Indra Nooyi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indra Nooyi
Born	Indra Krishnamurthy (1955-10-28) October 28, 1955 (age 69) Madras, Madras State, India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
Citizenship	United States
Education	University of Madras (BS) Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (MBA) Yale University (MS)
Known for	Former CEO of PepsiCo
Spouse(s)	Raj Nooyi ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	2
Relatives	Chandrika Tandon (sister)

Indra Nooyi (born October 28, 1955) is a very successful business leader. She was born in India and later became an American citizen. From 2006 to 2018, she was the chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. This is a huge company known for drinks like Pepsi and snacks like Lay's chips.

Indra Nooyi has often been named one of the most powerful women in the world. She was ranked highly on lists by magazines like Forbes and Fortune. Today, she serves on the boards of big companies like Amazon. She also helps lead the International Cricket Council.

Indra Nooyi's Early Life

Indra Nooyi was born on October 28, 1955. Her family lived in a city called Madras, India. This city is now known as Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu. She went to school at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School.

Her mother was a homemaker. Even without a formal education, her mother taught Indra and her sister important lessons. She would create games at dinner. For example, she asked them to write speeches about what they would do if they were a president or prime minister. Indra's grandfather, who was a judge, also taught her discipline. If she made a mistake, he would make her write "I will not make excuses" 200 times.

Education and Early Career

While she was studying, Indra Nooyi was very active. She played guitar in a band and was also good at cricket. She earned her first degrees in physics, chemistry, and mathematics in 1975. This was from Madras Christian College in India. She then got another diploma from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976.

In 1978, Nooyi moved to the United States. She was accepted into the Yale School of Management. There, she earned a master's degree in public and private management in 1980.

After her studies, Nooyi started her career in India. She worked as a product manager for Johnson & Johnson. She also worked for a textile company called Beardsell Ltd. While at Yale, she had an internship with Booz Allen Hamilton. In 1980, she joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She later worked at Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri.

Leading PepsiCo: A Business Journey

Indra Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994. She became the CEO in 2006. This made her the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's history. She started as a senior vice president for strategic planning. Then she became senior vice president for corporate strategy and development.

In 2000, she became the chief financial officer (CFO) of PepsiCo. By 2001, she was also named president and joined PepsiCo's board of directors.

Major Business Decisions at PepsiCo

Nooyi guided PepsiCo's worldwide plans for over ten years. She helped change the company's structure. For example, in 1997, she oversaw the separation of Tricon. This company included popular brands like Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell. Selling off Tricon helped PepsiCo gain money. This allowed them to buy back shares and prepare for future purchases.

Nooyi also led the purchase of Tropicana in 1998. She also managed the merger with Quaker Oats Company in 2001. This deal brought Gatorade into the PepsiCo family. Buying Tropicana was a big step, even though some people at PepsiCo were against it. Getting Gatorade was very smart. At the time, Gatorade made up 80% of all sports drink sales. These moves helped PepsiCo compete better against companies like Coca-Cola. Under Nooyi's leadership, PepsiCo's yearly profit grew from $2.7 billion to $6.5 billion.

"Performance with a Purpose" Strategy

Indra Nooyi created a special plan for PepsiCo called "Performance with a Purpose." This plan focused on growing the company for a long time. It also aimed to have a good impact on society and the environment. She divided PepsiCo's products into three groups. These were "fun for you" (like chips and regular soda), "better for you" (like diet sodas), and "good for you" (like oatmeal).

She shifted the company's spending. More money went towards healthier options. She also worked to make even the "fun" foods a bit healthier. For example, in 2015, PepsiCo removed a sweetener called aspartame from Diet Pepsi. However, it was brought back later due to customer feedback.

Nooyi also cared about the environment. She worked on making packaging that created less waste. She also focused on saving water and using renewable energy. She wanted to create a workplace where employees felt valued. She even wrote letters to the parents of her leadership team. She sometimes visited their homes to build stronger connections.

In 2018, Nooyi thought about creating snacks just for women. She believed this was a new market to explore. She mentioned that PepsiCo was planning products designed for women's preferences.

Indra Nooyi stepped down as CEO on August 6, 2018. Ramon Laguarta took over her role. Nooyi remained the chairman of the company until early 2019. She was CEO for 12 years. This is much longer than the average time most CEOs stay in their jobs.

Public Service in Connecticut

In 2019, Nooyi became a co-director of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center. This is a partnership between public and private groups. Nooyi lives in Connecticut and knows the state's governor, Ned Lamont.

In April 2020, Nooyi was chosen for a special group. She worked with Dr. Albert Ko, an expert from Yale. They helped plan how to safely ease COVID-19 restrictions in Connecticut. They also co-chaired the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group.

Awards and Recognition

Indra Nooyi has received many awards and honors. In January 2008, she was chosen to lead the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC). This group includes over 60 top business leaders.

In 2008, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. U.S. News & World Report also named her one of America's Best Leaders. In July 2009, she was named CEO of the Year.

Fortune magazine named Nooyi the number one Most Powerful Woman in Business for several years. These included 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Forbes magazine also listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women from 2008 to 2017.

In 2016, she won The International Executive of the Year Award. CEOWORLD magazine named her one of the "Best CEOs In The World" in 2018. In February 2020, she received the Outstanding Woman in Business award. In 2021, Indra Nooyi was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Memberships and Associations

Indra Nooyi is involved with many important groups. She is a member of the Yale Corporation. She also serves on the board of the World Economic Forum. Other groups she helps include the International Rescue Committee and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She is a trustee for Eisenhower Fellowships.

From 2015 to 2020, she was a director at Schlumberger Limited. In 2016, she joined the Temasek Americas Advisory Panel. In December 2016, she was part of a business forum. This group advised Donald Trump on economic issues.

In June 2018, Nooyi joined the International Cricket Council Board. She was the first independent female director for the organization. Since February 2019, she has been on the board of directors at Amazon.

Nooyi holds a special position at West Point. She is also an advisor at MIT's School of Engineering.

Personal Life and Philanthropy

Indra Nooyi married Raj K. Nooyi in 1981. He is the president of AmSoft Systems. They have two daughters and live in Greenwich, Connecticut. She follows the Hindu faith.

Her older sister, Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon, is also a businesswoman. She is also a Grammy-nominated artist. South Indian musician Aruna Sairam is Indra's cousin.

When she was in India, Nooyi enjoyed playing cricket. She was also in an all-girl rock band, where she played the guitar.

Giving Back: Philanthropy

In 2016, Indra Nooyi made a generous gift to her old school, the Yale School of Management. She became the largest alumni donor in the school's history. She was also the first woman to give money to create a deanship at a top business school.

See also

In Spanish: Indra Nooyi para niños

• Indian Americans in the New York City metropolitan area
• List of Yale University people