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Ed Rigaud was the first President & CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which pays tribute to all efforts to abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people. This conversation’s actually from June of 2020, when we were in the midst of a long overdue conversation about race in America. It was a great chat about coming up as a Black professional in the 60s and 70s, and a reflection on where we are today.

Ed was P&G’s second-ever Black Vice President - spanning a 36-year career at the company in 1965 - during which he was the R&D Technical Brand Manager who helped create Pringles. Ed was later the first Black co-owner + lead investor of the Cincinnati Reds, as well as CEO of EnovaPremier, and CEO of Legacy Acquisition. Ed has served on numerous company boards, has received appointments from the Governor of Ohio, and a sitting US President. He’s a husband, father, grandfather, accomplished artist and guitar player. In this candid conversation on race, work, and life - Ed shares his thoughts as a Black man growing up in Louisiana, rising through the ranks of corporate America in the 60s and 70s, and reflections on the current climate. Ed believes that his number one mission is to help those who have been consistently under-represented to achieve higher levels of freedom…especially in the areas of education, economic empowerment, and inclusion.

For Black History Month, we’re sharing conversations from Raman’s other podcast “Learnings from Leaders” where we have candid mentorship style conversations - with business leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists, many of whom are alums of Procter & Gamble - where many industry leaders got their start with a foundation of purpose, values, and principles.