FINE HYGIENIC HOLDING
Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH) is a hygienic tissue and diaper
company that operates throughout the MENA region. To stop being coy, that means they produce toilet paper. In fact, more than that, they design, manufacture and sell menstrual products, toilet paper, face tissues, kitchen towels and even infant and adult diapers. This company represents many brands within these products groups, including Fine and Smile, has grown to become one of the largest hygienic tissue and diaper producers in the world, with a presence in 75 countries over five continents. This makes them the biggest and leading tissue and diaper producer in the MENA region.
2018 marks FHH’s 60th year of business, and it also marks the
would have left it there, but ambition and chance had another plan:
beginning of James Michael Lafferty’s appointment as company
“I was too stupid to accept that, so I wrote a letter back saying
CEO. A Board Member since 2015, Lafferty’s route to this position
“’Interviewing is not a science, it’s an art, and I want another group
has actually been a one of unlikely twists and turns. Starting out
of artists to look at me. Procter & Gamble was so shocked that
as a psychology and physiology student in Ohio, a CEO position
they set up a second set of interviews, and after that they offered
in Jordon was the last thing on his mind: “I’m a great believer in
me a position.” James sold his fitness business, and suddenly his
serendipity; if I go back 35 years ago, this is certainly not a place
entire career path had changed – he was working in marketing at
I thought I would be in. I was studying physiology and psychology
the biggest company in his town, surrounded by marketing MBAs
at the University of Cincinnati and I was coaching track, and all I
from Harvard. “They had the better education,” he says proudly,
wanted was to coach kids, teach and make no money.” In 1983,
“but I had the most heart.”
James and a group of doctors that he knew set up a corporate
From there began a career of rising through brand management
fitness company, turning their knowledge to advising executives
and marketing, on a route that would end up preparing James
on healthy living. “This was the beginning of the whole wellness
perfectly for FHH: starting in an overseas position in Morocco,
boom that went into companies worldwide. We were employed by
he rose from brand manager to marketing manager, before finally
a number of companies, including Procter & Gamble, who were the
landing his first CEO position, under which he opened P&G in
biggest company in my home town.”
countries in the Levant region including Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Here is where serendipity first comes into play; whilst doing
“That job would come back to revisit me 20 years later.” After that,
a health check-up for one of P&G’s executives, James had the
he ran the Poland/Baltics business as CEO, then the toilet paper
conversation that would change the rest of his life. ‘One day, I’m
business in Western Europe, which would also serve him many
measuring a guy’s body fat using a skinfold calliper. He’s standing
years later in FHH. He concluded his P&G career as the CEO of the
there all nervous as I’m measuring and plugging the measurements
Philippines business, historically the largest unit in Asia; and then
into an algorithm, and then he looks at me and says, “You ought
moved on to CEO roles at Coca-Cola Nigeria and BAT Philippines.
to do what I do’. I said “Well, what do you do?’ and he said, ‘I’m
All along, he continued to feed his love of coaching, working with
in Brand Management.’ He starts explaining the job to me, and it
the Nigerian Marathoners and the Philippines Olympic team for
sounded pretty cool, so he got me some interviews.” Soon after,
2016 Rio Olympics.
James received a politely worded rejection letter, and most people 24 | Endeavour Magazine