40 Facts About Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi is an Indian-born American business executive who was the chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018.

Indra Nooyi sits on the boards of Amazon and the International Cricket Council, among other organizations.

Indra Nooyi was born on October 28,1955, in a Tamil Brahmin family in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

Indra Nooyi received bachelor's degrees in physics, chemistry and mathematics from Madras Christian College of the University of Madras in 1975, and a Post Graduate Programme Diploma from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976.

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

In 1980, Indra Nooyi joined the Boston Consulting Group as a strategy consultant, and then worked at Motorola as vice president and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning, followed by a stint at Asea Brown Boveri.

Indra Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994, and was named CEO in 2006, replacing Steven Reinemund, becoming the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's 44-year history.

Indra Nooyi started as PepsiCo's senior vice president for strategic planning from 1994 until 1996, then became senior vice president for corporate strategy and development from 1996 until 2000.

Indra Nooyi worked on the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998, and the merger with Quaker Oats Company, which brought Gatorade in 2001.

Indra Nooyi was named on Wall Street Journals list of 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008, and was listed among Times 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007 and 2008.

Indra Nooyi moved corporate spending away from junk foods and into the healthier alternatives, with the aim of improving the healthiness of even "fun" offerings.

In 2015, Indra Nooyi removed aspartame from Diet Pepsi, although in 2016 aspartame was reintroduced due to public backlash.

Indra Nooyi focused on environmental concerns and sustainability, redesigning packaging to reduce waste, conserving water, switching to renewable energy sources, and recycling.

Indra Nooyi worked on creating a culture of employee retention.

In 2018, Indra Nooyi stated an intent to develop a line of snacks marketed specifically for women, feeling that it was a hitherto unexplored category.

However, Indra Nooyi continued as the chair of the company until early 2019.

Indra Nooyi was CEO for 12 years, seven years longer than the average CEO tenure at large companies according to an Equilar study.

In 2019, Indra Nooyi became the co-director of the newly created Connecticut Economic Resource Center, a public-private partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

Indra Nooyi is a resident of Connecticut and a Yale SOM classmate of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.

In January 2008, Indra Nooyi was elected chairwoman of the US-India Business Council.

Indra Nooyi leads USIBC's Board of Directors, an assembly of more than 60 senior executives representing a cross-section of American industry.

In 2008, Indra Nooyi was elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Indra Nooyi was named CEO of the Year by the Global Supply Chain Leaders Group in July 2009.

That year, she was Indra Nooyi was considered one of "The TopGun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International, an advisory agency.

Indra Nooyi was named to Institutional Investor's Best CEOs list in the All-America Executive Team Survey in 2008 to 2011.

In 2016, Indra Nooyi was the winner of the Academy of International Business The International Executive of the Year Award.

Indra Nooyi was named one of the "Best CEOs In The World" by the CEOWORLD magazine in 2018.

In February 2020, Indra Nooyi was honored with the Outstanding Woman in Business award by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut.

In 2021, Indra Nooyi was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Indra Nooyi is a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, International Rescue Committee, Catalyst and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Indra Nooyi is a member of the Board of Trustees of Eisenhower Fellowships, and has been chairman of the US-India Business Council.

Indra Nooyi is an honorary co-chair for the World Justice Project.

In December 2016, Indra Nooyi joined a business forum assembled by Donald Trump to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues.

In June 2018, Indra Nooyi joined the International Cricket Council Board as the organization's first independent female director.

Since February 2019, Indra Nooyi has been a member of the board of directors at Amazon.

Indra Nooyi is the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at West Point, a Dean's Advisory Council member at MIT's School of Engineering, and a member of the MIT Corporation.

Indra Nooyi is a Hindu by faith and abstains from alcohol.

Indra Nooyi's older sister Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon is a businesswoman and a Grammy-winning artist.

In India, Indra Nooyi used to play cricket and was in an all-girl rock band, where she played guitar.

Indra Nooyi became the school's largest alumni donor in history and the first woman to endow a deanship at a highly ranked business school with her gift.