# James Michael Lafferty

James Michael Lafferty (born 1963) is an American businessman, speaker, consultant, psychologist, and social media influencer. He is known for his story of starting as a fitness trainer in the Procter & Gamble Company in 1984 and progressing through marketing to become a division CEO for P&G, Coca-Cola, and British American Tobacco.
He is also an Olympic athletics coach, keynote speaker and trainer, columnist, and women's rights advocate. Further, he is a marathon runner, an honorary coach, and consultant at the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association, and on the board of the Medical Wellness Association. He transformed the management board of Fine Hygienic Holding, where he served from 2018-2025 as the CEO, to include 30% female members.

## Personal life

James Michael Lafferty is married to Carol Lafferty and has six children - Michael, Morgan, Kristen, John-Patrick, Kenji and Mikayla. Kenji is Lafferty's only adopted child. Kenji was an abandoned Filipino orphan, and after a period of foster care with the Lafferty family, was officially adopted by them.

## Education

Lafferty graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1981. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's degree in psychology and physiology (1985).

## Career

Coaching
Lafferty started off his career as a corporate fitness trainer. As a professional track and field coach, he has coached Olympic-level track and field athletes in the United States, Nigeria, and the Philippines for the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. He also coached the Nigerian marathon team in the 2012 London Olympics.
He coached 3-time Olympian long jumper, Marestella Sunang who returned from childbirth in 2014 to set a new national record in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and provided her with a team doctor, strength coach, masseuse, dietician and sports psychologist, among others.
Lafferty has also coached Ernest Obiena, Esther Obiekwe, and Kristy Abello - all national level athletes in their various countries. He has co-founded a marathon titled, “The Bull Runner Dream Marathon” which takes place every year.
Business
James Michael Lafferty is recently retired CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding. He joined the FHH Board of Directors and officially began his duties as the CEO in April 2018.
Lafferty began his career in 1985 with Procter & Gamble, assuming various strategic leadership roles that include General Manager for the Near East region, chief executive officer of P&G for Poland and the Baltic States, Vice President of Paper in Western Europe, and CEO of the company's operations in the Philippines.
After Procter & Gamble, Lafferty continued his career journey as the CEO of Coca-Cola Nigeria and as the CEO of British American Tobacco in the Philippines. He also worked as a consultant for P&G, Coca-Cola, HP, Newell Rubbermaid, Nestlé, Microsoft, Intuit, L'Oreal, General Electric, Hershey, Wal-Mart and many other Fortune 500 companies.
Teacher and Columnist
Lafferty is a regular columnist for The Philippine Star and teaches at the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
His column on “Why Diversity is still a business challenge” was a finalist under the CMMA Best Business Column category.

## Philanthropy

Adopt an Olympian program
Lafferty aimed to gather CEOs for his “Adopt an Olympian” program. The objective of the program was to help the country win the elusive gold, preferably as early as 2016. With the help of the program, one CEO funds the full range training of one Filipino athlete. Along with financial support, the program assists in the setting up of an entire system involving selection and hiring of a coach, yoga instructor, dietician, sports psychologist, as well as the design of an appropriate training program.
Administering CPR at the airport
Lafferty was widely covered by Filipino media after he saved the life of a stranger, Romeo Silva, in October 2006. Lafferty administered CPR after the man collapsed at the Nagoya Airport, Japan due to a heart attack.
Team Obiena Pledges P500K Donation to Lydia de Vega
James together with his wife Carol, and EJ Obiena Pledge a PHP 500,000 donation to the sprint queen Lydia de Vega who was battling cancer. James and Carol are EJ's long time supporters, advisors and Nutritionist.

## Media

James Michael Lafferty has appeared on The Chrissy B Show, SKY 203, sharing his thoughts about the qualities needed to succeed.
He has also been interviewed by Barbara Be about how he started his career and reached the position he is in today. The interview was titled "Climbing the Ladder". He also appeared on Expat Insights with Raju Mandhyan where he talked about winners and champions. He was a speaker at AESC and Tissue World 2005.

## Publications
### Articles

* Lafferty (May 7, 2022). Truth Be Bold. Brainfeed Magazine
* Lafferty (May 7, 2022). Making the World Better Place to Live in.Theincmagazine
* Lafferty (July 15, 2022). Helping Organization Reach Full Potential. Cxooutlook
* Lafferty (August 15, 2022) James Machael Lafferty: The visionary Leader Challenging the Health and Wellness Industry.Theledersglobe
* Lafferty (May 28, 2019) What Sport can teach Business about 'Winners' Versus 'Champions.Arabianbusiness
* Lafferty (November 3, 2020). The Winning Leadership Mantra; Mr. James Michael Lafferty. Mywestford

### Speech

* Winners to Champions’ by James Michael Laffert
* 2018 Middle East Edition of Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky-The Success and Leadership Summit for Women Announces Final Speakers

## Awards and recognition

Lafferty has been awarded CEO of the year 21 separate times in his career by various organisations and government-affiliated associations, as of 2021. Lafferty is the winner of the 2019 Burj CEO Of the year Middle East Award as well as GCC 2019 CEO of the year, and Daman Corporate Health and Wellness Visionary 2019 Award. He has been listed 4 times, most recently in 2024, as among top 100 CEOs by Forbes Middle East, and Best CEO of the Year 2022 in the Wellness and Hygienic Products sector.
The following table lists the awards Lafferty obtained:
Awards and Recognition :
| Year | Award/Recognition | Awarded by |
| 2009 | CEO Excel Award (Communication Excellence in Organizations) | International Association of Business Communicators |
| 2013 | Expatriate CEO of the Year - Finalist | Asia CEO Awards |
| 2014 | Expatriate CEO of the Year - Finalist | Asia CEO Awards |
| 2015 | Best Business Columnist - Finalist | Catholic Mass Media Awards Philippines |
| 2018 | BEST CEO'S LEADING ON GENDER DIVERSITY | The Leonie Award |
| 2018 | MALE CHAMPIONS FOR GENDER DIVERSITY | The Leonie Awards |
| 2019 | BEST MENTOR OF THE YEAR | The Leonie Awards |
| 2019 | BEST CEO'S LEADING ON GENDER DIVERSITY | The Leonie Awards |
| 2019 | THE DAMAN CORPORATE HEALTH & WELLNESS VISIONARY | Daman Corporate Health & Wellness Awards |
| 2019 | MIDDLE EAST CEO OF THE YEAR | The Burj CEO Award |
| 2019 | CEO OF THE YEAR | GCC Best Employer Brand Awards |
| 2019 | MOST INFLUENTIAL CEO OF THE YEAR | Forbes Middle East |
| 2020 | BEST HEALTHCARE CEO OF THE YEAR | UAE International Business Magazine |
| 2020 | CEO WITH HR ORIENTATION | The Golden Globe Tigers |
| 2020 | BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR | The Middle East Business Leader of the Year |
| 2020 | CEO OF THE YEAR | CEO Monthly |
| 2021 | CEO OF THE YEAR | The Business Leader of the Year Award by World Leadership Awards |
| 2021 | BEST HEALTHCARE CEO OF THE YEAR - JORDAN | World Business Outlook |
| 2021 | BEST HEALTHCARE CEO OF THE YEAR - UAE | International Business Magazine |
| 2021 | TOP 100 CEOs IN THE MIDDLE EAST | Forbes Magazine |
| 2022 | BEST CEO OF THE YEAR 2022 - UAE | Global Business Review Magazine |
| 2022 | MOST SUSTAINABLE CEO 2022 | World Sustainability Leadership - 9th Edition |
| 2023 | HIGHLY COMMENDED CEO OF THE YEAR | Facilities Management Middle East Awards |
| 2024 | THE MIDDLE EAST'S TOP CEOs 2024 | Forbes Middle East Magazine |