The Hindu Business Line : Breaking the glass ceiling with aplomb

When it comes to breaking the glass ceiling in the corporate world, Ms Indra Nooyi has done it with aplomb — that too in the global arena. Chennai-born Nooyi is now slated to be one of the most powerful women in corporate America when she steps into the role of Chief Executive Officer at PepsiCo International later this year. Ms Nooyi's elevation has not come as a surprise to the corporate world. Over the past several years as President, CFO and Director on the company's board she has forged several changes that had already earned her the reputation of a doer, who has moved from strength to strength in the restructuring of the company.

Accomplishments

The success of transforming the $33-billion PepsiCo from a company dependent on the aerated beverages business to an integrated food major has been attributed to her.

As have a dozen other growth strategies, including the divestiture of the company's restaurants into the successful YUM! Brands, Inc, the spin-off and public offering of company-owned bottling operations into anchor bottler Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG), and the merger with Quaker Oats that brought the vital Quaker and Gatorade businesses to PepsiCo.

Acquiring Tropicana brand too has been part of her accomplishments. Its purchase for $3.3 billion gave the company the top-selling juice in the US with a 32 per cent share of the market.

Her background is no different from that of several other women in the country, but her climb in the global corporate world makes her stand apart. She completed her bachelor's degree at Madras Christian College and received a Masters in business administration at the Indian Institute of Management.

At 23, she went to the US to attend Yale University, where she completed a Masters in public and private management. She then joined Boston Consulting and, later, Motorola, where she became the director of corporate strategy and planning. She joined PepsiCo in 1994.

India's potential

Last year, during her visit to India, Ms Nooyi had spoken extensively on the potential of the Indian market and how for PepsiCo it was the `rising star' in terms of growth.

She had announced an investment of $300 million to $500 million in the next few years.

The fresh investments, she had said, were to be in both segments — 60 per cent in beverages and 40 per cent in snacks. Besides, PepsiCo was planning to widen its agriculture business in Punjab, which it had started 15 years ago and has seen an investment of $700 million.

And now as chief of PepsiCo, it remains to be seen how she will deal with the fresh raging controversy in her home country over pesticide residue in soft drinks.

During her last visit, she had admitted that doing business in India has been more problematic for PepsiCo than in China with the pesticide controversy raising its head and the new Integrated Food Law on the anvil. Ms Nooyi had said then that she was all for a comprehensive food law, but felt it should encompass all food labelling, and not only carbonated soft drinks.

On pesticide residue, she had reiterated that her company's products followed the same standards worldwide "Ours are the safest beverages in the world and there is no product safer than ours in the country, still we found ourselves in the middle of a controversy," she had said.

More Stories on : People | Gender | Beverages

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
LT Overseas' ready-to-cook rice

Blaupunkt to withdraw from cassette decks market

Bose Corporation plans to expand to tier-2 cities

Virgin is James Bond's new flying partner

Videocon festive offer

Tata Indicom launches Onam offer

Samsung unveils Onam bonanza

Festival offers from EKL

Police caution public against MLM schemes

Compact cars drive passenger segment

Breaking the glass ceiling with aplomb

Discovery Travel to air India-based programmes

TV-18's Hindi news channel