Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi Named to 2021 Class of National Women’s Hall of Fame
Former PepsiCo chief executive officer Indra Nooyi is among nine women named to the 2021 class of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Under the Indian American executive’s leadership, seen here speaking onstage at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit Oct. 10, 2017 in Washington, DC, PepsiCo expanded significantly. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune)
India-West Staff Reporter
The National Women’s Hall of Fame March 8 announced its 2021 class, with nine individuals named, including former PepsiCo chief executive officer Indra Nooyi.
As a business executive and the former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Nooyi has consistently ranked among the world’s most powerful people, her bio notes.
During the Indian American executive’s tenure at PepsiCo, the company grew its net revenue by more than 80 percent, and PepsiCo’s total shareholder return was 162 percent.
Under Nooyi’s leadership, PepsiCo expanded significantly, acquiring Tropicana Products Inc., merging with Quaker Oats Company and PepsiCo’s anchor bottlers, and acquiring the Russian company Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods, resulting in the largest international acquisition in PepsiCo’s history, the bio said.
In addition to her business success as CEO, Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world.
This pledge included delivering more nutritious products, limiting the company’s environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and the people in the communities PepsiCo serves, it adds.
In addition to Nooyi, other women inducted into the 2021 class includes former First Lady Michelle Obama; the late author Octavia Butler; U.S. Gen. Rebecca Halstead; poet, musician, playwright, painter and author Joy Harjo; 19th and early 20th century activist known for her interest in education equality Emily Howland; the late NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who was portrayed by actor Taraji P. Henson in the movie “Hidden Figures”; former U.S. Women’s Soccer star Mia Hamm; and artist, author, feminist, educator and intellectual Judy Chicago.
The National Women’s Hall of Fame will celebrate the inclusion of these extraordinary women into the Hall at the biennial in-person induction ceremony on Oct. 2 at the NWHF’s new home, the recently revitalized 1844 Seneca Knitting Mill building.
The National Women’s Hall of Fame inducts a new class every other year in Seneca Falls, the site of the first women’s rights convention.
As in other years, this year’s ceremony will be in person, hall officials said, but tickets will not be available until April or May, when there is a better understanding of COVID-19 protocols for live events.
The NWHF is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in New York state and will plan carefully to ensure that the in-person portion of Induction Weekend is safe for all attendees. In addition, the NWHF will host a live virtual streaming of the ceremony, which will be free to the public, it said.
