Indra Nooyi is an Indian-American businesswoman who is admired by many in the corporate world. She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and the first female CEO of PepsiCo.
At age 65, she still drives her career forward as a board member of Amazon and the International Cricket Council.
Her career journey is so motivating that it's part of the syllabus of some MBA courses!
The Interesting Past Of Indra Nooyi, A Passionate Rebel
Indra Nooyi was born in a conservative family in the city of Madras in 1955. At that time, India didn't see many women completing higher education.
But strong-willed Indra Nooyi saw things differently. She had the vision to give education top priority.
With this goal, she earned her masters at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Calcutta. This was one of the only two business schools open in India. Today, there are way more options to study business.
Breaking barriers was not easy in her time, yet she did. She even joined an all-girl cricket team and a female rock-band!
The Growth Of Her Career Journey, Madras To USA
Indra Nooyi has been passionate about business management. When she started building her career, she worked for Johnson & Johnson as a product manager.
At this company, she had to introduce Stayfree sanitary napkins in the Indian market. She found the task challenging and felt a little unprepared for it at her job.
At this point she realized that she didn't want her career to suffer because of not having enough knowledge of business management. That's when she decided to study more.
Made A Decision To Study Further
For Indra Nooyi, studying more meant becoming ready to manage big projects for large multinational companies. So she went abroad to Yale School of Management in the USA on scholarship.
Today, taking up online courses is the new way to extend knowledge to further your career. It helps become more confident and remain an aspiring student at heart like Indra Nooyi.
Worked Hard And Gave Her Best
Studying abroad was not easy because of finances. To be financially independent, she worked overnight as a receptionist and studied during the day.
She hardly had money to buy western clothes in the US and worked in her saree. She even gave her first interview in a saree. But she presented herself with so much confidence that she got the job!
Paved The Way For Her Success
After her business management course, Indra Nooyi began working in big corporate companies. She handled extraordinary projects and companies reached out to her with attractive offers.
From all the offers she chose PepsiCo and made history by becoming the first female CEO of the company!
Career Lessons To Take From Indra Nooyi’s Success Story
There's always room to learn more: Indra Nooyi studied more to be better at her job. Doing more courses can brighten one's career path.
Do your best and success will come: Companies started to hear how Indra Nooyi worked and ran behind her. This is why doing your best is important for success.
If you also have a passion for business management like Indra Nooyi and want your career to reach new heights, consider taking up free rewarding courses.
She grew up in a time where not every house had televisions or the Internet. But today, we're lucky to have plenty of online courses in managing, marketing and more.
