Juliana Azevedo is set to make company history as the first woman to lead Gillette, Procter & Gamble’s global grooming business, in a high-profile internal promotion announced this week. Azevedo, a roughly three-decade P&G veteran, will take over from longtime grooming boss Gary Coombe and step into control of the razor-and-shave portfolio that has anchored the brand for generations.
The appointment was first reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, which noted Azevedo will replace Coombe atop Gillette's grooming unit. The outlet reported that under Coombe, the division's annual sales climbed to roughly $6.7 billion during his tenure.
P&G’s corporate bio and leadership listings show Azevedo joined the company in 1996 and most recently led the Home Care and P&G Professional businesses, roles that came with large regional responsibilities and multiple brand integrations, according to P&G. Her résumé leans heavily on assignments in Latin America and Europe, a through-line the company highlights in its materials.
The Boston Globe reports Azevedo will relocate from Geneva to Boston to run Gillette's World Shaving headquarters and is expected to play a key role in the planned redevelopment of the company’s Fort Point Channel campus. According to the Globe, she will be responsible for roughly 10,000 employees worldwide in the grooming business.
Grooming business at a glance
P&G groups Gillette, Braun and Venus in its Grooming segment, which generated roughly $6.7 billion in net sales in the most recent fiscal year, according to P&G's annual report. While it is smaller than several other P&G categories, Grooming remains a highly visible and profitable franchise with a broad footprint on retail shelves.
Why this promotion matters
Beyond the milestone of a woman steering the storied Gillette brand, Azevedo is stepping into a job that blends global product strategy, tense retailer negotiations and very local development politics in Boston. Industry watchers will be tracking how she juggles new product launches, subscription offerings and traditional retail channels while also shepherding the campus redevelopment and inheriting the sizable team Coombe leaves behind, as noted by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
For now, the promotion puts a seasoned P&G operator in charge of one of the company’s flagship consumer franchises, a decision that will shape how Gillette shows up in stores, online and along the Boston waterfront in the months ahead. Azevedo’s early calls on product mix and retail strategy are likely to signal how Gillette plans to hold its ground against subscription challengers and premium upstarts sharpening their own blades.
