Indira Nooyi
“Understand the politics in the organization, but don’t play the politics of the organization.”
Indira Nooyi, a highly acclaimed Indian-born American businesswoman belongs to a Tamil Brahmin family. She is one among the few women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, belonging to an ethnic background, to represent an American brand. In 2017, she was second in the Forbes list of most powerful businesswomen.
She rose to fame after her work at PepsiCo, Inc., a snack and beverages giant, for the company’s diversification in healthier foods and drinks. Her strategy of making the portfolio of the company well balanced rather than relying merely on its soft drinks product line gained her many accolades. She served as the CEO of the company between 2006 and 2018 and as a chairman from 2007 to 2019. Her success in corporate life has become an inspiration for many young women to reach for top management positions, which are still male-dominated.
Backed with her education in Chemistry from Madras Christian College and a masters from IIM, Calcutta; she moved to the U.S. to pursue an additional masters degree from the Yale School of Management. She credits much of success to Yale, where she learnt leadership qualities and how business and society can work together for the greater benefit. In 2016, as a gesture of gratitude, she contributed an undisclosed amount to the business school.
“I grew up with a mother who said, ‘I’ll arrange a marriage for you at 18,’ but she also said that we could achieve anything we put our minds to and encourage us to dream of becoming prime minister or president.”
While talking about her personal life, she disclosed that she grew up in a household where education and grades were given utmost importance. However, success was not overnight for her, revealing that she did face a lot of challenges, and admitted that women do not have it easy. A mother of two, currently she is a member of Board of Directors of Amazon, which has pushed up the percentage of women being represented in this industry.
According to Wallmine, as of 15 May 2021, the net worth of Indira Nooyi is approximately 16.4 million dollars. At the age of 64, she still continues her zeal for business with the same fervour.
“Just because you are CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, & the way you approach the organization. I’ve never forgotten that.”
Birth Score – 3/5
Pride Score – 4/5
An impressive 7/10 Notable Brahmin Score.