Professional courage must be rooted in competence: Nooyi to young women

At a Delhi fireside chat, Indra Nooyi urges young women to prioritise financial security, build courage rooted in competence, and rely on mentorship and sisterhood

Women must prioritise financial security, former PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi told a gathering of young women at the India International Centre in the national capital on Tuesday.

 

Nooyi, who, among other things, worked on the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998 and the company’s merger with Quaker Oats Company, urged women to let go of the pressure of perfection and decide what they want to be exceptional at, what they are comfortable being good at, and what they are willing to release.

 

“True professional courage,” she said, “must be rooted in competence and expertise.”

 

In a fireside chat with Anuradha Das Mathur, founder and dean, Vedica scholars programme for women, Nooyi urged women to identify their unique value proposition and use that excellence to build courage.

 

Nooyi, who moved to the United States in the late 1970s and navigated life as a person of colour, emphasised the importance of assimilating into a new culture, all while retaining “your own identity and avoiding the pressure to completely remake yourself,” she told the women.

 

As more women climb higher on the corporate ladder, Nooyi demonstrated what is a good way to rise to the top. “Early in your career, join a good company and when a mentor picks you, follow that individual, because a mentor who moves up and is willing to pull you along is the best thing that will happen to you. Later in life, when you reach the top layers of the company, settle into the company,” she said.

 

With examples from her life, the former PepsiCo executive also stressed the need to strengthen sisterhood, especially when it comes to the professional sphere, and the need for men to be partners in the journey towards gender equality.