Indra Nooyi

Artwork by Nikita Panicker

In a world where gender discrimination exists in almost every sphere of our society, here comes the story of a woman who has achieved the top position in one of the world’s largest company. Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo has scripted a success story that showcases what American dreams are made of.  She has also proven that no matter who you are or where you come from, if you have a dream then all you need is the will and determination to achieve it.

BACKGROUND


Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is an India-born, naturalized American business executive and the current Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. Nooyi was born to a Tamil-speaking family on 28th October 1955. She was educated at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Madras and received bachelor's degrees in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Madras Christian College in 1974 as well as a Post Graduate Programme (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta in 1976. Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and textile firm Mettur Beardsell. She was admitted to Yale School of Management in 1978 and earned a master's degree in Public and Private Management. While at Yale, she completed her summer internship with Booz Allen Hamilton. Between 1986 and 1990, Mrs. Nooyi worked for Motorola, where she was Vice President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning, having joined the company as the business development executive for its automotive and industrial electronic group. Prior to Motorola, she spent six years directing international corporate strategy projects at the Boston Consulting Group. Her clients ranged from textiles and consumer goods companies to retailers and specialty chemicals producers. Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Mrs. Nooyi spent four years as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Strategic Marketing for Asea Brown Boveri, a Zurich-based industrials company. She was part of the top management team responsible for the company's U.S. business as well as its worldwide industrial businesses, representing about $10 billion of ABB's $30 billion in global sales. Prior to becoming CEO, Mrs. Nooyi served as President and Chief Financial Officer beginning in 2001, when she was also named to PepsiCo's board of directors. In this position, she was responsible for PepsiCo’s corporate functions, including finance, strategy, business process optimization, corporate platforms and innovation, procurement, investor relations and information technology.

Between February 2000 and April 2001, Mrs. Nooyi was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo. Between 1996 and 1999, Mrs. Nooyi was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development. Indra Nooyi has directed the company's global strategy for more than a decade and led PepsiCo's restructuring, including the divestiture of its restaurants into the successful YUM! Brands, Inc.; the spin-off and public offering of company-owned bottling operations into anchor bottler Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG); the acquisition of Tropicana and the merger with Quaker Oats that brought the vital Quaker and Gatorade businesses to PepsiCo. Mrs. Nooyi is the chief architect of PepsiCo’s multi-year growth strategy, Performance with Purpose, which is focused on generating robust financial returns from designing products for and finding sustainable ways to give back to communities the company serves. Performance with Purpose is premised on offering food and beverages that provide responsible nourishment, minimizing impact on the environment and creating a diverse and inclusive culture that attracts, develops and retains the most talented people. In keeping with this growth strategy, PepsiCo is proud to be listed on the Dow Jones North America Sustainability Index and Dow Jones World Sustainability Index.

PERSONAL LIFE


Indra Nooyi is married to Raj Nooyi, a management consultant of Indian origin. The couple has two daughters. In spite of her very hectic corporate career, Indra always prioritizes her family and maintains close relations with her mother. She views PepsiCo as an extended family. Being a woman, immigrant and of different race made it thrice difficult for Nooyi to reach to this position but the only mantra which she followed was working twice hard as the male counterpart. She has consistently ranked on ‘Forbes’ magazine’s list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. ’Fortune’ magazine named Indra Nooyi No.1 on its annual ranking of Most Powerful Women in business for five consecutive years from 2006 to 2010. She was honored with the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2007. She has been named 2009 CEO of the Year by Global Supply Chain Leaders Group. At the age of 55, Nooyi rise to power has lit up fire in every mediocre soul that nothing is impossible for the determined and strong willed person; the only thing being required is the perseverance.

 The Iron woman of PepsiCo’s motto is:

“Brands go through ups and downs. I think every five or seven years, you've got to change out the approach to the brand, because you need a new boost of energy to think about the next iteration. Too many brands, when they are successful, just become arrogant and get trapped in their very self confidence.”

 -Srushti Kamerkar