US ‘meritocratic’ made rise possible: Indra Nooyi says, ‘would never be Pepsi CEO in any other country, including India’

Indra Nooyi, the former chief executive of PepsiCo, said she would never have become CEO of the company in any other country, including her native India, because of the United States' meritocratic system.

Nooyi, who led PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018, made the remarks while discussing her career and the opportunities she found in America. She credited the U.S. for providing a level playing field where talent and hard work could be rewarded regardless of background.

The India-born executive noted that in many other nations, including India, corporate leadership often remains inaccessible to women or those without certain connections. She said the U.S. culture of meritocracy was a key factor in her ability to rise to the top of a global corporation.

Nooyi's comments highlight a broader debate about diversity and opportunity in corporate America, where women and minorities remain underrepresented in top executive roles despite progress in recent decades.