Colgate-Palmolive Bets on Global Talent Rotations to Forge Its Next Generation of Leaders
Good morning. This is Emma Burleigh, reporting for Fortune.
While many professionals are planning their 2026 vacations, a significant cohort at Colgate-Palmolive has international travel woven into their career trajectories. For this consumer goods titan, crossing borders isn't a perk—it's a pivotal leadership development tool.
The company, with a 220-year legacy and operations in over 100 countries, is systematically rotating employees through global postings. This strategy aims to fortify corporate culture, spark innovation, and crucially, build a bench of leaders with firsthand multinational experience. Currently, half of all senior leaders and 8% of salaried staff have held roles in two or more countries.
"Global mobility is no longer just an option; it's a prerequisite for senior leadership at Colgate," states Sally Massey, Chief Human Resources Officer. One-third of the company's division and country-hub leaders now work outside their home nations, a figure that underscores this institutional priority.
These rotations are engineered to immerse employees in the nuances of local market operations—from supply chain logistics to consumer engagement strategies. The objective, Massey explains, is to cultivate executives who can view challenges and opportunities through a wide-angle, global lens rather than a regional snapshot.
Massey, a 26-year veteran of the company, is a prime example. Her career path spanned North America, Latin America, and Europe, beginning with an intensive year-long development program. She argues the benefits are symbiotic: employees gain invaluable perspective and market depth, while Colgate builds a more adaptable leadership corps capable of steering through economic complexity and harnessing diverse ideas for growth.
By deliberately moving talent across regions and functions, Colgate seeks to prevent the rise of leaders with siloed, single-market expertise. "Leaders seasoned in multiple markets," Massey notes, "develop a sharper instinct for balancing competing global priorities and making decisions that resonate across continents."
Voices from the Industry
David Chen, Management Professor at Wharton: "Colgate's approach is a textbook case of experiential learning at scale. It directly addresses the 'global paradox'—the need to act locally while strategizing globally. This depth of cross-cultural immersion is difficult to replicate in any classroom."
Anya Petrova, HR Director at a rival FMCG firm: "The ROI on such extensive programs is notoriously hard to quantify. While the intent is noble, the logistical cost and disruption to personal lives are immense. There's a real risk of burnout, and not every high-potential employee is willing or able to be a perpetual expat."
Michael Torres, former Colgate marketing manager who completed a rotation in Brazil: "It was the most challenging and rewarding period of my career. You don't just learn about business; you learn about empathy and execution in a completely different context. It fundamentally rewired how I solve problems."
Linda Schiff, editorialist at 'The Workforce Digest': "Let's call this what it is: a retention gimmick wrapped in lofty 'global citizen' rhetoric. It primarily benefits a select, mobile elite within the company while creating a two-tier system. What about the vast majority of employees who can't or won't relocate? Are they deemed less capable of leadership?"
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Fortune
[email protected]
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.