How she shines: Ashley Butler has built her career through strong leadership, innovation, and a commitment to helping others succeed. As Vice President and General Manager of GP PRO's Towel & Napkin business, she leads a key portfolio in the Away-From-Home market with a focus on customer-driven innovation, business growth, and long-term value creation.
Ashley's leadership is rooted in listening, trust, and open communication. She seeks out diverse viewpoints, encourages candid dialogue, and creates an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and contributing their best thinking. This approach has helped her build strong teams and successfully lead complex businesses throughout her career.
Her impact is also evident through the innovations she has helped bring to market. Throughout her career, Ashley has translated customer challenges into solutions that improve operational performance. She helped bring the enMotion Flex Paper Towel System to market, providing customers with improved reliability, simplified maintenance, and greater product utilization. More recently, she helped as her team led the commercialization of the Dixie Ultra Take-Two Interfold Napkin Dispenser, a patent-pending innovation designed to dispense exactly two napkins with a single grab. The system helps reduce napkin waste, improve speed of service, and simplify inventory management. These innovations demonstrate Ashley's ability to combine customer insight, technology, and sustainability to drive measurable business outcomes.
Developing talent is another defining aspect of Ashley's leadership. She is committed to helping employees strengthen their capabilities, take ownership of their work, and prepare for future opportunities. She extends that commitment beyond the workplace through her mentorship of students at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, helping young professionals build confidence and develop skills that will serve them throughout their careers. Recognized as a 2024 ISSA Emerging Leader and a 2025 ISSA Hygieia Network Rising Star, Ashley continues to shape the future of GP PRO, advance the cleaning industry, and invest in the next generation of leaders.
Ashley Butler is a leader defined by her ability to foster long-term value creation.
Years in the industry: 14 years
Job responsibilities: Ashley oversees GP PRO's entire dispenser and napkin line.
Leads GP PRO Towel & Napkin Business
Career path: Over the course of her 14-year career with GP PRO, Ashley has built experience across multiple businesses, including towel, napkin, tissue, skin care, and wipers. Her broad commercial background has given her a deep understanding of customers, category management, strategy, and business performance.
As her responsibilities expanded, Ashley assumed leadership roles with increasing accountability for business strategy, financial performance, and organizational effectiveness. She served as Vice President and General Manager of the Tissue, Skin Care, and Wiper businesses before moving into her current role leading GP PRO's Towel & Napkin business.
A defining aspect of Ashley's leadership journey has been learning how to lead through influence. While owning a business and a P&L provides decision-making authority, she believes sustainable success comes from aligning priorities, building trust, and helping others see their role in a shared objective. She has developed a reputation for bringing teams together around common goals and helping individuals contribute at their highest level. One of the most significant transitions in her career was moving from individual contributor to team leader. In addition to driving business results, Ashley now focuses on helping employees grow, develop confidence, and expand their capabilities. She views leadership as an opportunity to help others succeed, whether that growth occurs within her own organization or prepares someone for a future opportunity elsewhere in the company. Her career progression reflects strong business acumen, the ability to lead diverse teams, and a commitment to creating value through both results and relationships.
Best advice received: Two pieces of advice have had the greatest impact on Ashley's career. The first was to have an opinion. Early in her career, she learned that leaders are expected to contribute thoughtful perspectives and recommendations, not simply summarize information. That advice helped her trust her judgment, build confidence, and contribute more decisively to important business discussions. The second was to treat people like people. Everyone brings unique responsibilities, experiences, and challenges to work. Ashley believes effective leaders recognize those realities while creating environments where individuals can succeed and contribute meaningfully.
Fun fact: Many people are surprised to learn that Ashley is a first-generation college graduate. She graduated second in her high school class, and being the first in her family to achieve that milestone helped shape the determination and work ethic that continue to define her career.