Indra Nooyi Living in a world where gender inequality has become a deeply rooted part of our society and exists almost everywhere, we are proud to talk about a woman who has overcome all obstacles, to occupy the highest position. company in the world born on October 28, 1955, Indra Nooyi – currently acts as President and CEO of PepsiCo.With a net worth of $ 144 million, Indra receives an annual salary of $ 18.6 million (2014) and is also consistently ranked among the 100 most powerful women in the world.

In 2014, Fortune named her the third most powerful woman in business, while currently; It ranks 15th in the list of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes. He has also been conferred with “Padma Bhushan” (third highest civil award) by the President of India and was also appointed to the US CEO Forum. US-India led by the Obama Administration. Speaking of her personal life, she is married to Raj K. Nooyi, who is a management consultant and also has two daughters who are separated for almost a decade. Together, they live in Greenwich, Connecticut. His eldest daughter currently attends Yale School of Management.

How did you climb the stairs to get to PepsiCo?
Let’s start from the beginning! Indra was born in a conservative and middle-class family in Madras (now Chennai), and it was always known that he broke the rules. This was the time when Indian women were supposed to be the typically introverted housewives, Indra at the other end believed otherwise. She was a very ambitious girl and always believed in using her talents to the fullest. He had joined a cricket team for girls and even played the guitar in an exclusively female rock band, during his days at Madras Christian College. She and her sister were prepared by their mother, who always asked them “what they wanted to do when they grew up” and if she liked what she heard, then she would give them a prize. Motivated by the award, she would always think hard about the best answer. This determination and perseverance of her got him an entry in IIM Kolkata, from where he completed his PG Diploma in Administration in 1976.

After finishing his studies, he decided to start his career and joined “Tootal”, a British textile company. And after a brief period with them, he went on to work with “Johnson & Johnson” and the textile company “Mettur Beardsell” as Product Manager for approximately 2 years. While at Johnson & Johnson, he was asked to manage the Stayfree account. Now, this was a time when such things were considered taboo, and personal protection could not be announced in India. To make it even more difficult, the company had just introduced the line into the Indian market, so it hardly had an identity among its target customers.

Obviously, it was really a great challenge even for an experienced marketing executive, but Indra decided to take on the task and, believe it or not, he solved it successfully. Anyway, one day he was walking through a magazine when he came across an article about the Yale University School of Administration, and at the insistence of his friends, he decided to apply for admission. Now, however, he had postulated with the intention of not passing, but to his surprise; Not only did he get admission but they also offered him financial help. He also somehow managed to convince his parents in some way to approve his plans. Having said this; The next thing he did was move to the United States to obtain his Masters in Public and Private Administration, in 1978. He also managed to complete a summer internship with Booz Allen Hamilton.

After completing her Masters, and after many struggles and hard work, she saved some money to buy a western suit for her. As uncomfortable as it was, wearing the same thing went to a job interview. But she was rejected. Unmotivated, she approached her teacher at Yale for advice, who asked her to put on what she felt most comfortable with. Therefore, he used a sari for the next interview and, surprisingly, he got the job! He had joined the “Boston Consulting Group” to lead international corporate strategy projects. From textile and consumer goods companies to retailers and several other producers, I used to handle a wide range of customers.

According to her, this initial phase was quite difficult for her, one because she was a woman and had to work harder to prove herself, and two because she was not American. But, again, he didn’t let that affect her, instead, he used it to his advantage to grow. After giving more than six years of his professional life; Between 1986 and 1994, Indra worked with “Motorola” as vice president and director of strategy and corporate planning, and then with “Asea Brown Boveri” (ABB) as senior vice president of strategy and strategic marketing. During his period with ABB, Indra helped the company to find its address in North America. She was responsible for running the US business. UU., That is, $ 10 billion of the company’s global sales of $ 30 billion. With this success, she had become the rising star in management and, since then, corporate headhunters aggressively pursued her. All packaged product companies in the nation were trying to influence it, attract it or try to offer you the best possible package. It was then that he caught the attention of Jack Welch (former president and CEO of General Electric) and Wayne Calloway (former CEO, PepsiCo). They both made an offer, but PepsiCo’s offer attracted him more than GE’s.

How did you become the executive director of PepsiCo?
Indra chose the soft drink maker, and in 1994 he joined them as senior vice president of Strategic Planning. She managed that portfolio for almost 2 years, after which she also served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at PepsiCo from 1996 to 2000. While at PepsiCo, Indra was widely known for being a leading negotiator in high-level agreements and over the period of time, he had also helped the company win some important portfolios. At that time, she believed that the company’s main products such as Frito-Lay salted soda and fried snacks faced a dramatic drop in sales. In addition, he could also see the change in taste, in which consumers were moving towards healthier lifestyles. With this in mind, it was she who achieved the company’s diversification into new products within the field of packaged foods. It was also the brain behind the formation of a separate brand in 1997 for its restaurants, in “Tricon”. The brand is now known as “yum!

This was followed by the agreement of two of the most important acquisitions of the company, until now. First, she was an integral part in the acquisition of the ‘Tropicana’ orange juice brand, for which she also helped put together the $ 3.3 billion deal for the purchase in 1998, after which she also helped the company to secure the purchase of ‘Quaker Oats’ for $ 14 billion. This agreement not only brought Gatorade to PepsiCo but also became one of the largest food businesses in the corporate history of the time.

Apart from that, this was also followed by the largest international acquisition in the history of PepsiCo: the acquisition of “Wimm-Bill-Dann” and the beverage manufacturer “SoBe”.Upon observing Indra’s impressive talents, she was promoted to the position of the financial director in 2000, which also made her the highest-ranking Indian woman in corporate America. But after not much time, in 2006; he (Steve) decided to take the retirement route due to health problems. Therefore, without much thought, in October 2006, Indra became the CEO of the company. However, she continued as president until April 2007, a position in which she was also appointed a president. The first task that came to her desk, as soon as she became the executive director, was actually a long-standing issue that needed immediate attention.

PepsiCo’s water use, since the beginning of 2000, had been in the spotlight in India. It was suspected that they used a lot of water in a country where water scarcity was a recurring problem. They were also blamed for diverting water to manufacture a discretionary product. Therefore, to understand the depth of the problem, PepsiCo had launched a nationwide program to achieve a “positive water balance” in India in 2009. And to solve the problem once and for all, Indra decided to make a trip to India in 2007. It was there to address water use practices in the country and also to show all critics and the government that PepsiCo was seriously Doing something about it.

In 2009, when the company’s 2009 corporate citizenship report was published (and according to media reports), the company had managed to replenish more than six billion liters of water within India. This figure also exceeded the total average intake of PepsiCo within India, which was five billion liters. Due to this successful program, PepsiCo extended this program to all the countries in which they operated and faced water problems, and in total, the company saved more than 12 billion liters of water worldwide.

As CEO, Indra has managed to redirect and reclassify the company and its products into three categories, that is, “fun for you,” “better for you,” and “good for you.”And if you look at the statistics, she has also succeeded with great success. In its combined global food and beverage portfolio, the company has also grown to 22 brands, some of which include businesses such as Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi-Cola. From the moment it started as a CFO, PepsiCo’s net profit has grown dramatically from $ 2.7 billion to $ 6.5 billion in 2014. And finally, today the company represents net revenues of $ 66 billion, becoming the second-largest food and beverage company in the world.

Achievements!
Serves as a member of the Board of the World Economic Forum Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Catalyst
He received an “Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters” from the State University of New York at Purchase (2015)
Appointed as CEO of 2009 ’by Global Supply Chain Leaders Group
Named as one of the best leaders in the United States by U.S. News & World Report (2008)
Chosen for the scholarship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008)
Elected president of the EE Business Council US-India (USIBC) (2008)