On the third day of the Jaipur Literature Festival, former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi reveals how she made her way to the top in the brutal corporate world. Tamil Nadu-born Nooyi was made its CEO in 2006.
She discussed her memoir during a conversation with Aparna Piramal Raje My whole life: work, family and our future and the traps of the modern world. Nooyi said it’s important for people to understand that what makes up a family are all its members, not just women.
“People have to understand that the family is not women. Family is family. People assume that the family is female and it is her problem to figure out what to do. The family belongs to all of us. There should be a recognition among men that women represent a powerful talent pool. Women are hungry, they want wallet power, they want economic freedom,” he said, “so, draw from the entire talent pool, not just half the talent pool. They should see women as another talent as opposed to female talent. It’s certainly non-threatening, but many people still feel threatened.”
The 66-year-old moved to America in 1968 after being admitted to Yale. She said that her upbringing ensured that no time was wasted in pursuing what she wanted to achieve. “I think it was drilled into us since we were kids. We were told that the devil has a job for useless hands. You only have a limited amount of time. Use it wisely. That’s it. There were messages that my grandfather gave us non-stop,” she said.
She said it is a philosophy she follows even today. “It’s come to a point that when I sit quietly, I go, ‘God! I’ve wasted five minutes’. I always think of helping someone or trying to enrich my mind. My childhood experiences have wired my head and mind differently. I have trouble sitting still. So meditation has never been a part of my life,” she said.
It’s Live! In her memoir ‘My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future’, former PepsiCo CEO, Indra Nooyi follows her journey of grit and determination as she overcomes the many barriers of gender and race to become a global business. broke it. Leader. pic.twitter.com/7GQlsOTeCJ—jaipurlitfest (@jaipurlitfest) 7 March 2022
But even after reaching the top, Nooyi revealed that at times she was at unpleasant crossroads. Nooyi said, “If I said everything was easy for me, I would be lying.”
“There was a time, when I was the CEO, when people used to talk about me in the boardroom. They would give me the look that said ‘what is she talking about’ or they would just roll their eyes. Sometimes, when things like this happen, I’ve seen people utter a four-letter word, and throw things around. I couldn’t vent my frustration like this. So, I excuse myself, leave the room, go to my bathroom, shed a few tears of anger, and then I walk out with some makeup on. Unfortunately, society does not accept women to be treated like men. The last thing I want to do was push that limit. I will come back, say I appreciate everyone’s input, but that’s how we will go ahead,” she revealed.
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