Indra Nooyi – Women Who Inspired Me

Women can’t do business! They won’t be able to handle such pressure! I am sure you might have heard this quite often, and if you live in India, you might have heard it a gazillion times or maybe more than that.

If you still think so, let me tell you about one of the most influential women in the world. INDRA NOOYI.

Born in Chennai, India, she completed her graduation from the University of Madras in 1975 and her post-graduation from IIM Calcutta in 1976. Being a super-intelligent student, she also got into the Yale School of Management in the United States of America for her master’s in public and private management in the year 1980.

She started her career in India and then worked for some well-known brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Motorola, but the tables turned when she joined PepsiCo in 1994, where she quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006.

During her time as CEO of PepsiCo, the company saw steady growth. Let me give you some proofs.

1: Revenue: During her leadership, the company’s revenue grew from $35 billion to $65 billion between 2006 and 2017, which was an increase of 81%.

2: Profits: PepsiCo’s net income grew from $5.6 billion in 2006 to $6.5 billion in 2017.

3: Market Share: The company’s revenue from emerging markets grew from $10 billion in 2006 to $19 billion in 2017, a whopping 90% increase.

She faced a lot of criticism, whether it was for her discrimination or her leadership style. But obstacles are part of success. She used all those obstacles as motivation to become one of the best leaders in business. Today, she is known as one of the most powerful women in business, and she has been featured in Forbes multiple times in the list of “the world’s 100 most powerful women.”

She achieved all of this and even maintained her family life very well, being a mother of two.
Overall, we can say that her leadership played a critical role in driving PepsiCo’s growth, which made it one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meena Chabbria is a corporate veteran and corporate influencer with a stellar track record spanning more than a decade in the media industry, specialising in E2E Business and Marketing management. Presently serving as AVP Brand Alliances at PVR India, she commands authoritative experience in the multiplex business along with marketing, PR and sales and business development.