Name of book : My Life in Full. Work, Gamily and Our Future
Author : Indra Nooyi
Publisher : Piatkus Publishers, UK
‘My Life in Full. Work, Family and Our Future’ is written by Indra Nooyi, former chairperson and CEO, Pepsico. It is a fascinating read laced with unusual frankness.
The author was born in Tamil Nadu and migrated to the United States. As the head of Pepsico she ranked among the world’s 100 most powerful women. She also became the second most powerful woman on the Fortune List in 2015. In 2017 she was ranked the second most powerful woman on Forbes List of the most powerful women in business. Today she serves on the board of Amazon and the International Cricket Council.
Growing up in a Hindu Brahmin household in Chennai, India, Indra learned the importance of family but loved to buck orthodox traditions while she was cofounding Chennai’s most popular all female rock band, living alone in Mumbai, interning at the Department of Atomic Energy or moving to the United States to pursue a degree at Yale University. Her parents always supported her until she got married to Raj Nooyi.
Choices
She says Raj’s selflessness was all the more remarkable. Although she always valued family, rising through ranks meant making difficult choices about being a mother and a wife. Throughout the book she reflects on the choices, sometimes with regret. Nonetheless, she is justifiably proud that her personal sacrifices led to unprecedented strides at Pepsico.
“The more I thought about Pepsico’s future,” she writes, “the more I felt it was incumbent on me to connect what was good for our business with what was good for the world.”
She had her early education at Holy Angels’ Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai and earned a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, physics and mathematics from Madras Christian College of the University of Madras in 1974. She did her post-graduate diploma at the Indian Institute of Management in 1976. While she was doing the degree course, popular Tamil actor Gemini Ganeshan was an assistant lecturer in chemistry.
Freedom
She was born eight years after India attained her independence. She says, “India is still trying to figure out its role in the world and the role women could play in society. Although she was born into a traditional Brahmin family, she had the freedom to receive a university education and chase her dreams.
She always regarded her establishment as a “timeless company” because the beverage it produced was meant for the next generation. There were other brands competing with her company but everybody did their business in different ways. She says, “In business we need competition. If we did not have a competitor, we would have invented one.”
She lays bare the difficulties of managing her demanding job and the growing family. She makes a clear call for business and the government to prioritize the care of the eco-system, paid leave, and work flexibility.
She believes that companies should get involved in community support helping the young to unleash their potential to improve the economy. In 2008 she was elected chairperson of the US-India Business Council. She led the senior executives to learn everything about the American industries.
Indra is the mother of two daughters. She is a devout Hindu who abstains from alcohol. She is also a vegetarian.
The book is ideal reading for aspiring female business executives in any part of the world. It is available at Sarasavi Bookshop, Nugegoda.