Arkay Packaging, Diamond Packaging, and Firmenich–all suppliers in the beauty industry–were among those who received prestigious awards from P&G, at its recent External Business Partner Summit. Over 400 companies from 36 countries attended the event, for two days of planning and recognition. The summit’s theme was “Partnering to Win,” and multiple P&G business leaders shared insights about P&G’s renewed focus on delivering the business to win in market.

“This summit came at the perfect time for us to clearly communicate our external business partners our growth strategy of “40-20-10” and the priorities we’re focusing on to fully bring it to life,” said Dimitri Panayotopoulos, P&G’s vice chairman, Global Business Units, referencing the Company’s emphasis on its top forty country/category business combinations, top twenty innovations and top ten most important emerging markets. “P&G has a renewed energy and it’s these business relationships that will help propel us to winning where it matters most.”

Among P&G’s more than 75,000 suppliers and agencies, eight received the highest honor of being named “Business Partner of the Year.” The winners are: Albany International Corp., Éltex Kft, Knowlton Development Corp., Novozymes, Pacer International, Inc., SUPERPAC, INC., TANA-X, and ZAHORANSKY GROUP.

In addition, 73 companies – which amounts to only about 0.1% of P&G’s global suppliers – received the “Excellence Award” for performing consistently at high levels within P&G’s internal performance management system. These winners are: Ampacet Corp., Arkay Packaging, Diamond Packaging, Firmenich, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., NiCE Ltd., Nypro Packaging, PaperWorks Industries, and Plastipak Packaging.

“I congratulate all of our award winners, especially those who were recognized as ‘Business Partner of the Year,’” said Rick Hughes, chief purchasing officer. “The entire P&G organization is focused on our top business priorities, and that includes our external business partners who help us innovate, operate more efficiently and win in market.”

P&G works with all business partners to reach excellence levels, and therefore there is no limit on the number of excellence awards that can be achieved.

“I’m always pleased to see repeat Excellence Award winners,” said Hughes. “That demonstrates that P&G and our top strategic business partners are collaborating and aligned on what’s most important for the business. That’s especially critical for the journey ahead.”