Jeff Weedman serves as Vice President for Global Business Development (GBD) at the Procter & Gamble Company, the world’s largest consumer packaged goods company. He leads a global organization responsible for delivering external innovation partnerships across P&G and around the world – partnerships that have delivered billions of dollars toward P&G’s annual sales growth. Jeff’s team manages mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, outsourcing, technology and trademark licensing, and P&G’s Global Open Innovation efforts.

Jeff joined P&G after earning his MBA from the University of Michigan. He progressed through various assignments in Marketing across P&G’s Food & Beverage and Soap & Detergent businesses. Following assignments in strategic planning for the Company’s global laundry business, a Corporate role redesigning P&G’s go-to-market/sales organization, he served as General Manager of P&G’s institutional business and then for two years in Toronto as Vice President and General Manager for P&G Canada. In 1996 he was appointed and originated the role of Vice President of Global Licensing which has grown into Global Business Development.

In addition to specific external partnerships that drive innovation and value creation for P&G, he has also led development of new capabilities to ensure an on-going stream of collaborations. This includes the first-ever comprehensive agreements with the public university systems of Ohio and Michigan to streamline how academia and business work together to drive breakthrough innovations. His team also forged similar agreements in China, India, Singapore and Israel with government research institutes, academic entities and entrepreneurs to ensure win-win partnerships with P&G.

Jeff has served or currently is a board member/representative of: Glad Joint Venture (P&G’s partnership with The Clorox Company); Swiss Precision Diagnostics (Switzerland based 50/50 joint venture with Alere); Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc. (P&G’s franchising subsidiary); Green Earth Cleaning, LLC (Missouri based dry cleaning company); European Industrial Research Management Association (association of R&D leaders in Europe); and yet2.com (Boston-based Intellectual Property firm)

Jeff is also a member of the Licensing Executive Society (LES), and is a Certified Licensing Professional. Jeff has been specially recognized by LES as a Leader in Licensing, and received the award for outstanding achievement on behalf of P&G in 2007. Under Jeff’s leadership, P&G received The Economist Magazine’s first Corporate Award for Innovation Leadership and the Wharton Award for 25 Most Innovative Companies.

Jeff is regularly sought out for expert interviews, benchmarking and external speaking engagements. He has been featured live on Bloomberg TV in the US, BBC4 radio in the UK, Business NEWS in Singapore and Sky Business News, Australia’s leading business TV channel. Publications such as Dealmaker and IP Law have featured Jeff in cover page articles. Further, he is widely quoted as a global expert on Open Innovation and business structuring/deal-making in print and broadcast media, including the Financial Times, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, BBC, Associated Press, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and media across Israel, Latin America, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Canada and Mexico. He also is widely quoted in a number of books on open innovation and business development, such as Edison in the Boardroom and Open Innovation. Finally, he has served a judge for prestigious events, such as The Economist’s Global Innovation Awards held annually in London.

Jeff is an active member of several local, regional and national organizations, supporting his belief that “we’re all in this together” and thus we all have the responsibility and opportunity to improve the lives of the world’s consumers. His activities include the Northern Kentucky University: Research Foundation, Past Member; CincyTech: Advisor; Board of Directors for Stepping Stones Center for Developmentally Disabled; Gerstacker Institute, Albion College Advisory Board and various Church, local charity and school activities.

Jeff received his A.B. (economics/history) from Albion College and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan with a concentration in marketing and finance.