Indra Nooyi, a mother first, then a CEO
Indra Nooyi seen here with her daughter at the India Abroad Person of the Year award ceremony in March this year in New York City.
Indra Nooyi's job as CEO of global beverage giant Pepsico is second only to her role as mother, while her husband figures a poor third on her priority list.
"I'm a mother first, then a CEO, then a wife," said Nooyi, named fifth most powerful women in the world by Forbes, during a discussion on 'Women and Global Leadership' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Yale Club in New York.
For a woman who helped Pepsico look beyond aerated drinks business and sell fast foods over a decade back, she finds it difficult at times essaying what she calls her most important role, that of a mother.
"The other day, my 14-year-old daughter, who lives in the same building, sent me an e-mail asking for an hour's appointment with me. The confusion (about the roles she is supposed to play) and the worries over whether I am doing justice, make me tear my head. You want to be a mother, at the same time you have to take care of your career also," she said.
Nooyi said a woman has to play many different roles like that of a wife and mother while all along keeping one's career intact. "And if you are an Indian daughter-in-law, there are added responsibilities," she said, alluding to the role as a cook and caretaker of the house that many women play everyday.
Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi with her daughter at the India Abroad Person of the Year award ceremony in March 2007 in New York City.
The India-born CEO and Chairman of Pepsico, who is the first woman to have reached the top at the multinational, said she hoped that "the next CEO will be mentored by me". Her own mentor, she said, was her mother.
Earlier, Nooyi said multinationals were creating the atmosphere for women to work, but this has to trickle down to maintain growth and development. "Women entering the workforce is imperative (for growth)".
HSBC India CEO Naina Lal Kidwai, who also participated in the discussion, said the time has come for India "to embrace the message that women are out to conquer".
SOURCE: http://www.rediff.com
Indra Nooyi seen here with her daughter at the India Abroad Person of the Year award ceremony in March this year in New York City.
Indra Nooyi's job as CEO of global beverage giant Pepsico is second only to her role as mother, while her husband figures a poor third on her priority list.
"I'm a mother first, then a CEO, then a wife," said Nooyi, named fifth most powerful women in the world by Forbes, during a discussion on 'Women and Global Leadership' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Yale Club in New York.
For a woman who helped Pepsico look beyond aerated drinks business and sell fast foods over a decade back, she finds it difficult at times essaying what she calls her most important role, that of a mother.
"The other day, my 14-year-old daughter, who lives in the same building, sent me an e-mail asking for an hour's appointment with me. The confusion (about the roles she is supposed to play) and the worries over whether I am doing justice, make me tear my head. You want to be a mother, at the same time you have to take care of your career also," she said.
Nooyi said a woman has to play many different roles like that of a wife and mother while all along keeping one's career intact. "And if you are an Indian daughter-in-law, there are added responsibilities," she said, alluding to the role as a cook and caretaker of the house that many women play everyday.
Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi with her daughter at the India Abroad Person of the Year award ceremony in March 2007 in New York City.
The India-born CEO and Chairman of Pepsico, who is the first woman to have reached the top at the multinational, said she hoped that "the next CEO will be mentored by me". Her own mentor, she said, was her mother.
Earlier, Nooyi said multinationals were creating the atmosphere for women to work, but this has to trickle down to maintain growth and development. "Women entering the workforce is imperative (for growth)".
HSBC India CEO Naina Lal Kidwai, who also participated in the discussion, said the time has come for India "to embrace the message that women are out to conquer".
SOURCE: http://www.rediff.com