Indra Nooyi’s Career as a Business Executive and CEO

Born in India, Indra K. Nooyi made her way to the United States in 1978 to study at the Yale School of Management. Shortly after receiving her master’s degree in public and private management, she joined up with the Boston Consulting Group before making a pivot to Motorola as a VP and director of corporate strategy and planning, followed by a brief period at Asea Brown Boveri.

In 1994, Indra joined PepsiCo as the senior VP of corporate strategy and development. She moved up the ranks to serve as CEO beginning in 2006. During her time helming the company, she oversaw numerous important mergers and acquisitions and strategic shifts, as well as a drive toward increased sustainability.

Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has lived a life as vibrant as it is successful. Here are a few facts about her personal history:

• She acquired multiple companies for Pepsi. Prior to becoming PepsiCo’s chief executive officer, Indra oversaw multiple mergers and acquisitions. During her time as a vice president, she worked with shareholders to bring Gatorade, Tropicana, and Quaker Oats under the company’s umbrella. She also oversaw the divestiture of Tricon (now known as Yum! Brands), a fast-food subsidiary that included Taco Bell, KFC, and other prominent chains.
• She attended school in multiple countries. Before making her way to Connecticut for business school, Indra received a bachelor's degree from Madras Christian College in India. She also got a postgraduate certificate from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta. In 2008, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences elected her to a fellowship. New York University has also granted her an honorary degree.
• She broke the glass ceiling. After coming to the US in the 1970s, Indra swiftly became one of the most powerful women in corporate America. She was also the first woman of color to ever serve as CEO for a Fortune 50 company, as well as the first immigrant to do so.
• She had multiple roles at PepsiCo. In addition to being the former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra is also the former chairman, chief financial officer, and VP of corporate strategy and development. She recounted her multiple roles at the company, as well as her career journey beforehand, in her memoir, My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future.
• She remains busy. Indra has kept her schedule full since moving on from PepsiCo. She’s hard at work advocating for the United States to address its affordable childcare crisis so more women entrepreneurs and employees can enter the workforce. She also serves on the board for the International Cricket Council.

Indra Nooyi’s decades of involvement in the corporate sector taught her a lot about leadership, innovation, and strategization. Here are five takeaways you can expect from the former CEO of PepsiCo’s class:

1. 1. The ability to try again: Though Indra enjoyed a great deal of success in her career, not every venture went as planned. She implores burgeoning leaders to ask themselves: “Did we take a pathway that was a dead end? You know, go through each piece. What did we do wrong? And then reset it.” This class will show you how to view your mistakes and misfires as opportunities to learn and achieve more than you ever would have thought possible.
2. 2. The importance of creativity: Indra saw each challenge at PepsiCo as an opportunity to creatively solve problems. “It's not enough to be competent,” she says, “if you don't know how to connect different dots and create shapes that people have not seen.” Throughout this class, you’ll see how she managed to do things differently and shift the status quo.
3. 3. The power of planning: In order to achieve her goals for PepsiCo, Indra had to break down her big ideas into manageable metrics. “Strategy becomes strategy only when you translate the strategy to tangible plans, and then you put the resources against it,” Indra says. As you experience this class, you’ll gain more insights from her about how to turn your vision into reality, one plan at a time.
4. 4. The significance of integrity: Throughout her tenure as PepsiCo CEO, Indra spearheaded multiple initiatives to improve the world as a whole. “For me, integrity is an absolute,” she says. “It’s either present or it’s not. Are you living up to the moral code of the company and society you’re a part of? You know, integrity is clear-cut.” In this class, you’ll see how you can turn your career into an opportunity to make a positive and ethical impact on the wider world.
5. 5. The value of communication: As a leader, Indra knows she needs to communicate well. “In today's world, where you have to bring people along with you on a big agenda,” Indra says, “you've got to communicate the agenda with emotion, with passion, with missionary zeal.” In her class, you’ll learn just how she goes about communicating and inspiring her teams.

MasterClass members took away the following lessons from Indra’s class:

• Be courageous. For member Toyin A., the big lessons from Indra’s class include: “The importance of courage in leadership, clear, honest communication, [and] the value of using metadata.”
• Go behind the scenes. “It [is] interesting to learn about her seven leadership rules and always fascinating to learn the behind-the-scenes leadership process for such large corporations,” Christopher A. says.
• Learn life lessons. “[Indra] had me hooked from minute one,” Claire P. says. “She not only delivers lessons on leadership, but lessons on life. We should be living our everyday lives with courage and communication and integrity, not just at the office. She is an example of how to maintain integrity during a crisis as well as how to lead with purpose and passion.”

To learn more about building and leading teams, consider the following classes:

1. 1. Anna Wintour on creativity and leadership: The editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine gives unprecedented access to her world, teaching you how to lead with vision and creativity—and without apology. Watch Anna’s class for tips on management and making decisions.
2. 2. Bob Iger on business strategy and leadership: Bob Iger’s tenure as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company saw some of the entertainment company’s biggest acquisitions and successes. Watch Bob’s class to learn how he fuses curiosity, creativity, and candor to grow a business.
3. 3. Howard Shultz on business leadership: Howard Schultz didn’t have an MBA or an Ivy League degree, but he had a dream of building an enduring company. In Howard’s class, the Starbucks CEO shares lessons from nearly forty years of leading one of the world’s top brands, including how to face self-doubt when starting your journey as an entrepreneur.

Inspire your team by uncovering what drives your own decisions. With the MasterClass Annual Membership, learn how former CEO Indra Nooyi channeled her passions to lead a Fortune 500 company.