When Indra Nooyi arrived from India in the late 1970s, she studied management at Yale University. Her parents could not support her financially, so she helped pay for her education by working as a receptionist in a student residence. Her shift ran from midnight to 5 a.m., before her morning classes.
In a July interview with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Nooyi recalled the goals she shared with classmates from developing countries: study hard, earn strong grades, and find employment. She said that when they obtained professional jobs, people respected them more because they recognized the effort involved.
After graduating in 1980, Nooyi built a career in management and business planning. She joined PepsiCo in 1994, became chief financial officer, responsible for the company’s finances, in 2001, and became CEO in 2006. She remained CEO until 2018, with sales increasing by 80% during her time in charge.
For Nooyi, leadership is not simply a natural talent. It develops through years of watching others, gaining experience, and practicing—an effort she compares to training for the Olympics. She advises future leaders to observe how experienced leaders respond to mistakes and encourage others to follow them.
