Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo and the first woman of color to lead a Fortune 50 company, shares her extraordinary journey. She reveals her bold leadership decisions, including a dramatic first day firing and rehiring her counsel. Nooyi discusses the costs of ambition, balancing personal sacrifices with professional success, and the importance of nurturing talent within a company. She also reflects on lessons learned from Steve Jobs and the complexities of corporate politics, shedding light on her unique approach to leadership and strategy.

They're paid a fortune — but for what, exactly? What makes a good C.E.O. — and how can you even tell? Is "leadership science" a real thing — or just airport-bookstore mumbo jumbo? We put these questions to Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Indra Nooyi, Satya Nadella, Jack Welch, Ray Dalio, Carol Bartz, David Rubenstein, and Ellen Pao. (Part 1 of a special series, "The Secret Life of C.E.O.'s.")

Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo and a pioneer in leadership and mentorship, joins the discussion to share her transformative insights. She reveals her unconventional practice of writing letters to her employees' parents to foster support. Indra emphasizes the importance of flexible work arrangements, particularly for women, and discusses the challenges of balancing career and family life. She highlights the role of mentorship in professional growth and advocates for creating equitable workplaces, urging leaders to combat gender bias actively.

Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo and a champion for employee well-being and sustainability, joins Adam Grant for a dynamic conversation. They discuss the evolution of the beverage industry toward healthier options and the importance of rethinking business education. Nooyi shares insights on balancing conformity and individuality in the workplace and her thoughts on corporate responsibility regarding societal issues. She also reveals which world leader has intimidated her and emphasizes the significance of resilience and mentorship in overcoming professional challenges.

Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, discusses how she introduced design thinking to the company's innovation process. They explore topics such as user-centered design, creating fundamentally different consumer-machine interactions, launching new products, finding hero products, the relationship between design thinking and innovation, and strategies for determining innovation and tight management in PepsiCo.