James Michael Lafferty

James Michael Lafferty
Born1963 (age 62–63)
United States
Alma materSt. Xavier High School
University of Cincinnati
OccupationsBusiness Executive, Speaker, Columnist, and Olympic Athletics Coach
SpouseCaroline Lafferty
Websitejamesmichaellafferty.com

James Michael Lafferty (born 1963) is an American business executive and athletics coach. He served as the chief executive officer of Fine Hygienic Holding from 2018 to 2025 and previously held regional CEO positions at Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company and British American Tobacco. Lafferty has also been a competitive athlete and a coach of Olympic-level athletes.

Education

Lafferty graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1981.[1] He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and physiology.[1][2]

Business

Lafferty began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he rose from being a corporate fitness instructor, through marketing management roles before moving into senior regional CEO positions at P&G, and subsequently the Coca-Cola Company and British American Tobacco.[3][4][5] In 2018 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), a Dubai-based hygiene and wellness company.[6][5] The company expanded its operations under his leadership and received industry recognition.[7]

Lafferty serves on the board of the Medical Wellness Association, an organization that has endorsed Fine Hygienic Holding products[8] and a canned sardines brand.[9] He has written opinion and lifestyle columns for The Philippine Star, a national newspaper in the Philippines.[10]

Lafferty has been listed four times, most recently in 2024, as among top 100 CEOs by Forbes Middle East.[11] Lafferty also won a Daman Corporate Health & Wellness Visionary Award in 2019.[12] Lafferty has appeared on The Chrissy B Show, SKY 203, sharing his thoughts about the qualities needed to succeed.[13] He was a speaker at AESC and Tissue World 2005.[14][15]

Coaching

Lafferty was involved in preparing Filipino long jumper Marestella Torres for the 2016 Rio Olympics.[16][17]

Lafferty has served as a long-time mentor and conditioning coach to Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena, working alongside Obiena's primary coach Vitaly Petrov since 2017. His involvement extends to training oversight, including physical conditioning and mental preparation. In 2022, Obiena formally introduced "Team EJ," a professional support group structured under Lafferty’s guidance to strengthen the athlete’s performance and commercial organization.[18]

Lafferty also publicly defended Obiena during allegations of doping, stating Obiena had never tested positive and dismissing such claims as baseless.[19] During the 2021–2022 dispute between Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) over allegations of mis-liquidated coaching fees (EJ Obiena–PATAFA dispute), Lafferty publicly supported Obiena's position. He said that the issue stemmed from systemic problems in PATAFA's payment processes and advocated for direct payment to the coach instead of placing administrative burdens on the athlete.[20] Lafferty also said that several other countries offered Obiena citizenship in response to the controversy, with offers made even before the dispute became public.[21] Later, he challenged PATAFA's claims by stating that Obiena had overpaid his coach, by more than €2,800, due to delays and inefficiencies in federation disbursements.[22]

He has also coached Nigerian marathon runner Esther Obiekwe, Nigeria's representative at the 2012 Boston and London Olympic marathons.[23][24] In addition to elite athletes, Lafferty has worked with amateur marathoners such as Kristy Abello.[25] Lafferty has been involved in the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association's "Adopt an Olympian" program, as the program originator, which provided private sector backing to athletes.[26]

Competition

Lafferty competed in several sports in high school and college, including track and field, volleyball, wrestling, basketball, and American football. In later years, he shifted to distance running, completing over 30 marathons, and more recently transitioned to competitive powerlifting. He won the 2017 Philippines national title in raw bench press, and later won back-to-back world championships in bench press and strict arm curl in 2023 and 2024, setting United Arab Emirates national records in both events.[27][28] In the 2025 World Raw Championships in November 2025, Lafferty won gold for his third consecutive world title in strict arm curl, and silver in bench press.

Personal life

James Michael Lafferty is married and has several children, including an adopted Filipino orphan.[29][30] In 2006 Lafferty performed CPR on a Filipino man suffering cardiac arrest at Nagoya airport.[31]

References

  1. 1 2 Brunsman, Barrett J. (2020-04-08). "P&G alum seeks FDA approval for coronavirus mask". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  2. ↑ Hameed, Firdouz (2022-05-07). "Truth Be Told". Brainfeed Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Money & Me: 'I believe in saving and don't like debt'". The National. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. ↑ Larano, Cris (2014-04-05). "Corporate-Minded Coach Dreams of Olympic Gold for the Philippines". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  5. 1 2 "Fine Hygienic Holding appoints Lafferty as new CEO". Saudi Gazette. 2018-03-25. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  6. ↑ Chowdhury, Farhana (10 September 2019). "Fine Hygienic Holding: Breaking the glass ceiling". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Fine Hygienic Holding earns Guinness World Record for its paper mill in Abu Dhabi". Gulf News. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Jabeen, Afifa (March 5, 2018). "Fine Baby named 'Pediatric Product of the Year'". Arab News. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  9. ↑ Severo, Jan Milo (May 22, 2025). "US-based wellness organization endorses Filipino sardines brand as 'Superfood'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  10. ↑ "James Michael Lafferty – Author Archive". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Longtime Philippine athletics supporter Lafferty makes it to Forbes Middle East Top 100". The Philippine Star. August 26, 2024. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  12. ↑ "Top 11 UAE organisations with the healthiest workplace". MEED. 2019-10-27. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  13. ↑ Chrissy B Show (2014-03-04), 5 Qualities You Need To Succeed - Interview with James Michael Lafferty, archived from the original on 2021-05-23, retrieved 2019-05-08
  14. ↑ "The People At Work Hosts Top Business Leaders at "Business Unusual"". Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  15. ↑ "Tissues take off". Converting Today. 8 February 2005. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  16. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (2 April 2014). "With an American coach and team of experts, Marestella Torres expected to hit new heights in Rio Olympics". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Atencio, Peter (5 August 2016). "Marestella's diet is key to her bid". Manila Standard. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "Introducing Team EJ Obiena". BusinessMirror. November 14, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  19. ↑ "EJ Obiena Never Tested Positive; To Take Polygraph Amid Doping Accusation – Mentor". One News. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "EJ Obiena's mentor says issues on payment to coach stems from 'broken system'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Olympic vaulter Obiena receiving passport offers from many countries, says mentor". The Philippine Star. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "Contrary to PATAFA's allegations, Obiena overpaid his coach—mentor". The Varsitarian. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Olowosagba, Bamidele (10 April 2012). "Olympic Marathon: Obiekwe Aims High". P.M. News. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  24. ↑ Oluku, Sunny (9 April 2012). "Nigeria's Obiekwe heads to 116th Boston Marathon 2012". AthleticsAfrica. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  25. ↑ Abello, Kristy (9 June 2015). "Key Elements from my Ottawa Marathon Training". Pinoy Fitness. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  26. ↑ Leyba, Olmin (6 August 2014). "Cid gains Patafa 'Adopt an Olympian'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  27. ↑ "UAE Bench Records" (PDF). Raw Powerlifting. 2025-10-09. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  28. ↑ "UAE Strict Curl Records" (PDF). Raw Powerlifting. 2025-10-09. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  29. ↑ Helen Flores (24 September 2012). "Love endures: Expat completes PH adoption process". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  30. ↑ Gonzales, Iris (2 March 2015). "Being a man for others, according to James Lafferty". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  31. ↑ Arriola, Joanna (14 July 2013). "2 bound by chance airport encounter 7 years ago". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
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