Nooyi named most powerful woman in business
-
- September
- 29
PepsiCo Inc.’s Indra Nooyi has been named the most powerful woman in business by Fortune magazine for the third consecutive year.
The Purchase-based giant boasts an impressive product lineup that includes sodas, Gatorade, Frito-Lay snacks and Tropicana juices. Under Nooyi, the company’s 52-year-old chief executive officer, PepsiCo has faced headwinds this year, including rising prices for commodities such as corn, wheat and sugar. A sluggish U.S. economy also has hurt sales of the company’s soft drinks.
But PepsiCo’s expansion in 200 countries has provided important geographic diversification. Strong international results helped PepsiCo, which employs 185,000 people worldwide, report earnings that met Wall Street expectations.
Nooyi, who has held the top job at PepsiCo since October 2006, “has moved swiftly to offset slowing beverage sales in North America by expanding the international business, which now represents 26 percent of revenues,†Fortune said on its Web site. “She is also pushing healthier products like orange juice with omega-3 fatty acids.â€
Fortune ranked the women at for-profit companies based on the size, importance, and health of their business in the global economy; career momentum; and social and cultural influence.
This year’s list boasts eight newcomers, including Sunoco CEO Lynn Elsenhans, the first woman to run a major U.S. oil company. Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products for Google Inc., is the youngest winner ever at age 33.
Others with ties to the Lower Hudson Valley are Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods (No. 2); Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO, Avon Products (No. 6); Ginni Rometty, senior vice president, global business services, IBM Corp. (No. 14); Heidi Miller, CEO, treasury and securities services, J.P. Morgan Chase (No. 17); Liz Smith, president, Avon Products (No. 30); Terri Dial, CEO, U.S. Consumer Bank, Citigroup (No. 47).









