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Indra Nooyi Quotes

21 quotes from Indra Nooyi — Former CEO of PepsiCo (2006–2018)..

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“Please help someone else rise. Great leaders set out to make others better as a result of their presence—and make sure that impact lasts in their absence.”

— Yale School of Management Commencement Address, 2015Leadership

“Leadership is hard to define, and good leadership even harder.”

Leadership

“You cannot deliver value unless you anchor the company's values.”

Values

“Success is not about climbing up, it's about lifting others as you rise.”

Success

“Growth and comfort do not coexist.”

Growth

“I want women to rise without losing their values.”

Women

“The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling.”

Women

“Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

Integrity

“Work and life are not opposites—they are partners.”

Life

“You have to show up with strength and humility.”

Leadership

“Be the kind of leader that people want to follow.”

Leadership

“Women helping each other – coaching, mentoring, and providing tips – is a great way for us to be our own force.”

Empowerment

“Values should guide every decision you make.”

Values

“Hard work, courage, and resilience always win.”

Perseverance

“Why are you looking at just one brand? That's the first problem with the way you look at the beverage business. Twenty-five years ago, the market used to be 80% sodas and 20% all other beverages. Today, it's about 40% sodas and 60% other beverages. People say that the red beverage is timeless. The blue beverage is timely. I'd rather be timely than timeless.”

— Indra Nooyi

“I pick up the details that drive the organization insane. But sweating the details is more important than anything else.”

— Indra Nooyi

“The biggest issue is when you use the words "socially responsible." It sounds like you're giving away money that shareholders should be getting. It's not about giving away money we've made. It's about how we make money a different way.”

— Indra Nooyi, New York Times interview, 2021

“You may be president of PepsiCo. You might be on the board of directors. But when you enter this house, you're the wife, you're the daughter, you're the daughter-in-law, you're the mother. You're all of that. Nobody else can take that place. So leave that damned crown in the garage.”

— Indra Nooyi, on her mother's instruction

“We face an ever-more-challenging business environment. And we need to get out in front of events and shape them, rather than to wait and be buffeted by them. This means we will have to be bolder and more creative than ever before.”

— Indra Nooyi, farewell letter to PepsiCo associates, October 2, 2018

“People say that the red beverage is timeless. The blue beverage is timely. I'd rather be timely than timeless.”

— Indra Nooyi, conversation with Adam Grant, 2021

“The challenge of a leader is looking around the corner and making change before it's too late.”

— Indra Nooyi, on corporate leadership

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Indra Nooyi

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Indra Nooyi

Former CEO of PepsiCo (2006–2018).