The Inspiring Journey of PepsiCo CEO Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi
By Sanjay Maurya
Indra Nooyi
Indian-American business professional
- Born: 28 October 1955 (age 67 years), Chennai
- Education: Yale School of Management (1978–1980), MORE
- Spouse: Raj K. Nooyi (m. 1980)
- Children: Preetha Nooyi, Tara Nooyi
- Siblings: Narayan Krishnamurthy, Chandrika Tandon, Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon
- Parents: Shantha Krishnamurthy, Krishnamurthy
Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi belongs to a South Indian family and was born on 28 October 1955 in Tamil Nadu, India. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi’s father worked at Hyderabad State Bank and grandfather was a District Judge. She graduated from Holy Angels AIHSS in Chennai and got a bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Madras Christian College in 1974.
After completing her studies, she went to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Calcutta for a master’s degree in finance and marketing. According to faculty members, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi was an intelligent student. She persuaded her parents to send her to the Yale School of Management in the United States and earned a master’s degree in 1978.
While studying at Yale, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi worked as a receptionist to purchase a Western suit for her 1st interview. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi felt uncomfortable in the outfit and was rejected. For her next interview, Nooyi’s teacher advised her to wear clothes that she felt comfortable with. Work and “be yourself and show the real self” are the philosophy that she followed for the rest of her career.
Before landing at Pepsi, Nooyi worked with Boston Consulting Group and Motorola. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi persuaded Pepsi CEO Roger Enrico to pursue the company’s restaurant division, which includes brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell as chief strategy officers. She was appointed as a director of PepsiCo and also became president and chief financial officer in 2001.
According to Business Week, the company’s annual income has grown 72% since it was founded as CFO in 2000, while net income doubled to $ 5.6 billion in 2006.
She is the mother of two daughters, has an artistic bent, and is a board member of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. As for the outdoors, she is simple, happy, and has a great sense of humor.
At the age of 62, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi set fire to every average soul to come to power that nothing is impossible for a woman with strong intentions. All that is required is persistence. I’m not good at politics, she said to Fortune magazine.
Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi serves as a member of the board of directors at Amazon. Honorable move to join Amazon was praised by many as it raised the percentage of women on its board to 45%, a new high for the industry.
Most Empowering and inspirational woman quotes
- I’m very honest, brutally honest. I always look at things from their point of view as well as mine. And I know when to walk away.
- When I grew up there was no web, blogging, or tweeting. Where I grew up there was not even television! I met many of my friends in school and college, and they are still my friends.
- As a leader, I am strict on myself and I raise the standard for all; however, I am very caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be mine in the future.
