Melanie Healey, the current head of Procter & Gamble’s North America business, is leaving the brand giant next year, according to an internal memo released to employees on Wednesday.
Healey, No. 18 on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list, was once considered a likely successor to CEO A.G. Lafley. The Brazilian-born exec runs P&G’s largest division, the $32.1 billion North America unit. Although her division has been struggling as of late, it has shown signs of tepid growth.
“These changes simplify the way we organize and manage the company,” Lafley wrote in the memo. “As a result, we will have the same or fewer presidents and function leaders as we had in 2001 when sales were $39 billion—less than half our sales today.”
P&G (PG) is in the middle of a huge slim down with the hopes of boosting struggling sales. The company plans to shed as many as 100 brands to bring more attention to those producing strong profits.
Healey will be replaced on January 1 by current P&G Global Customer Business Development Officer Carolyn Tastad.
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