Indra Nooyi rules out joining politics, to focus on family

Agencies
August 7, 2018

Indra Nooyi has ruled out joining politics and will now focus on her family after her long-innings at the world's second-largest food and beverage giant PepsiCo.

PepsiCo yesterday announced that its Board of Directors have unanimously elected Ramon Laguarta, 54, to succeed Indian-origin Nooyi as Chief Executive Officer. Ms Nooyi, 62, will step down on October 3 after 24 years with the company, the last 12 as CEO.

She will remain Chairman until early 2019 to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Indra Nooyi's departure in two months will further diminish the already small group of female Fortune 500 CEOs, she is one of just 25, and the even more minuscule ranks of women of colour.

"It concerns me in that we can actually count how many there are, as opposed to saying there are hundreds," she told Fortune in an interview. 

Ms Nooyi said in the interview that she did not yet know what she wanted to do next, but added that she would not be running for office. "I'm not good at politics," the Chennai-born said. "I'm just a good worker bee", Nooyi, who has not been afraid to get political, said.

After the 2016 US presidential elections, Indra Nooyi had said Democrat Hillary Clinton's loss to Republican Donald Trump left her daughters and PepsiCo's employees devastated and there were serious concerns among the company's workers, especially the non-white employees, about their safety in an America with Trump as its president.

Ms Nooyi said that after her departure from PepsiCo, her focus will be on her family. Being the CEO of a company is "all consuming," she said. "When you are the CEO, especially of such a large company, there's only one priority, and that priority is being CEO. I think my family was short-changed a lot. The last 24 years, the PepsiCo family always came first."

She added, "Now is the the time to shift my priorities to my family." Ms Nooyi got married in 1980 to Raj Nooyi, President of AmSoft Systems. They have two daughters.

According to the Fortune report, before the announcement of Nooyi's exit, PepsiCo's stock was flat year over year and its beverage sales in North America had dropped for four consecutive quarters as consumers look for alternatives to soda. Ms Nooyi said that the timing of her departure was unrelated. "I look at our performance over a long period of time," she said.

"The company is in great shape." Ms Nooyi added that talks about her transition started approximately one year ago as Laguarta was named PepsiCo's president last July.

"I've been in the company 24 years, and it's been a labour of love," she said in the interview. "At some point, you've got to sit back and say, what do I want to do with my life."

An area that interests Ms Nooyi is getting more women into the top echelons of management. "In many ways, I think after stepping down as CEO I can work with other women to figure out how to get them to c-suite positions and as a mentor and supporter," she said.    There is need to focus on removing barriers to women's progress, she said.

"I see the struggles women go through, and you ca not expect every woman to be a superwoman," she said. "It just doesn't work because there's one constraint we all have, and that's that there are only 24 hours in a day."

Ms Nooyi, one of the world's most powerful and influential business leaders, said leading PepsiCo has been the "honour" of her lifetime, and she is "incredibly proud" of all the company has done over the past 12 years to advance the interests of shareholders and stakeholders.

Among the few executives to break the glass ceiling in corporate America, Ms Nooyi had also created history by being among the few India-born females to lead a global giant when she took over the reins at PepsiCo.

Ms Nooyi described the development as a "day of mixed emotions for me". She said PepsiCo has been "my life for nearly a quarter century and part of my heart will always remain here."

"But I am proud of all we've done to position PepsiCo for success, confident that Ramon and his senior leadership team will continue prudently balancing short-term and long-term priorities, and excited for all the great things that are in store for this company. PepsiCo's best days are still ahead of it," she said yesterday in the company statement. 

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Agencies
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday expressed his suspicion over the government using force to clear the Shaheen Bagh stretch where an agitation has been ongoing for over 50 days against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

While speaking to ANI over the phone, Owaisi was asked that there are indications from the government that after February 8, Shaheen Bagh will be cleared.

In reply, he said, "Might be they will shoot them, they might turn Shaheen Bagh into Jallianwala Bagh. This might happen. BJP minister gave a statement to 'shoot a bullet'. The government must give an answer as (to) who is radicalising."

Further speaking about NPR and NRC, Owaisi said, "Government must give a clear cut answer that till 2024 NRC will not be implemented. Why are they spending Rs 3900 crore for NPR? I feel this way because I was a History student. Hitler during his reign conducted census twice and after that, he pushed the jews in a gas chamber. I don't want our country (to) go in that way."

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News Network
March 9,2020

Kolkata, Mar 9: A diabetic man died in the isolation ward of a hospital in West Bengal's Murshidabad on Sunday, a day after he was admitted there with suspected symptoms of coronavirus following his return from Saudi Arabia.

According to doctors, he was admitted to the hospital with fever, cough and cold.

Though test results of his blood and swab samples for novel coronavirus were awaited, it can be said that he died probably of diabetes, Director of Health Services Ajay Chakraborty told PTI.

"The man was highly diabetic and was on insulin. He returned home from Saudi Arabia and had no money to take insulin for the last three to four days.

"He was also suffering from fever, cough and cold. He was admitted to the isolation ward of the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital yesterday and died today," the health services director said.

"We are waiting for the results of medical tests. The possibility of his death due to novel coronavirus infection is remote," he said.

However, precautions will be taken during the last rites of the victim according to the directives set by the central and state governments for patients who die of the virus, another senior official said.

"Family members will not be allowed to touch the body since the man had been suffering from cough and breathlessness. Those performing his last rites will be given protective gear, masks and gloves. Though test results are yet to be known, we do not want to take any chance," he said.

Meanwhile, the state health department has issued a directive to all private medical facilities to create a system for assessing all patients at admission allowing early recognition of possible COVID-19 infection and immediate isolation of patients with suspected novel coronavirus infection in an area separate from other patients.

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News Network
February 13,2020

New Delhi, Feb 13: Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday, staking claim to form the government in the national capital, sources said, while hinting that the AAP might not invite senior leaders and chief ministers of other parties for the oath-taking ceremony.

The sources said it was the formal process by the AAP chief, who was elected as the legislature party leader earlier in the day, to stake claim for forming the new government.

Kejriwal, who returned to power in Delhi with a stunning poll victory on Tuesday, will take oath as chief minister for the third consecutive time on February 16.

While the oath-taking ceremony will be open to the public, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was considering not inviting leaders and chief ministers of other parties as it did not wish to be seen as a "confrontationist" against the BJP-led Centre, the sources said.

They, however, added that the party was yet to take a decision on it.

The AAP has planned mobilisation of people for the mega event and all the newly-elected MLAs of the party have been asked to ensure huge participation from their constituencies.

"I request the people of Delhi to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the chief minister at the Ramlila Maidan in large numbers," senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia told reporters, adding that the ceremony will start at 10 am.

The AAP won 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time in the Delhi polls.

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