Pepsi CEO: Rebellious nature keeps me working

Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, has faced her fair share of criticism of late. After years of low stock prices and warring board members, Nooyi recently managed to pull back the reigns of control.

The company turned over a large profit this term, beating expectations in both revenue and profit growth. Speaking to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), Nooyi explained that her determination and tenacity was what gother out of bed in the morning and kept her striving, even during PepsiCo’s darker days.

According to HBR, Nooyi’s inspiration is derived from a sense of rebelliousness she honed whilst growing up in the conservative city of Madras (now Chennai), India. She explained: “In those days, there was a well-defined conservative stereotype, so everything I did was breaking the framework.

“I played in a rock band. I climbed trees. I did stuff that made my parents wonder, "What the hell is she doing?" But I also was a good student and a good daughter, so I never brought shame on the family. And I was lucky that the men in my family thought the women should have an equal shot at everything.