I also felt that PepsiCo was a place that was open to changing with the times. In a tweet in August 2018, Ivanka called Nooyi a "mentor + inspiration,". Nooyi adjusted easily to life in the United States, but at first she lived on the edge financially, working an . Janet Yellen: The Progress of Women and Minorities in the Field of Economics, Elinor Lin Ostrom, Nobel Prize Economist, Lessons in Leadership: The Honorable Yvonne B. Miller, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation. She was the first woman of color and first immigrant to head a Fortune 50 company. exitPopMobile: true, Indra is already in her 60s and is still deeply attached to her parents, especially her mother, who has been a major influence in her life. Motorola, where she worked first as an internal consultant in the automotive team before pivoting to broader corporate planning. For fifteen years, I kept a whiteboard in my office that only my daughters could write on or erase. And, as a result, individuals who can help others make sense of that informationand turn it into actionable insightswill be rewarded. You rely on Marketplace to break down the worlds events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. On very hot days, we drank kanji, a mix of cooked rice soaked in water overnight, and then blended with diluted buttermilk. Nooyi arrived in Connecticut in 1978 determined to succeed, describing her identity as an immigrant woman as her biggest internal driver.. After graduating in 1980 at age 24 with a Masters degree in Public and Private Management, she worked at Boston Consulting Group as a strategy consultant for six years. Shed be proven right when the stock fell 35% in the third quarter. Talking about her mother, Indra said in an interview. Every night at the dinner table, my mother would ask us (her elder sister) to write a speech about what we would do if we were president, chief minister or prime minister every day would be a different world leader shed ask us to play. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. This was a challenging task since India banned direct advertising for such products. 2023 Cond Nast. Often, there would be power cuts and the house was plunged into darkness. The Indian businesswoman, who was CEO of PepsiCo for 12 years, has consistently ranked at the top of the world's most-powerful lists over the. Their elder daughter Preetha holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, the same school where Indra had studied. SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: Indra Nooyi, Pepsico speaks on stage during Watermark Conference [+] For Women 2020 at San Jose Convention Center on February 12, 2020 in San Jose, California. For nearly four decades, that's been Indra Nooyi's strategy for maintaining peace in her household. My childhood was not a world of Great job! It was more like: That was so-so. or Is this the best you can do? We were accustomed to honesty over false encouragement. After retiring from Pepsi, Nooyi continues to serve on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards. Transformation is difficult, but I have learned that with courage and persistence and the inevitable give and take it can happen. Indra's autobiography does justice to her remarkable life. I was a middle child, dark-skinned, tall and skinny. in . Over time, that board was a comforting kaleidoscope of doodles and messages, a constant reminder of the people closest to me and those to whom I really belong. Profile of Indra Nooyi, Financial Times, November 6, 2010. PepsiCos job offer made sense, we thought, because the commute was short. She has acknowledged that her own support system included her mother, husband, and staff at PepsiCo. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Our job was to make sure she didnt bulk up the milk by adding water. Indra and Raj have two grown-up daughters Preetha Nooyi and Tara Nooyi. I joined PepsiCo, in 1994, in part because the companys headquarters were close to my house. Nooyi is 62 years old, with two grown daughters. According to Nooyi, the key to developing this valuable skill is tobecome a student. In our home, boys and girls were allowed to be equally ambitious. She, along with her sister Indra Nooyi did her schooling in Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in T.Nagar. She is a firm believer in the idea that workers need to be valued, respected, and heard in order for a company to grow and evolve. Keep doing what you are doing! the image exclaims, with cartoon characters and pictures of suns and clouds, all in green and blue dry-erase marker. All rights reserved. Transformation is difficult, writes former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. Indra Nooyi '80, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo., moderated the discussion. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, "Success is the freedom to do what I want", "Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon donate $100m to NYU School of Engineering", "Indra Nooyi and Chandrika Tandon - pg.7", "GRAMMY Award Results for Chandrika Tandon", "$100 Million Gift to NYU School of Engineering from Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon", "NYU Trustee & Board of Overseers Member Chandrika Tandon is interviewed", "Darren Walker Is This Year's Commencement Speaker. They planned meals, compared their childrens grades, and pored over Indian horoscopes to find suitable matches for their daughters or the other young people in their extensive family networks. As Nooyi turns 64, we take a look at what she's been up to since she left PepsiCo. Contrary to this, Indra got married in 1980 to Raj K. Nooyi. Every month, my father handed his paycheck to my mother, who handled the everyday expenses. If I didnt know, hed say, "But you said youd read these pages. Then Id have to look up the word and write two sentences to show I understood it. The men would gather on the rooms two large sofas and talk about world affairs, local politics or current issues. Her father was a bank official, and her mother was a house wife. Indra Nooyi, For Indra Nooyi, the First Lesson in Executive Ability Happened at Home, September 28, 2001, https://www.vogue.com/article/indra-nooyi-life-in-full. Nooyis family was middle class and, like most of their neighbors, devout Hindus and relatively conservative. And, of course, the entire global community suffers. There she was charged with introducing menstrual pads, Stayfree, to India. We were in motion, laughing and carrying on to our next game. Indra Nooyi was born Indra Krishnamurthy on 28 October 1955. My paternal grandfather, a retired district judge, had used all of his savings to design and construct this grand, two-story residence, with its terrace and balconies. We are all balancing, juggling, compromising, doing our best to find our place, move ahead, and manage our relationships and responsibilities. Connect and transact with thousands of top North American companies today. But I have learned that with courage and persistence and the inevitable give and take it can happen. Above, Nooyi speaks at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in 2017. As a business leader, I always tried to anticipate and respond to the shifting culture. 10+ million models from leading OEMs, compatible with all major CAD software systems. "I don't think women can have it all. [18], She established Tandon Capital Associates in 1992[19] and has advised clients including Chase Manhattan Corporation, Comerica, Unibanco (Brazil), Suncorp-Metway Ltd. (Australia), Fleet Financial Group, Bank of America, Rabobank and ABN Amro. (McCartney is the daughter of musician Paul McCartney)hasn't been easy. Copyright 2023 Thomas Publishing Company. (Photo by Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Watermark Conference for Women ). Indra Nooyi's approach to management echoes her approach to leadership; she has always been someone who values her workers and wants to work together with them as a team, respecting their opinions, listening to their feedback, and appreciating their support. Mr. Raj K Nooyi is an experienced corporate executive. Named CEO in 2006, Nooyi led Pepsi for 12 years, during which time the companys annual net profit more than doubled, growing from $2.7 billion to $6.5 billion. In a new memoir called My Life in Full: Work, Family and our Future, Nooyi reflects on her career and the challenge of balancing work and family. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Investors were placing a higher value on their competitors stock price. He often allowed me to tag along with him. Thomas Register and In the months before I left PepsiCo, in 2018, I thought about how I would contribute in the years ahead, knowing that I am one in a chain of woman leaders who can help move us forward for generations to come. There, she specialized in science, receiving multiple bachelor's degrees in the fields of mathematics, chemistry, and physics in 1974. He was entirely dedicated to his young grandchildren, introducing us to ever-more-sophisticated books and ideas, explaining geometry theorems, and pressing for detail and clarity on our school efforts. One of the big reasons why Nooyi was such a success at PepsiCo and was able to rise through the ranks so quickly was through her shrewd strategic moves that paid big dividends for the company. As she rose through the ranks at Pepsi, she played an instrumental role in shaping global strategy, including through acquiring and selling off subsidiary companies. But by the time I got to PepsiCo, waves of educated, ambitious women were pouring into the workforce, and I could sense the atmosphere changing. One boss taught Nooyi a skill she calls foundational to her career. Indra Nooyi, (born October 28, 1955, Madras [now Chennai], India), Indian-born American businesswoman who was instrumental in the lucrative restructuring and diversification of soft-drink manufacturer PepsiCo, Inc. 's brands. Shakuntala would spoon out the food while we sat under a tree in the playground. Family the actual messy, delightful, difficult, and treasured core of how most of us live was fringe. Indra Nooyi, former PepsiCo CEO, has been vocal about her how women need to go that extra mile to remain on top of their career as well as have a happy family life. It was in 1994 that the female executive joined PepsiCo, the second largest food and . Over the course of her time in the position, Nooyi helped the company's sales improve by 80%, and she decided that the time was right to take a break before moving on to new projects, hoping to help women get more leadership positions and promote equality in the workplace, as well as pursuing endeavors with non-profit organizations in her home state of Connecticut. Somewhat to her surprise since it was unheard of for a good, conservative, south Indian Brahmin girl to go overseas on her ownher parents supported her decision when she was accepted. Turns out she knew exactly what she was doing. wid: "587938", We are investing in your education to help you stand on your own two feet, he said. Woman, minority, trailblazer: Indra Nooyi is leaving Pepsico, Pepsi takes aim at health-conscious consumers, With PepsiCos second-quarter earnings out, activists look beyond profits and losses, Beverage companies angle for the new it drink, Why Amazon continues to deliver CEOs to startups, Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on, By acquiring First Republic, JPMorgan becomes "too big to be too-big-to-fail", Yellen: U.S. could hit debt limit as soon as June 1, For JPMorgan, loss sharing sweetened its deal to buy First Republic Bank, FTC chair on regulating AI and "taking on some of the biggest, most powerful companies in our economy". We felt important. Indras parents have played a major role in shaping her career. Before we slept, we had to tell our prayers loudly so my mother could hear them the Lords Prayer, which we also recited at school, and then a couple of Sanskrit prayers. That swing, with its gentle glide back and forth in the South Indian heat, set the stage for a million stories. My childhood was not a world of Great job! It was more like: That was so-so. or Is this the best you can do?. After much debate, we synthesized the message into six graphic, easy-to-understand posters and propped them up on easels around the conference room.. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Company. We ate on the floor sitting cross-legged in a circle, with our mothers in the center ladling sambar sadam and thayir sadam lentil stew and curds mixed with rice from clay tureens and dishing out Indian pickles onto banana leaves that served as plates. The two remain married and have two daughters. Her first priority has always been her husband Raj and her two daughters: Preetha and Tara. This could not only have dire economic consequences in the decades to come, but, on a very personal note, I find this detail sad. See My mother, who I call Amma, used that buffalo milk for the yoghurt, the butter and the delicious, aromatic South Indian coffee that were staples of our vegetarian diet. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. How the PepsiCo Supply Chain Uses Cooperation, Integration, and Innovation to Streamline Operations, PepsiCo, General Mills Announce New 10-Year Sustainability Goals, The 12 Best Supply Chain Companies of 2020, Select From Over 500,000 Industrial Suppliers. Polytechnic Medal recognizing her efforts for science and engineering. Pepsi CEO is Now Yale Management Schools Most Generous Alumni Donor, by Robert Hackett, FORTUNE magazine, January 12, 2016. [15], She was a speaker at World Hindu Congress 2018. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Nooyi continued to sharpen this ability to simplify complexity and communicate those simple explanations to higher-ups. Even when her plans were doubted, she trusted her instincts and strategic planning, and we saw this pay off throughout her time with PepsiCo. He was born in 1883 in Palghat in the state of Kerala, which, under the British, was part of the Madras Presidency. Nooyi recalls when her parents surprisingly agreed to let her move to New Haven, Connecticut, in 1978. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. First, I soon found that the research on work and family has been done. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. d.getElementById("contentad480652").appendChild(s); A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Walter Nichols Medal for representing the highest ideals of business, service and integrity from NYU Stern. Companies Like Ours Are Little Republics, by Andrew Edgecliff-Johnson, https://www.ft.com/content/3c59db07-4516-427e-abe7-600f8bab3751. Then wed line up in the same space to sleep, boys and girls in a row on a large, colorful mat, each with our own pillow and cotton sheet. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The couple has two daughters. Communication coach, Harvard instructor, For Women 2020 at San Jose Convention Center on February 12, 2020 in San Jose, California. Indra Nooyi Biography, TheFamousPeople.com, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/indra-nooyi-6440.php. I set out to write a book and insisted to all around me that it would not be a memoir. All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. In 1998 while Nooyi served as Pepsis vice president of strategy, she was handed an important project. A good student investigates, analyzes, questions, and attempts to explain the issue to others who dont know the subject as well as the student does. He was always there to take us to any lessons and walked around with a proud smile if we did something well. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. If the power was on, a fan turned lazily overhead, pretending to break the heat when the overnight temperature was 85F (29.5C). [20], Tandon released her first music album, Soul Call (2009), on her not-for-profit label Soul Chants Music. Indra currently resides in Greenwich, Connecticut. But the heart and soul of our lively existence was down the hall, in the open space with the red-tiled floor and the gigantic rosewood swing. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Nooyi has been married for over 30 years and has two daughters. She married fellow consultant Raj K Nooyi in 1981. cb: (new Date()).getTime() Look back at her ABC career. Indra Krisnamurthy was born in Madras (now called Chennai), India, on October 28, 1955. As a high profile female CEO, I was also asked over and over to discuss work and family conflicts in front of large audiences. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. Indra Nooyi shared how she almost missed out on her second master's degree in the US because she was unmarried till the age of 22. Chennai-born Indra Nooyi not only broke the glass ceiling in corporate America when she was named CEO of global beverage giant PepsiCo in 2006 but, through her journey, inspired millions of young Indians who dreamed of and aspired to emulate the success the India-born woman achieved in America. But intellectually and in terms of opportunities, I never felt held back by my sex. Washington Square News", "NYU Polytechnic Gets $100 Million Donation", "Indra Nooyi's sister Chandrika Tandon in race for Grammy", "President's Council on International Activities", "Madras Christian College - Business Education", "Madras Christian College Distinguished Alumni", "Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon: Soul Call: Om Namo Narayanaya", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chandrika_Tandon&oldid=1149611755, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Articles with dead external links from April 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, New York, NY, United States contribution of, American India Foundation Trustee (20052011), Member, Board of Overseers, NYU Stern Business School, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States, Member, President's Council on International Activities, Founder, Tandon Global Clinics for Contemporary Western music training around the world, Founder and Contributor, World-Class Business Program. Sun and fun: A look at Pepsicos new office in Gurgaon, PepsiCo launches crop intelligence model for potato farmers, Asteroid the size of Leaning Tower of Pisa may hit Earth on Valentine's Day 2046, says NASA, Unlocking opportunities in Metal and Mining. A local woman would arrive with the big, gray animal and milk her for the days supply. After moving to the US, she attended an internship at Booz Allen Hamilton and later worked as a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. The Atlantic, July 1, 2014. That was my skill then; it is my skill today, she said. I was never in doubt that the head of the household and of the family resided in the mens living room. The rest is up to you. Indra Nooyis husband is Raj J. Nooyi. I absolutely adored him. As well as earning close to $20 million in salary and bonuses during her period as the CEO of PepsiCo, which gave her an extraordinary net worth, Indra Nooyi has received a range of awards and honors throughout her career so far. I once commented that I wasnt sure my daughters thought I was a good mother dont all moms feel that way sometimes? Nooyi concluded that Cokes stock price at the time was unsustainable. . Second, everything I bring to this issue, I know now, comes from my own life in full. Raj, 63, attended college in the United States. Like many houses in India at the time, Lakshmi Nilayam, as our house was named, also had a mens living rooma vast hall with big square windows directly off the entry portico where it was easy to keep an eye on who came and went. Every morsel was consumed; if we didnt eat it all, wed have to eat the leftovers at dinner, a situation we knew to be avoided at all costs. By the time I turned 7, I was often sent to the grocery store a few blocks away to drop off a list of items for home delivery or pick up a few things. Companies and the people who run them are drowning in a barrage of data. Her older daughter, Tara, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Yale School of Management. [20] In India, she has been honored with the Padma Bhushan title, which is the third-highest civilian award the President can bestow, as well as becoming chairwoman of the US-India Business Council. It does not store any personal data. When Indra Nooyi's mother found out that the Pepsi CEO would be sharing the stage with actress Priyanka Chopra, her response was: "Tell Priyanka to get married and settle down." [95] Forbes ranked her at the third spot among "World's Powerful Moms" list. He is the president of an IT company called Amsoft System. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi recently described her "mom guilt," continuing the debate about balancing a career and parenting. Over the years, I met thousands of people worried about how to be true to their families, their jobs, and their ambitions to be good citizens. Brands (which includes restaurants KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut) in 1997 and the acquisitions of Tropicana in 1998,Quaker Oats in 2001, and Gatorade, also in 2001. He dressed in a perfectly pressed white dhoti and a light-colored half-sleeve shirt. Written in a simple, easy-to-read style, it brings out vividly her life's journey. var s = d.createElement('script'); s.type='text/javascript';s.async=true; One way to become a simplifier is to read books that do just thatsimplify complex topics. If we struggled with math, hed pull out papers on which hed already composed practice problems. Students will analyze the life of Hon. She was well-known for being honest and open with her teams and employees at PepsiCo and in other roles, welcoming feedback, accepting support, and being a calm head in stressful times. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/why-pepsico-ceo-indra-k-nooyi-cant-have-it-all/373750/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12566849. Nooyi has said that she is very proud of her daughters and that they are her biggest supporters. Its not easy in a society that changes very fast yet sticks to some age-old habits and rules of behavior that feel out of our control. She is one of the two Indian-origin women to become a global CEO, the second being Chanels new boss Leena Nair. She started off as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and held this position for two years, working her way up to the role of Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development, and then the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Nearly 50 years after Katherine Graham of The Washington Post became the first-ever woman to run a Fortune 500 company, just 8% of Americas largest companies have female CEOs. Currently, the Nooyis reside in Greenwich, Connecticut. MLA Johnson, Arbora. You may opt-out by. She chose Pepsi, reportedly because the CEO there convinced her she would be able to exert real influence. The womens living room in my childhood home had a single piece of furniturea huge rosewood swing with four long chains that were anchored into the ceiling when my grandfather built the house, on a leafy road in Madras, India, in 1939. Ignoring the fact that the work world is still largely skewed toward the ideal worker ofyore an unencumbered male breadwinner depletes us all. John Schnatter resigned as Chairman of Papa Johns. Accessed February 12, 2022. https://www.ft.com/content/3c59db07-4516-427e-abe7-600f8bab3751, PepsiCos CEO Was Right. Capturing mosquitos with a clap of the hands was a required survival skill. Indra Nooyi is an Indian-American businesswoman, best known as the former chief executive officer of the PepsiCo company. Getty. My grandparents had eight kids, but when I knew my grandmother before she died, they never seemed to speak. Then shed make breakfast, usually oat porridge with milk, sugar and cardamom powder. Indra Nooyi. National Womens History Museum, 2022. Her father was a bank official, and her mother was a house wife. Thatha once had my sister and me read Nicholas Nickleby, the almost 1000-page novel by Charles Dickens. Nooyi said that throughout her entire career, people recognized that her ability to simplify complex problems could help them navigate the issue and identify a solution. In fourteen years as a consultant and corporate strategist, I had never had a woman boss. This mission will require leadership that we dont often see. With a can-do sense of optimism and a must-do sense of responsibility, we can transform our society. My mother was always in and out of the room, serving coffee and snacks to visitors, or tidying up. Men, too. Mosquitos buzzed around, loving the dark and feasting on all of us. Indra Nooyi announced on Monday that she would step down from Pepsi. Indra Nooyi, For Indra Nooyi, the First Lesson in Executive Ability Happened at Home, September 28, 2001, https://www.vogue.com/article/indra-nooyi-life-in-full, Maria Thomas and Suneera Tandon, Indra Nooyis journey from marriage pressure at 18 to heading PepsiCo at 50,, https://qz.com/india/1349241/pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-faced-the-pressure-to-get-married-at-18/. Amma always wore flowers in her hair, a string of white or colorful blooms around her dark bun or ponytail. She would have made a great CEO. Her sister Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon is a singer. In the afternoons, shed take a rickshaw to her parents house a mile away to check in, discuss family matters and help her mother in the kitchen. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I have always felt that she lived her life vicariously through her daughters, wishing for us the freedoms she never had. We had to attract and retain the very best thinkers in their fields but ensure that PepsiCo was also a terrific place to work for a quarter of a million people.