Kroger and P&G Come Together to Uplift Women in Business and Honor Female Scholars Ahead of the Kroger Queen City Championship Presented by P&G

LPGA tournament to tee off Thursday

CINCINNATI, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) and The Procter and Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) announced today the inaugural class for their women's leadership program, the Queen City Game Changers, and named five female scholars to receive the first ever Game Changers Scholarship presented by The Kroger Co. Foundation and Always Brand.

"The Game Changers initiative is our commitment to accelerate the advancement of women in sports, business and education," said Kate Meyer, Kroger Health & Beauty Care Vice President. "From the golf course to boardrooms and classrooms, we are championing the accomplishments of women and coming together to cultivate their talent and ambition to uplift the next generation of female leaders. We are so proud to collaborate with P&G and the LPGA on this shared mission."

The Game Changers platform was developed by Kroger and P&G to champion women in sports, business, and education. This commitment includes developing a world-class women's leadership program, the Queen City Game Changers, to accelerate female advancement into executive leadership roles and creating a Game Changers Scholarship program to support multicultural women seeking advanced degrees in business and liberal arts.

"We are thrilled to welcome the world-class athletes of the LPGA back to Cincinnati, and to inspire hundreds of local women to enjoy golf and advance their careers through the Game Changers platform," said Pat Cady, P&G Sales Senior Vice President. "We are excited to partner with Kroger and the LPGA to engage and empower more than 130 women leaders from across our Queen City community."

The inaugural class of Queen City Game Changers consists of 130 women, with representation from top local companies, entrepreneurial organizations, and chambers of commerce in Greater Cincinnati. The program kicked off with a one-day event featuring Jon Moeller, P&G Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer; Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger Senior Vice President of Operations; Stuart Aitken, Kroger Senior Vice President, Chief Merchant and Marketing Officer; Annika Sorenstam, LPGA Hall of Famer and entrepreneur; Monica Turner, P&G President of North America; and Debbie Majoras, P&G President and Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer. Participants will engage in an eight-month, world-class curriculum developed by subject matter experts that includes hands-on learning and mentorship provided by assigned executive coaches from Patina, as well as one-to-one connections with Cincinnati-based senior executives and entrepreneurial leaders.

The Game Changers program is part of a movement of Cincinnati-based companies and organizations including not only Kroger and P&G, but also Cintas, Great American, St. Elizabeth, TriHealth, GE Aviation, Mortar, The Gratitude Collection, Power to Pursue, Cloverleaf, Altafiber, Chosen Foods, the Cincinnati Chapter of Next Up, and many others.

In collaboration with Greater Cincinnati colleges and universities, five young women have been selected to receive the Game Changers Scholarship, a one-year $5,000 scholarship presented by The Kroger Co. Foundation and Always Brand. The scholars were honored at a ceremony with elite golfer, Annika Sorenstam, who held a putting clinic for the scholarship recipients at the Kenwood Country Club. The scholars include:

• Bryanna Hall, Northern Kentucky University.
• Honesty Lyon, Wilberforce University, majoring in Mass Communications.
• Caitlyn Morrow, University of Cincinnati, majoring in Psychology.
• Yugandhara Nalawade, Miami University, majoring in Econometrics.
• Jessica Williams, University of Dayton, majoring in Fine Arts.

The LPGA's Kroger Queen City Championship Presented by P&G will tee off on Thursday, September 8, and host many of the world's top golfers. The Championship will conclude on Sunday with an award ceremony honoring the tournament winner.

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™. We are, across our family of companies nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Cascade®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Mr. Clean®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, Secret®, SK-II®, Swiffer®, Tampax®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

Established in 1987, The Kroger Co. Foundation, Kroger's private foundation, aligns community investments and grants with Kroger's Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. Last year, the Foundation directed $12.7 million in grants to 322 non-profit organizations across the country. 

Always®, the world's leader in feminine protection, offers a wide range of feminine pads, wipes and liners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. The Always line of feminine products includes Always Infinity™, Always Ultra Thins, Always Maxis, Always Radiant Pads, Always Liners and Always Feminine Wipes. Please visit www.always.com for more information.

For over 30 years, Always has been empowering girls globally, bringing puberty education to millions of adolescent girls. Through the #LikeAGirl campaign, Always is on a mission to help stop the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.