CFO Intelligence Magazine – Spring/Summer 2024
Paul Ruh
Kenvue CFO
Kenvue the world’s largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue generated $15.4 billion in revenue in 2023 with iconic brands like BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages, Listerine®, Neutrogena®, and Tylenol® that are science-backed, recommended by healthcare professionals around the world, and resonate with consumers. The team responsible for coordinating and propelling the finances behind this global giant is led by CFO Paul Ruh, a corporate veteran with more than 30 years of deep experience building global consumer brands and leading diverse teams through times of intense change. In 2023, Ruh was charged with establishing Kenvue as an independent public company, leading it through a successful IPO despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Now, as the company continues its transformative journey, Ruh spoke with CFO Intelligence about how the company is focusing on three strategic priorities: Reaching more consumers with a renewed focus on the company’s 15 priority brands, freeing up resources to fuel brand investments, and fostering a culture that rewards performance and impact.
As a pure-play consumer health company, Kenvue operates at a unique intersection of healthcare and consumer goods, offering a balanced and diversified portfolio that spans three segments – Skin Health & Beauty, Essential Health and Self Care.
“Our portfolio has been carefully curated over the last 135 years to offer comprehensive health solutions that are backed by science and endorsed by healthcare professionals,” says Ruh.
“Kenvue benefits from a long history of innovation and consumer trust, but as an independent company, there are also many areas of opportunity,” he notes. “For example, we have been working on establishing the right processes which fit our new company and the culture we are creating. Now that we are fully independent, we have an opportunity to not just replicate legacy processes, but intentionally reinvent our ways of working. This includes implementing modern systems designed specifically to meet the needs of our new company and enable speed, agility and accuracy to improve execution.