups that they belong to.
00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:10.480
Right?
00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:20.240
Uh, we have portfolios that address any and every benefit in the category at any and every price point in the category, right?
00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:30.480
Um, and then last but certainly not the least, I would say is a commitment to elevating and championing oral health.
00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:34.080
And why do I use these words championing and elevation?
00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:39.919
Because I think behavior change is the single hardest thing that any human being can undertake.
00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:50.080
You know, think about the number of uh resolutions that are made on Jan 1, and by Jan 5th, pretty much most of them are gone, right?
00:12:50.240 --> 00:13:02.399
So in our case, our commitment is in the context of uh ensuring consumers look at oral health as a fundamental way to improve lives.
00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:15.279
Uh, and that could be about brushing twice a day, that could be about brushing at night, that could be about brushing uh for two minutes, or it could also be about visiting the dentist twice a year, right?
00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.559
These are behavioral shifts that we remain committed to.
00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:26.399
Uh, in fact, I can tell you one of our programs called Bright Smiles, Bright Futures just celebrates its its 31st year, 30th, 31st year.
00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:41.440
Uh, and it's a grassroots program that that looks to go to schools around the world and educates children, creating awareness for oral health on what it what happens to their teeth and their mouths on an everyday basis.
00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:50.399
And now oral health is critical as a part of their lives and not just uh keeping them problem-free, but more importantly, enabling them to thrive in the future.
00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:55.919
Um, it's a program that's reached two billion children over the last three decades.
00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:04.879
Uh, right, uh long before corporate social responsibilities and and all these elements were there, we committed to this as an organization.
00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:14.720
So I think it's this combination of category growth, consumer understanding, category growth, portfolios, brands, and science.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:20.399
And I think it's this this combination of this magic formula that's really been the secret of our success.
00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:24.159
And like I said, it's something we never take for granted.
00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:30.320
Uh, you know, it's a position that comes with tremendous accountability in our minds.
00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:37.120
So we remain unwavering in our efforts to ensure we continue to deliver against the consumer needs.
00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:39.200
Humbling and inspiring, right?
00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:40.879
I think that is a theme here.
00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:50.559
Um, and um yeah, you mentioned 250 million homes roughly in my ballpark, but we can one of the numbers for you should be across to two billion people.
00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:52.799
So that is quite remarkable.
00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:58.000
Um now you can only reach that when you're across, you know, you're global, as you outlined.
00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:04.480
I hope I get this right, but you lived and worked in India, China, Canada, Mexico, and the US on a global role.
00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:12.559
Um tell us a bit about the experiences, but also about Colgate's positioning in these markets, which are really different and quite complex.
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:21.840
Look, I think you know, um every market has degrees of uniqueness and degrees of similarity, as I would put it.
00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:33.840
Uh, when you step back, and I'm gonna go back to people centricity, uh, given the conversation we've always had on people and data and understanding uh where people are, what they're doing, and what motivates them, right?
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:42.399
I I just think it when you're clear about core motivations, the degrees of development typically would vary.
00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:44.159
Uh, and what do I mean by that?
00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:57.039
If you if I if I double-clicked and asked you 20 questions on why is it that you want wider teeth, uh more often than not, it would come down to a few core human-centric motivations.
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:08.240
It it's about your ability to fit in, it could be about the confidence to express yourself, it could be about giving you inner strength that enables you to shine, right?
00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:20.639
Now, the degree of development of whitening may vary around the world, but the core need still exists, number one.
00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:38.080
Second, the way we look to solve it may vary, uh, right, and this could be a combination of regulatory environments as well as uh consumer expectations in terms of value propositions and the price they will be willing to pay for certain things.
00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:58.720
Um in the US, prevalence and and uh you know, prevalence and visits to dentists significantly high, therefore, can and including in-office whitening treatments, therefore, comfort, understanding of ingredients, what goes in, uh what uh what makes the difference, how it works, tremendously high.
00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:13.839
So our challenge in the US, you know, has been about how do we take ingredients that dentists actually use in the or in the clinic and then are able to give it to you in an everyday toothpaste solution that you can use at home as well.
00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:27.359
So it's not that we're gonna be replacing the dentist, but we are actually augmenting or complementing uh an investment perhaps you've made in the dental office that you can now continue to enjoy even when you're back at home, right?
00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:35.039
Um it's often when you go through a whitening treatment in the in the dental clinic, uh, it's often called the white diet.
00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:39.599
So you come out of that and then you try to restrict the amount of coffee, tea, wine that you're drinking.
00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:43.359
But with solutions like optic white, we've taken the same ingredient.
00:17:43.519 --> 00:18:02.319
The technology, our strength has been in taking that technology and applying it on a toothpaste, and and therefore enabling you to enjoy your life or not having to compromise your desire to drink coffee, tea, wine, whatever your uh favorite beverage is, but still get remain and hold on to that white teeth.
00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:11.920
Now flip the problem to a country like India, where uh affordability criteria come into play, right?
00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:15.839
Uh how do we create the right technologies at the right price point?
00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:28.079
So we we we've just uh last year we launched the first uh at-home whitening solution in India at about uh I'm gonna say four and a half dollars or five dollars.
00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:43.680
Uh now, again, a superior technology, something that does not exist in the marketplace, but with done in a way that a consumer in India would be comfortable using, and more importantly, is able to afford it as well.
00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:44.240
Right?
00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:52.160
So you see the whitening need, but we're able to tailor our portfolios in accordance with what that consumers want.
00:18:52.480 --> 00:19:04.480
The second example I would give you is in the same realm of white nuances, is there are functional benefits, and then there are what we would call experiential benefits or outcomes, right?
00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.559
Flavor is a great example.
00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:09.759
Whitening, functional, I want wider teeth.
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:19.119
But if I go to you go to markets like China, there are flavor profiles Chinese consumers love, just like food habits, right?
00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:27.519
You go to Mexico, and even within Latin America, if you go between Brazil and Mexico, food profiles vary dramatically.
00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:31.759
That has direct implication on flavor profiles as well, right?
00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:33.359
Consumer palettes.
00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:51.680
So we still need to be able to give you the same benefit that you're looking for, but I have to nuance the flavor or the experience so that you know a consumer in Brazil enjoys as much as a consumer in China or Thailand or India or or the UK does.
00:19:51.759 --> 00:20:00.160
So I think you know, when we have that kind of understanding, we're able to leverage how we look to solve for it.
00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:06.480
Uh the the third variable I would say is our portfolio flexibility.
00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:18.880
Uh, like I mentioned to you, we've kind of been able to take um take the world and translate it into what we call need states or segmentations, right?
00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:20.240
Based on need states.
00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:26.559
And a need state is a simple exercise that enables you to understand what motivates the why.
00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:28.559
Why do I want this?
00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:37.119
And whether it's whitening, whether it's uh gum, gum, gum protection, whether it's uh cavity solutions, why do I want this?
00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.960
The second question we look is to answer is what.
00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:50.319
Okay, so I know why you're looking for it, then I can figure out the what behind it, and then the magic happens in the how.
00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:51.119
Right?
00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:54.400
So it's it's that loop that we look to close.
00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:02.400
What we find more often than not, the whys at a very core human level are quite similar.
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:10.400
It's the what and the how that you have to constantly, like leavers, keep fine-tuning till you get them right, right?
00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:22.799
And the last piece I leave, and specifically uh for us, uh, given the strength of our brand and the presence of our brands and portfolios, is the role that advertising and communication plays.
00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:28.240
Because that's where strategy hits execution, right?
00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:41.519
Uh understanding cultural nuances and ensuring that the what and the hows are addressed in the context of those cultural needs, desires, tones is critical.
00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:48.400
So if I if I very put simply, parenting is a universal phenomenon, right?
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:49.599
Universal.
00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:54.960
Every parent, you know, looks to wants the best for their child.
00:21:55.279 --> 00:22:02.160
Now you go to different parts of the world, wanting the best for their child is extremely Expressed quite differently.
00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:02.960
Right?
00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:12.319
In European geographies, it's about creating freedom and independence very early in their lives.
00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:12.880
Right?
00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:21.839
Enabling them to say, listen, you go out there, I'm there behind the scenes, but they parents want their children to learn that degree of freedom and independence.
00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:25.839
You go to Asian cultures, it's a little bit more nurturing and protective.
00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.720
But the principle of parenting hasn't changed.
00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:41.839
So reflecting those cultural nuances in our communication, in our go-to-markets, is the other variable that enables us to intelligently participate and succeed, irrespective of the geographies we choose to be in.
00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:44.960
Wow, what a brilliant analogy, Ram.
00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:49.440
You mentioned earlier that your grassroots efforts and work in India.
00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.119
You mentioned affordability.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:01.200
Actually, the first work we did together with your colleagues was actually in Africa, and that aspect of affordability, and call it the bottom of the pyramid, is also part of it.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:05.279
What role do some of the underserved still play?
00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:14.960
Because there's some aspect of price point, but our estimates are still 3.5 billion people in the world below the middle class threshold that typically are a classic Colgate consumer.
00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:19.759
What's the Colgate approach to those who can't yet afford toothpaste?
00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:24.319
I I think you know, I would I wouldn't say that can't afford toothpaste.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:29.440
I think it's more about a frequent penetration of oral care and toothpaste.
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:33.440
Uh thank God has become largely universal.
00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:39.519
Uh you know, I don't I I again it's not it's something that we've strived for over the years.
00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:51.119
If if I spoke to you, if we were chatting 25 years ago or 20 years ago, even in geographies like Africa or India, toothpaste penetration would have been in its 50s and 60s.
00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:57.119
Uh today it is 19, 95, 99, depending on the geographies you are in.
00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:08.079
I think the biggest, our biggest focus and efforts, one of our big focus and efforts is more around uh consumption behavi and the behaviors associated with oral care.
00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:15.039
Uh unfortunately, still large parts of the world don't brush twice a day.
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:23.839
Uh unfor, in fact, many geographies they don't even brush seven times a week, which is they're skipping even single-day brushing, right?
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:32.240
So I our focus really with our Bright Smiles Bright Futures program is about creating that behavior as a child.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:42.079
Because I think the single biggest insight we've learned over the years is habits you create as a child stick with you all through your life.
00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:54.160
You know, I'm I'm sure uh try actually, you should not, I should never be saying you should try this, but I'm sure you've missed a brushing at night in your life, ever you know, ever so now and then.
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.720
I guarantee you you feel different when you wake up the next day, right?
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:01.519
Because that's that's the habit that's been created in you.
00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:12.480
So, number one, our focus is on that creation of habit, those good habits that we want people to then that we want to ensure that sticks with you all your lives.
00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:18.880
The second piece of it is again in the context of duration of brushing.
00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:28.319
Uh, unfortunately, the average duration of brushing is about 80 seconds or 90 seconds, uh, whereas the dentist recommended brushing is two minutes.
00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:29.279
Right?
00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:38.720
Um, and and most people, and and and if you can imagine the global average being at about 80-90 seconds, this number varies all around the world, right?
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:46.480
Um, so I think the second key thing for us is to ensure the consistency and the correctness of the habit.
00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:51.839
So, first is about making sure you brush twice a day, then you do it the right way.
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:56.799
And then, third, for me, would be about ensuring you have the right solution.
00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:04.640
So, the right toothpaste, the right toothbrush, you know, uh ensuring that all these three things come together.
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:08.000
Uh, so I think that's how we we we look at it.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:22.400
The best example I can give you to highlight sometimes this notion of, and I and in all honesty with Kang, I do not like to qualify the world as developed and emerging because I I don't I think those are paradigms that have long gone.
00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:39.839
I'm gonna take Brazil as a wonderful example where the right interventions between private public partnerships ensured brushing behaviors occurred after every meal, including at school.
00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:44.640
As a result, today, most Brazilians brush three times a day.
00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:51.359
You know, so I just think it's and you know, depending on who you are, someone may tell you Brazil is an emerging or not an emerging market.
00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:57.920
So I just think there are uh those that criteria is not the way we look at the world.
00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:14.319
We look at it in the context of where people are with oral care and their oral health, the access they have, the behaviors they have, and then we look to define the right levels of interventions to ensure that we're able to move the needle accordingly.
00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:15.200
Wow.
00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:18.640
So Brazil in your books is on the high top end.
00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:26.000
And for all the viewers, if you just take one thing away, is time yourself when brushing teeth tonight and make sure it's two minutes.
00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:27.519
That's from Mr.
00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:29.680
Ram Ragavana, big advice here.
00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:35.599
Um, Yuri, uh got a got us a sense of where the industry is going and where Colgate is going.
00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:40.400
You're leading an effort every year on uh on a foresight of the industry.
00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:52.799
Um give us just a few latest insights of where you see in someone sense this very stable enterprise and and sector, at the same time, a very dynamic world where we are heading with oral care.
00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.119
I I great question, Wolfgang.
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.200
Can I let me start with with a point on data first, right?
00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:01.279
You and it's a passion point for both of us.
00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:10.000
Uh so let me start at the point on data, and then I'll come in, contextualize data in the bigger purpose of trends and and therefore how we see the world.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:22.000
Um, you know, the the I'm gonna start with a story about um data is the breadcrumbs of human behavior.
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:23.839
Let me let me open with that.
00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:28.240
I'm gonna tell you a story of my wonderful 80-year-old mom.
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:34.880
So she comes and lives with us sometimes three months in a year, sometimes a couple of months, sometimes six months, right?
00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:41.519
And now she's an avid reader, and and strangely, uh again, no judgment, it's my mom.
00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:42.400
I love her.
00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:49.279
Uh she loves reading books on two subjects, among many other things, but two subjects are her big passion.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:56.799
Number one, British period romantic novels from the 15th, 16th, 17th century.
00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:04.240
And second is Tamil, which is an Indian uh language, uh, Tamil scripture uh books.
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:06.160
Very varied.
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:14.480
Now she comes in and then you know, she'll ask me to down buy it on my Amazon account, and then you know, I'm downloading it on her Kindle.
00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:23.119
You can imagine after three months of being with us, what happens to my recommended list at a on my device, right?
00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:29.279
Suddenly I'm getting recommendations about British period novels or romantic British period novels.
00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.319
That's not my thing.
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:48.960
So if you just went by the what, every algorithm would start giving me more and more, and would never be able would never be able to understand why it is that Ram bought it for these three months and but suddenly has stopped buying it.
00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:55.519
So I think the biggest thing in data is about the next question, the why.
00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:02.480
So that's why I say data is the breadcrumbs of human behavior, it defines the what.
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:07.359
Humans have to step in to understand the why.
00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:19.519
Because that goes back then to the motivations behind why is it that I am displaying those behaviors or lack of those behaviors, you know, uh, in the context of that.
00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:21.119
So let me start with that.
00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:29.200
And and therefore, when I look at data on a global basis, the macro trends show you where the breadcrumbs are heading.
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:36.079
Our task really is about decoding the breadcrumbs, understanding that why, right?
00:30:36.240 --> 00:30:49.279
And and we don't just look at 2026, we obviously look at the next 12 months, we look at the next five years, and then we look at the next beyond that as well, because that's the longevity we look to see, right?
00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:55.759
Um, and I would say it starts from two two different sides of the equation.
00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.119
The first part we touched on quite a bit, so I won't repeat it.
00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:11.440
It really is about elevating oral health, behavioral change, you know, making it a habit that that sticks with you and and fundamentally driving good behavioral practices, right?
00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:33.519
The second is look, the trends are obvious, whether it's the Gen Alphas, or I recently heard it's the it's now becoming Gen Zalphas, I believe, between the Gen Z and the Alphas or the Zelenia, so it's now becoming Zalpha uh to silver generations, to K-shaped economies, to heightened focuses on health.
00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:41.440
You know, some of these trends have been around and are just manifesting themselves in product solutions today.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:44.400
Uh let me give you a couple of examples.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.519
We saw the health trend kick off a few years ago.
00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:57.440
The big I think COVID unfortunately triggered in all of us a dramatic shift from apathy towards preventative health.
00:31:57.599 --> 00:31:57.920
Right?
00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:05.519
We were we got very comfortable as a race uh to say, listen, if something happens, I know how to deal with it, there'll be a medicine for it.
00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.319
Right.
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:16.400
Uh I think COVID said, damn it, I better be ready for something, and I need to take pre preventative or precautionary measures as much as I need to take curative measures.
00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:19.279
So I think one of the biggest shifts we made was last year.
00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:23.759
We relaunched one of our flagship brands called Colgate Total.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:34.480
What was traditionally 25-30 years ago, the brand was established as a pioneer in oral health, solving multiple problems, one toothpaste that solved many problems.
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:43.839
We've had a dramatic change, uh, and we're leading the category in moving towards superior everyday preventative health.
00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:50.799
So shifting the narrative from solving problems only to actually preventing problems before they even start.
00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:52.960
Uh that's literally underway.
00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:55.359
We we began the journey about a year and a half ago.
00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:58.720
So I think that that's our why behind the what.
00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:04.160
So we saw COVID enabled us to see this heightened shift in health.
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:07.039
We tried to understand the why.
00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:19.200
The why came down to reduction in anxiety, the why came down to taking charge of people's lives, the why came down to ensuring I have healthy lives, right?
00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:24.960
Colgate total uh everyday superior preventative care was our solution to it.
00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:29.200
Similarly, let me take another example.
00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:33.279
A big trend, you know, we we live in a selfie world, Wolfgang.
00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:42.319
Uh you know, I think the number is what 1005 million selfies a day or something, some some some large and obscenely large number like that.
00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:53.119
Now, what is what again the 105 million selfies a day is the what you gotta understand the why behind it, right?
00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:59.440
And the why behind it then enables us to we we've just launched, actually, it's just hot off the press.
00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:03.200
Uh, we've been in market for about quite literally maybe two months now.
00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:10.960
Our optic white, we've just upgraded the formula with a new active shine, uh, a patented active shine technology in it.
00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:14.239
Uh, now what does the active shine technology do?
00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:28.480
It it actually gives consumers a visible uh a visible whiter teeth, not just that you can see, but actually, if you run your tongue around your teeth, you can feel it as well.
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:33.440
So now we start landing the what the why into the what and the how.
00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:44.800
So I think you know, we look at oral care from that lens, we observe these trends, and we start looking for how we can connect dots and land it in oral care.
00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:58.880
And these are just some of the examples uh I've highlighted, but as you can imagine, uh there are many, many more of these uh that we talk about all the time, and our products are just a reflection of how we bring them to life.
00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:10.639
Ran, would you think that in the future people would talk about Colgate as much in a healthcare and as a healthcare enterprise as an FMCG enterprise?
00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:23.280
Uh look, I think you know, we we our our uh product portfolio at Colgate Palm Olive, like I said, our purpose is about reimagining a healthier future for all people, pets, and the planet.
00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:34.159
Uh so while we have a large oral care business, we also have a very healthy and large personal care, home care, pet health, and skin health business.
00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:48.960
You know, uh so when we look at the portfolio of products and categories we operate in, that's why we we look at it as a healthier future, not just the context of people, but people, their pets, and the planet as well.
00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:55.760
Yeah, for those many don't know, but yeah, one of the most profitable parts, right, of Colgate is the pet care business.
00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:06.639
I I you know, and I think one common thread that I would say, many common threads that hold things together, but I think I'll start with the first one for us is science.
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:15.440
I I you know I go back to being being the most penetrated brand in the world, being amongst the most trusted brands in the world, uh, doesn't come easy.
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:34.960
Uh so our science is something we relentlessly, as much as the emphasis on the consumer, we ensure that our science, whether it's you know, whether it's uh oral health, whether it's uh pet health, whether it's our skin health, whether it's our personal care products, our science is uncompromisable.
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:42.079
You know, we we look at science in the context of the proven superior outcomes it has.
00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:47.440
And then more importantly, our ability to democratize science.
00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:47.920
Right?
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:54.239
So today, if you go and pick up the 10 rupee pack, 10 rupees is what, one one ninth of a dollar?
00:36:54.639 --> 00:37:04.239
So you're talking about you know a 10, nine, 10 cent solution in India in our what we call our Colgate strong teeth.
00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:10.480
That technology is by far the best in the world in terms of the goodies that we put into it.
00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:16.880
Uh, you know, so our ability to democratize science is, I think, a second strength.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:23.760
And the third one that unites many of our businesses together is the advocacy models.
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:36.079
Whether it's the the dentist, whether it's the vet, whether it's the dermatologist, you know, there is an advocacy model that that that you get the positive effect in terms of driving brand preference that comes from it.
00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:40.000
So there are multiple synergies that exist there.
00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:46.239
Ran, I'm I'm sure that our um viewers will confirm that this was very inspiring.
00:37:46.400 --> 00:37:53.599
Um, this podcast always ends with the guest's favorite number and the story behind the number.
00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:56.079
So tell us your number, Ran.
00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:57.679
Um six.
00:37:57.920 --> 00:38:13.039
It it it it's funny you you asked me this because I was in a I was in a workshop for the last few days, and strangely, one of the exercises was writing your lucky number or the number, and and and I wrote six, and and I was asked the same question, funny enough.
00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:22.719
Um, so six appears in my life or in the strangest of places, uh, without me realizing that it was a lucky number.
00:38:22.880 --> 00:38:28.800
Uh so simply put, um, my my wife and I got married on the 6th of December.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:34.000
We have two boys, one's born on the 6th of May, one's born on the 6th of September.
00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:39.119
Uh, the last apartment we lived in, the number was um 2202.
00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:41.199
So if you added it up, it was six.
00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:51.679
Uh, and like I was telling you, I was in a workshop yesterday, and the table that I was with, uh, I had put there six, and there were a couple of other people on the table.
00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:56.320
One had 0606, uh, the other one had six six.
00:38:56.880 --> 00:39:06.320
Um, you know, so there's just a strange set set set of coincidences that come in, and the number six keeps popping up in my life time and time again.
00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:09.519
Uh I associate the number six with Ram.
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:14.559
So a very round number and uh an inspiring uh exchange.
00:39:14.719 --> 00:39:22.719
You listen to somebody who's very passionate, uh, very inspiring, uh yeah, and one of the top uh you know leaders in the world in oral care.
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:24.400
Thank you so much, Ram, for being on the show.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:25.039
Not at all.
00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:26.159
Thank you, Wolfgang.
00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:26.960
It's been a pleasure.
00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:30.639
Hopefully, it it it you know you enjoyed it as much as I did.
