Indra Nooyi, born on October 28, 1955, in Madras (now Chennai), India, is an Indian-born American businesswoman renowned for her pivotal role in the profitable reorganization and broadening of PepsiCo, Inc.’s portfolio of brands. Serving as the CEO from 2006 to 2018 and as the chairman of the board from 2007 to 2019, she spearheaded significant transformations within the company.
Nooyi obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Madras Christian College in 1976, followed by a master’s degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta two years later. After relocating to the United States, she pursued another master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management in 1980. Over the next six years, she worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, later assuming executive roles at Motorola, Inc., and Asea Brown Boveri (now ABB).
Joining PepsiCo in 1994 as senior vice president of corporate strategy and development, Nooyi ascended to the position of president and chief financial officer in 2001. During her tenure, she orchestrated a significant corporate overhaul, including the spin-off of PepsiCo’s restaurants into Tricon Global Restaurants (later Yum! Brands, Inc.) and the divestiture of its bottling operations. Additionally, she oversaw strategic acquisitions such as Tropicana Products in 1998 and the merger with the Quaker Oats Co. in 2001, aiming to diversify the company’s product offerings into healthier beverages and foods.
Assuming the CEO title in October 2006, followed by becoming the chairman of the board in the subsequent year, Nooyi emerged as a trailblazer, becoming the first woman to lead PepsiCo and one of the few female chief executives of Fortune 500 companies. Despite initial surprise over the timing of her appointment as chairman, her leadership skills were widely lauded. Nooyi pursued a balanced approach to make PepsiCo less reliant on its flagship soft drinks, emphasizing international expansion.
During her tenure, PepsiCo’s earnings skyrocketed from $35 billion in 2006 to $63.5 billion in 2017. However, in 2018, it was announced that Nooyi would step down as CEO in October and as chairman of the board in early 2019, concluding an illustrious tenure marked by transformative leadership and strategic vision.
