Indra Nooyi On Leadership And Innovation At PepsiCo

Indra Nooyi is today recognized as one of the most respected business leaders in the world. The former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo holds 15 honorary degrees, currently serves on the board of Amazon, and is the author of a New York Times bestseller, My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future. But this success came as a result of many years of disciplined, hard work by Nooyi across roles, industries, and continents. In conversation with Condoleezza Rice, Nooyi reflects on her Only in America story and the values it has instilled in her. Rice speaks with Nooyi about immigrating to the United States; her graduate studies at Yale and early business career; how she rose to leadership at PepsiCo; the importance of innovation to economic growth; what is distinctive about American culture and society; and why she is grateful to be part of the American story.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Indra Nooyi is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo (2006-2019); a Fortune 50 company with operations in more than 180 countries.

In this role, Ms. Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around it. As part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo was focused on delivering sustained growth by expanding its portfolio to include more nutritious products, limiting its environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue by more than 80%, and PepsiCo’s total shareholder return was 162%, beating the S&P over the same period.

Prior to becoming CEO, Ms. Nooyi served as PepsiCo’s president and chief financial officer and was a member of the company’s board of directors. She was responsible for corporate functions, including finance, strategy, business process optimization, corporate platforms and innovation, procurement, investor relations, and information technology. Between 1994 and 2000, Ms. Nooyi directed corporate strategy and development for the company.

Ms. Nooyi served as a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors from 2001 to February 2019. Ms. Nooyi is now a member of the board of Amazon, where she chairs the audit committee. She sits on the supervisory board of Philips and is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee. She also serves on the International Advisory Council of Temasek, is an independent director of the International Cricket Council, and is a trustee at the National Gallery of Art. She is on the Dean’s Advisory Council at MIT’s School of Engineering and serves on the boards of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Partnership for Public Service. She is also an advisor to several early-stage companies.

She holds a B.S. from Madras Christian College, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, and a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale University.