Reuters
 
Chicago, Aug 14: PepsiCo Inc. on Monday named President and Chief Financial Officer Indra Nooyi as chief executive, effective October 1, succeeding Steve Reinemund, who plans to retire next May.

Nooyi, 50, will succeed Reinemund, 58, who said he would leave after running the company for five years so he could spend more time with his family. Reinemund will serve as executive chairman and as a director until his retirement.

Nooyi has been president and chief financial officer of the maker of Pepsi soda and Frito-Lay snacks since 1994.

More on Indra Nooyi (from various sources)

As the highest-ranking Indian-born woman in corporate America, Nooyi, has pushed PepsiCo to take bold risks, with moves that include acquiring Tropicana in 1998 and helping to start the company's fast-food chains in 1997. Nooyi has a degree in management from Yale, and her career includes stints at the Boston Consulting Group and Motorola. She attributes much of her success to her upbringing in India. "Being a woman, being foreign-born, you've got to be smarter than anyone else," says Nooyi, who honors her heritage by often attending PepsiCo events wearing a sari. Nooyi also serves on numerous boards, including Motorola and New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Indra Nooyi heads the world's fourth-largest food and beverage company. She took over as CEO of PepsiCo in August 2006 from Steve Reinemund, who retires at the age of 58. Nooyi was born in Madras, India, where she received a B.S. from Madras Christian College and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta. Nooyi has graduated from the Yale School of Management. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Nooyi held senior management positions at Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri.

While at PepsiCo, Nooyi has played a vital role in starting Tricon . She also took the lead in the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998. Nooyi assumed her current role as president and CFO of PepsiCo in May of 2001. She was named on the Wall Street Journal's list of 50 women to watch in 2005. On August 14 2006 she was named the CEO of PepsiCo.

Nooyi is also a Successor Fellow at Yale Corporation and serves on the board of directors of several organizations, including Motorola, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with her husband, Raj, and their two daughters.

From the land of idli-sambar to land of dreams, Indra Nooyi has come a long way to prove herself. Nooyi has been ranked  as one amongst  the 50 most powerful women in America, by the Fortune Magazine.She is the highest -ranking  Indian born woman  in corporate America.

Indra Nooyi is the person instrumental in strategizing the policies and the marketing plans for PepsiCo and directly involved with every major strategic decision taken by Roger Enrico ,CEO.

Indra is the only foreign born woman officer at PepsiCo.She  took the lead in acquiring 'Tropicana" in 1998 and also played a vital role in starting the company's fast food chains in 1997. "My goal is to make sure that we are constantly renewing ourselves and when you're 10 million dollars ,it's easy to grow at 10 per cent .We are $22 billion ,which means we have to have $2 billion revenue every year", she says.

Glorious career of Indra started in 1980 with Boston Consulting Group and in 1986 she joined Motorola as the vice-president (corporate strategy & planning) In 1990 she joined Asian Brown Boveri and  has worked as the vice-president (corporate strategy and planning) for four years  and had a good rapport with the Percy Barnevik, CEO of the company.

Indra earned her graduation in management at the Graduate School of Management of Yale University.She attributes her success to her upbringing in India,where she spent 23 years of her life."Being a woman ,being a foreign -born, you've got to be smarter than anyone else and even though  I've been in the corporate world for nearly 16 years, I still work on expanding my knowledge and broadening my horizons", says she.

Indra is proud of her Indian origin and has high regards for rich heritage .She goes to PepsiCo events in a saree ,as she believes being oneself is appreciable thing and is one of her principles of success.