Gabriela Bardin joined Procter & Gamble in 1998 as a marketing assistant. She was in her early twenties and had studied Business Administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. Over time, she worked across several departments before taking charge of the local subsidiary in September 2019. She was the first Argentine woman to hold the position.
The company sells products that are part of everyday life in many households, including Pampers, Pantene, Gillette and Head & Shoulders. Bardin was 44 when she took over an operation with around one thousand employees and two factories, in Pilar and San Luis.
She had been in the role for barely six months when the pandemic began. Years later, she had to announce that P&G would sell Ariel, Magistral and its Pilar factory in Argentina. She left P&G in late 2023, after more than 25 years with the company.
From marketing to general management
She spent eleven years in marketing, eventually reaching a director-level position. For seven of those years, she led the beauty and hair care division, responsible for brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders and Herbal Essences.
She then moved into Sales, leading the department in Argentina for nine years. Her work involved how products reached different retail channels: supermarkets, neighborhood stores and, later, online platforms.
From Buenos Aires, she also directed marketing for P&G Chile. She received several offers to relocate abroad, but said those opportunities never came at the right time for her.
In September 2019, she succeeded Fernando del Carril, who was retiring after 25 years with the company. Bardin took charge of the Argentine operation and began reporting to P&G’s president for Latin America.
Keeping the factories running during the pandemic
During lockdown, the offices emptied as around 300 employees continued working from home. In Pilar and San Luis, another 700 employees kept going to the factories to produce essential goods.
Bardin began meeting with plant managers three times a week as part of a crisis committee. P&G also hired an infectious disease specialist for advice and introduced precautions such as temperature checks and face masks.
To stay in touch with employees working from home, the leadership team joined breakfast video calls. Some meetings brought together 250 people. The company also emailed advice from specialists and offered optional online cooking, dance and yoga classes.
With bars and restaurants closed, families cooked more at home and needed more dishwashing liquid. That was reflected in Magistral’s sales. Online shopping also increased, a change Bardin expected to continue after the pandemic.
The sale of Ariel and Magistral
In September 2023, P&G reached an agreement to sell Ariel and Magistral in Argentina to Dreamco. The buyer would also take over the Pilar factory, its production lines and its employees.
Dreamco was an Argentine company established following Alicorp’s departure from the country. For P&G, the agreement was part of a global strategy to focus on the categories it considered to have the greatest potential.
Bardin was responsible for communicating the decision both inside and outside the company. At the time, she clarified that selling those brands did not mean P&G would leave Argentina.
Work, family and opportunities for other women
Married with three children, Bardin speaks about bringing together the different parts of her life. Work and family are important to her, but she also seeks time for friends, spirituality and physical well-being.
Among the values she aims to bring to work, Bardin highlights fairness.
While leading P&G Argentina, she was involved in Women Corporate Directors Argentina, the ADIM network of women executives and Fundación Caminando Juntos’ CEO council. She also participated in events on women’s leadership.
She believes that sharing the experiences of women who have reached leadership positions can help others picture themselves in those roles.
The end of a chapter
Bardin left P&G in late 2023 after more than 25 years. She had joined as a marketing assistant and departed after leading the Argentine subsidiary.
Her successor was Alejandro Lorusso, an Argentine lawyer who had spent almost three decades at P&G. He arrived from Mexico, where he was vice president of the operation, and took over in January 2024.
Since leaving, she has maintained a low public profile. Her career includes reaching general management at P&G Argentina without having worked abroad as an expatriate.
