Indra K. Nooyi ’80 Named CEO of PepsiCo

Indra K. Nooyi, a member of the Yale SOM Class of 1980, has been elected chief executive officer of PepsiCo by the company’s board of directors, effective October 1, 2006. Nooyi will lead one of the world’s largest convenient foods and beverages companies, with $33 billion in annual revenues. She is currently president and chief financial officer of PepsiCo.

Among U.S. companies led by women, PepsiCo will rank as the largest based on market capitalization and third-largest based on annual revenue. Nooyi will be one of only 11 women at the helm of a Fortune 500 company.

A devoted alumna of Yale SOM, Nooyi is a member of the school’s Board of Advisors. In 2002, she returned to campus to deliver a speech as part of the school’s Leaders Forum. She is also a Successor Fellow of the Yale Corporation.

Yale SOM Dean Joel M. Podolny commented on Nooyi’s appointment: “There is no better example of the Yale School of Management’s mission of developing leaders for business and society than Indra Nooyi. Everyone here at SOM is delighted by the news of her selection for the top position at PepsiCo.”

Read more about Nooyi’s appointment: 

PepsiCo News Release 
New York Times Article
Forbes Article
Bloomberg News Article
BusinessWeek Article
CNNMoney Article 
The Observer Article