Indra Nooyi
Born 1955 · Age 70
Indian-born American business executive; chairman and CEO of PepsiCo (2006–2018); influential corporate strategist, board director and philanthropist.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Madras (Chennai), India
Indra Krishnamurthy born into a Tamil Brahmin family in Madras (now Chennai).
Bachelor's degrees, Madras Christian College (University of Madras)
Received bachelor's degrees in physics, chemistry and mathematics from Madras Christian College (University of Madras).
Post Graduate Programme Diploma, IIM Calcutta
Completed the Post Graduate Programme (MBA-equivalent) at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
First professional job in India (textiles)
Began career at a British textile firm (Tootal/Tootal-based holdings mentioned in sources) after IIM-Calcutta graduation.
Product manager, Johnson & Johnson (Mumbai)
Worked as a brand/product manager for Johnson & Johnson in India (handled Stayfree launch/marketing).
Admitted to Yale School of Management; moved to U.S.
Accepted to Yale School of Management and relocated to Connecticut to pursue a master's in public and private management.
Summer internship at Booz Allen Hamilton
Completed a summer internship at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while at Yale (between 1978–1980).
Master's degree, Yale School of Management
Earned a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale (graduated 1980).
Joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Began work as a strategy consultant at BCG; spent about six years with the firm (1980–1986).
Married Raj K. Nooyi
Married Raj Nooyi (a fellow consultant).
Joined Motorola — corporate strategy
Moved to Motorola as an internal consultant and later vice president and Director of Corporate Strategy & Planning.
Joined Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) — corporate strategy
Took an executive role at ABB (Asea Brown Boveri), leading corporate strategy work.
Joined PepsiCo as Senior VP for Strategic Planning
Hired into PepsiCo to lead strategic planning; began a long tenure that culminated in the CEO role.
Promoted to Senior VP, Corporate Strategy & Development (PepsiCo)
Took responsibility for corporate strategy and development at PepsiCo (1996–2000).
Directed divestiture of Tricon (Yum! Brands)
Led PepsiCo's restructuring including the 1997 spinoff of its restaurant businesses into Tricon (later Yum! Brands).
Tropicana acquisition closed ($3.3B)
PepsiCo acquired Tropicana (Nooyi worked on the acquisition) — reported value ~$3.3 billion.
Pepsi bottling operations IPO / spin-off (~$2.3B)
PepsiCo spun off and partially IPO'd its bottling operations (sources cite ~$2.3B valuation for the IPO).
Named Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer, PepsiCo
Appointed PepsiCo's CFO (served Feb 2000–Apr 2001).
Promoted to President & CFO and Named to PepsiCo Board
Elevated to President while retaining CFO responsibilities and joined PepsiCo's board.
Quaker Oats merger (brought Gatorade) — major acquisition (~$14B)
PepsiCo merged with/acquired Quaker Oats (bringing Gatorade into PepsiCo). Reported deal size in many sources: ~$13–14 billion.
Elected to the Yale Corporation (governing board)
Elected to Yale University's governing board (Yale Corporation) — served as a Successor Fellow.
Fortune: #1 on Most Powerful Women in Business (2006)
Fortune magazine listed Nooyi as #1 on its Most Powerful Women in Business list (2006); repeated top rankings through 2010.
Launched 'Performance with a Purpose' strategic redirection
Introduced long-term strategy focusing on growth plus environmental & societal impact: reclassifying products and pushing healthier options.
Appointed Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo
Named CEO of PepsiCo (became the company's fifth CEO).
Named Chair of PepsiCo's Board
Became Chairman of PepsiCo's board (in addition to CEO duties).
Awarded Padma Bhushan (India)
Awarded India's Padma Bhushan — the country's third-highest civilian award.
Wall Street Journal: '50 Women to Watch' (2007)
Named to WSJ's list of 50 Women to Watch (also listed in 2008).
Included on Time 100 Most Influential People (2007)
Recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Time 100 Most Influential People (again, 2008)
Listed on Time's 100 Most Influential People for a second consecutive year.
Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Forbes ranking: #3 Most Powerful Woman (2008)
Ranked by Forbes among the world's most powerful women (notably #3 in 2008).
Barnard Medal of Honor
Received Barnard College's Medal of Honor (2009).
Named CEO of the Year by Global Supply Chain Leaders Group
Recognized by GSCLG as CEO of the Year (July 2009).
Fortune: ranked 6th most powerful woman (Oct 7, 2010)
Fortune magazine ranked Nooyi 6th on its Most Powerful Women list.
Honorary Doctorates and academic honors (various years)
Accumulated many honorary degrees across institutions (examples in source list: Babson 2004; Duke 2009; NYU 2008; Warwick & Miami 2011; Penn State 2010; SUNY Purchase 2015; Cranfield 2018; Yale 2019).
CEO remuneration reported: $17M
Total compensation in 2011 reported at $17 million (base, bonus, pension value and deferred remuneration included).
Honorary degree: North Carolina State University
Received an honorary degree from NC State (2013 listed among honorary degrees).
Forbes ranking: #13 (2014)
Ranked #13 on Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014.
Total reported remuneration: $19,087,832 (2014)
Total reported remuneration for 2014 included roughly $5.5M in equity.
Public discussion of leadership and work-life balance; advocacy on parental leave
Spoke publicly about the need for paid parental leave for both men and women and the unrealistic expectations placed on women executives.
Fortune: 2nd Most Powerful Woman in Business (2015)
Ranked #2 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business list (2015; also #2 in 2017).
Removed aspartame from Diet Pepsi
PepsiCo removed aspartame from Diet Pepsi in 2015 under corporate leadership (later reintroduced in 2016 after backlash).
Appointed Director, Schlumberger (start of tenure)
Joined the Schlumberger Limited board; served from April 2015 until April 2020.
Academy of International Business: International Executive of the Year (2016)
Received the AIB International Executive of the Year Award.
Became Yale School of Management's largest alumni donor; endowed deanship
Made a major (undisclosed) gift to Yale SOM, becoming the school's largest alumni donor and the first woman to endow a deanship there.
CEOWORLD: Named One of the 'Best CEOs in the World' (2018 listing noted)
Recognitions during the broader post-CEO period; CEOWORLD named her among Best CEOs in the World in 2018 (award cited).
Joined Temasek Americas Advisory Panel (inaugural)
Named to the inaugural Temasek Americas Advisory Panel (Temasek is Singapore's investment company).
Joined Donald Trump's business forum (strategic advisory group)
Appointed to the business forum assembled by President-elect Donald Trump to advise on economic issues.
Total compensation (2017): >$31M
Reported total compensation in Nooyi's last full year as CEO exceeded $31 million.
PepsiCo revenue milestone: $63.5B (2017)
Under Nooyi's leadership PepsiCo's revenues grew from roughly $35B in 2006 to $63.5B in 2017.
Joined International Cricket Council Board as first independent female director
Appointed to the ICC board as its first independent female director (June 2018).
Announced intent to develop snacks marketed to women
Publicly stated plans to develop a line of snacks designed and packaged for women (radio interview, 2018).
Announced stepping down as PepsiCo CEO
Public announcement that Nooyi would step down as CEO of PepsiCo (effective in October 2018).
Ramon Laguarta named CEO (successor)
Ramon Laguarta succeeded Nooyi as CEO on October 3, 2018 and joined PepsiCo's board.
Stepped down as Chair of PepsiCo board (early 2019)
After relinquishing the CEO role, Nooyi continued as chair until leaving the chair position in early 2019.
Named co-director, Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC)
Became co-director of the newly created Connecticut Economic Resource Center, public-private partnership with the state (2019).
Portrait inducted into Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Her portrait was added to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (2019).
Joined Amazon Board of Directors
Appointed to the board of directors of Amazon (announced Feb 2019).
Honorary Doctorate (Yale University)
Presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at Yale Commencement (May 20, 2019).
Ended Schlumberger board tenure (April 2020)
Completed a board directorship at Schlumberger Limited (tenure reported April 2015–April 2020).
Outstanding Woman in Business award (League of Women Voters of Connecticut)
Honored by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (February 2020).
Co-chair, Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group / COVID-19 working group
Appointed (with Yale epidemiologist Dr. Albert Ko) to help plan careful easing of COVID-19 restrictions; served as co-chairs of the advisory group.
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
Honored for her contributions to business and leadership by induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame (2021).
Published memoir 'My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future'
Released a personal memoir focusing on leadership, family and work-life balance (publication year: 2021).
Golden Book Awards recognition
Honored with Golden Book Awards (2022).
Key Achievement Ages
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