Ms Indra Nooyi, Chairperson & CEO, Pepsico addressed the CII National Council, on “Managing Uncertainty: Leadership in Turbulent Times”. “Turbulence is the beginning of a fruitful process of transformation” said Ms Nooyi while narrating the leadership and foresight with which Pepsico handled the turbulent times that accompanied the recent global slowdown and financial crisis.
Ms Nooyi shared with the audience the five lessons that Pepsico learnt while facing the crisis and coming out unruffled and strong. “Accept that turbulence is here to stay”, said Ms Nooyi to be the first lesson learnt. She added that the most successful companies are those that stay calm and think down to earth rather than showing aggressiveness to shorten the crisis period. Ms Nooyi also said, “The lesson that follows is not to take an eye on the short term but think long.” The Pepsico Chairman further stated that in turbulent times, leaders need to handle the same with courage and conviction while the fourth lesson learnt trough the turbulent phases is one should not shy away from creating an environment of adaptability. Last but not the least, “You cannot deliver value unless you anchor the company’s values. Values make an unsinkable ship, said Ms. Nooyi. Code of conduct goes beyond legal compliance and every employee needs to be well versed with it, said Ms Nooyi.