In 2006, Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo, becoming the first Indian American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. As the head of one of the world’s largest consumer goods corporations, she launched the Performance with Purpose strategy, steering the company toward healthier products and more sustainable packaging. Her twelve-year tenure demonstrated that transformative corporate leadership could come from beyond the traditional ranks of American business. Nooyi’s success expanded perceptions of who could lead major global corporations while influencing how companies balanced profitability with long-term social and environmental goals.
