MARY ASHUN – Transformational Leader of Re-Imagined Education
INTRODUCTION
“Do you see galaxies where others see mere stars?”[1] inquires Dr. Mary Ashun, the visionary leader and internationally acclaimed educator, administrator, researcher and author who is leading the charge to re-imagine education and provide creative solutions to improve the quality of education in Africa and beyond. She has over twenty-five years’ experience in education in North America and Africa with key projects in the designing and creation of educational opportunities and interventions for all at every level of learning. Her leadership of the Ghana International School (GIS) in Accra, first as Principal for nearly a decade and now as CEO, has been very much lauded and won her notable awards for her achievements. Dr. Ashun has spoken on many platforms on key educational and national issues. She has also authored children and young adults’ books, staged a number of plays and published on various topics in education and the sciences, pure and applied alike.
GROWTH
Dr. Mary Asabea Ashun (nee Apea) was born in Accra in 1968 to Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Apea, a former Educator and Ghanaian diplomat and Emma Elizabeth Apea, a teacher and entrepreneur. When she was six, her father was stationed at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London thus her family lived there for three years.[2] She had her secondary education at Achimota School in Accra before proceeding to the University of East London in the United Kingdom from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Combined Sciences. In pursuit of her passion for Science, Dr. Ashun crossed the Atlantic first to Buffalo, NY from where she graduated with a PhD in Biochemistry. Her thesis focused on the role of antiretrovirals in AIDS therapies and she worked with her team to develop and test a general antiretroviral agent (DNP Ploy-A).[3]
She then moved to Canada where she earned a Bachelor of Education degree in Secondary Education at the University of Toronto. She has shared that when asked why she ‘went back’ to study an undergraduate degree after a PhD, she always mentions that ‘it can never be classified as going back when you finally find what you want to do in life’. As a trained biochemist, Mary had the option of working as a research scientist but rather chose the classroom over the laboratory – she loves being with her learners. Dr. Ashun has taught science, mathematics and technology at all levels of the education cycle in the Ontario province of Canada.
One could argue that Dr. Ashun’s interest in science education was shaped by her admiration for her chemistry teacher in secondary school. She regularly cites this teacher as having a great impact on her passion for teaching. She was moved by the excitement and passion that Mr Titi Ofei brought to the teaching of chemistry. She learned from him that one must bring passion to work. As for the flair for teaching per se, it must have been passed on from both her parents —it’s just in Mary’s bones.
After a decade of teaching at the pre-tertiary level in the Ontario province, Dr. Ashun’s passion was beginning to wane and this was noticed by some of her students. Fortunately, one of the parents of her students who had also noticed the drop in passion, pointed her towards an opportunity to ‘teach teachers how to teach Science’. For the next five years, as an assistant professor at Redeemer University in Ontario, Dr. Ashun taught teachers in the Faculty of Education how to teach Science to pre-tertiary students. She employed various ICT tools – online dissection software, chemistry graphing software – to drive up interest and enhance the teaching of Science. She trained the teachers to prepare their students for international competitions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Prior to joining the Ghana International School (GIS) as Principal, Dr. Ashun was a School Principal in Canada. Since she joined GIS as Principal and Head of School in 2014, Mary has, in her own words, worked with “a fantastic team of school leaders to transform how it (GIS) teaches, learns, collaborates and grows.[4]”
SUCCESS
An Honoured Educator
In May 2011, Dr Ashun, was awarded a $200,000 grant by the Canadian International Development Agency to work on literacy development and business growth in Asamankese in the Eastern region of Ghana. In order to achieve a longer-lasting impact, Dr. Ashun, working together with a team of students and adult volunteers, grew the literacy program into His Majesty’s Christian School, a low-cost education option for children in the Asamankese vicinity. The desire to achieve longer-lasting impact has driven Dr. Ashun to always search for solutions and structures that are likely to out-live her. The school which started with the children of the women in the literacy program (less than 15) has now grown to almost 300 pupils in creche to Year 6.
Dr. Ashun currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer working out of the Office of Strategy Execution of Ghana International School (GIS). Her leadership of GIS has won her many accolades and left a lasting impact. Much similar to what she taught her students at Redeemer University College, Dr. Ashun has led the enhancement of the classroom experience at GIS by promoting the use of online learning and ICT enhanced teaching. Students at GIS are exposed to artificial intelligence and robotics and undertake fieldwork gathering data for analysis and action planning. Giving her training as a research scientist, it is not surprising that she encourages her teachers to enable students to undertake field explorations. Her students have made field trips to irrigation facilities, recycling plants and livestock production farms. They have also participated in international STEM competitions, just like Dr. Ashun taught her students at Redeemer University College. Much like her favourite chemistry teacher, Mr. Titi Ofei, Mary transmits her passion and excitement for teaching and learning to her students. One of such former students is Christina DeVries (Redeemer University Class of 2011) who was clearly impacted by Dr. Ashun. In Christina’s own words, “One of my professors at the time, Dr. Mary Ashun, challenged us to consider what part of education touched our hearts. I chose to learn more about education in Canada’s First Nations.”[5]
Dr. Ashun places immense importance on having quality teachers and has been at the forefront of programs aimed at improving the quality of teachers at GIS and other schools. She believes that “teaching and research should go hand in hand” and that teachers must observe their classrooms and their students’ approach to learning and wonder “ how could this be better?”.[6] Teachers at GIS are encouraged to conduct and publish research in education and in many cases, are assisted with funding opportunities.
In Dr. Ashun’s view, cooperation between teachers and parents is required for children to succeed in education. “There must always be that synergy between home and school” she demands. GIS regularly organises Parent-Teacher meetings to help create this synergy and also encourages student ownership of work by allowing them to share their own growth with their parents in what is known as a ‘student-led conference’.
Occasionally, Dr. Ashun takes teaching from the classroom to the screen. From September 2011 to February 2012, she was the creator and host of a Literacy show, Book ‘Em TV, on Rogers TV, in Mississauga, Canada.
Prior to serving as principal of GIS, Dr. Ashun was the principal of Philopateer Christian College in Toronto, Canada. a K-12 school. Dr. Ashun is a member of the Global Education Council, contributing to the shaping of the world’s education ecosystem with global education innovation transformation. In 2019 she was elected a board member of the Association of International Schools in Africa (ASIA) a role which allowed her to invest her ideas in an organisation focused on improving education on the continent through the efforts of International Schools.[7]
An Accomplished Researcher, Writer and Speaker
Dr. Ashun, or as many of her readers may know her, “Asabea Ashun” or “Abena Apea,” is a prolific writer who has produced works in different genres of fiction, from short stories to science fiction books for children.[8] The aforementioned pseudonyms usually signal which of her experiences she is drawing from to write. Abena Apea is her ‘full Ghanaian self’ who writes Ghanaian stories especially for children, while Asabea Ashun refers to her ‘multicultural self’ – drawing from her broad experiences in Ghana, US, UK and Canada. When one sees Dr. Mary Ashun, then they are likely about to hear from the official educator scientist.[9]
Mary has published over thirteen novels and written numerous articles. Her fiction books include Tuesday’s Child (2010), which was shortlisted as a quarterfinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award[10] ; Serwa Akoto’s Diary (2013); Mistress of the Game (2011); The Adventures of Kobby Badu-Smith: A Poolside Adventure (2015); The Adventures of Kobby Badu-Smith: A Space Adventure (2011); Grace, The Pandemic Warrior (2021); The Adventures of Monty Horton: A Poolside Adventure (2010); The Adventures of Monty Horton: A Sweet Adventure (2010); 22 Blessings in Disguise (2008).[11]
She has also written scripts and produced stage adaptations including The Prince of Egypt- a GIS Adaptation, a musical that her students performed at the National Theatre in Accra in March 2017.[12] Her most recent short story Kweku Checks Out, a lament on the new face of mental health joins those of eminent writers in Africa and the Diaspora in an anthology titled “Voices That Sing Behind the Veil” edited by Ivor Agyeman Duah.
Away from the fictional world, Dr. Ashun has researched and published papers in the fields of pure and applied sciences and education. She has published on topics such as the impact of professional development course on the global perspective of teachers[13] , frameworks for professional development of teachers and the teaching of mathematics.[14]
Dr. Ashun enjoys speaking and has done so at academic conferences, spiritual retreats, teacher retreats and seminars. She has spoken at several conferences on the importance of STEM education for both boys and girls. She is very vocal on educational issues in Ghana and on the African continent. She was vocal when her alma mater, Achimota School, refused admission to Rastafarian students, publishing a lengthy article on what became a much-discussed national issue in Ghana.[15]
Chief Executive Officer
Success begets success, as the saying goes, and more work is the reward for good work done. After nearly ten years of transformational leadership at GIS as principal, the board appointed her as CEO for strategy execution with responsibilities for ensuring sustainability of the organisation’s core mandate, and in collaborating with local and international partners in the furtherance of the school’s mission and vision.[16]
SIGNIFICANCE
Family Affair
Dr. Ashun is very family-oriented and dotes on them, both her family of orientation as well as her family of procreation. Regarding the latter, Mary is married to Joseph Ashun, a leading Maintenance engineer who has worked extensively with leading mining companies e.g. Barrick Gold , with whom she has three adult sons.[17] Abeyku, Kwam and Jojo were all born in North America and are very vocal about their African roots.[18] Since taking on the Ghana International School role, they have been a transnational family, doing life between Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada.
Societal Impact and Change
Dr. Ashun has been championing the provision of quality education across Africa and other continents. She is a major advocate for governments focusing resources on the provision of the necessary infrastructure, policies and curriculum to train quality teachers. She sees teachers as central to the provision of quality education and the creation of engaging and stimulating classrooms. She has been leading the organising of conferences and seminars to empower teachers to become creative.
Dr. Ashun and GIS annually organise the TIME Educators Conference to provide teachers the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills to consolidate their teaching and learning strategies to improve student outcomes.[19] TIME is an acronym for Transform Inspire Motivate Educate. GIS has also partnered the Ghana Education Service to train teachers through a collaboration with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. This initiative, too, is one of Dr. Ashun’s many legacies at GIS. She is taking advantage of the privileged position of GIS to help underprivileged schools in rural Ghana.[20]
Dr. Ashun regularly raises funds to support her charities – His Majesty’s Christian School, Enough Inc. and one of her favourites, Teach for Ghana.[21]
Recognition, Awards and Boards
In 2023, Dr. Ashun was named among the top ten finalists for the Africa Education Medal 2023 in recognition of her leadership, impact and advocacy in the field of education.[22] This was sponsored by T4 Education (UK). In 2018, she was awarded the Excellent Educator Award by Endless Possibilities and Hope Development Organization for her work and passion as an educator.[23] The Teacher’s College of Columbia University awarded her the Klingenstein School Heads Fellowship in 2014.[24]
Mary has been honoured for her work in Education by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), receiving the Educational Leadership Award for Private Education. She has been a council member of the Association of Internationally Certified Schools (ASICS) in Ghana, Chair of the advisory board of Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works and is a former Board member of the Association of International Schools in Africa. Mary Ashun is a member of the BETT Global Education Council, a driving force of visionaries from some of the world’s biggest global brands and educational institutions who are setting the tone of education globally.[25]
At PELÉ
“I pray that by the time I exit this earth, I will have used up all the grace that God gave me and poured it into someone else,”[26] says Dr. Ashun. At Perbi Executive Leadership Education (PELÉ), where authentic and customised relationships and resources are offered to C-level executives, including education executives, to grow personally, succeed professionally, and become significant societally, we have conscripted Mary the Educator-Leader as a consultant in education leadership development at PELÉ. Together we hope to hone current C-level leadership as well as incubate a host of emerging C-suite executives in the vital space of education.
CONCLUSION
The celebrated Ghanaian-Canadian educator, Dr. Mary Asabea Ashun, is impacting Ghana, Africa and the world as a visionary and transformational leader in education. She is leading the drive to re-imagine education to improve the quality of teachers and to create engaging classrooms for learners. She is sharing her passion and vast experience in the educational sector on numerous platforms and channels. Dr. Ashun is forming and transforming minds with her research publications and novels. Mary is transforming that which transforms us most: education. The many children and adults who have encountered her works appreciate her immensely. She is making a difference in the educational sector not only in her native continent, but also in her wider global community and deserves to be celebrated. “Most can wait for a sunset,” says Dr. Ashun, “the passionate chase a sunrise.”[27] Mary has now crossed the half-a-century mark in age yet from all indications, despite all her achievements as a transformational leader reimagining education, it is still just about dawn for her.
Facebook: @Mary Asabea Ashun
LinkedIn: @Mary Apea Ashun PhD
Instagram: @globallyrestless
Website: www.maryashun.com
Twitter: @AshunDr
Youtube Channel: Mary Ashun
Blog: www.corneliaprincipal.wordpress.com
[1] Dr. Mary Ashun. WhatsApp interaction with PELÉ on 22nd March, 2024.
[2] Asabea Ashun. Amazon.com. Retrieved 10th March 2024
[3]Ashun, M.A., Hu, Y., Kang, I., Li, C.C. & Wang, J. H. 1996 Inhibition of murine leukemia virus with poly-2′-O-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)poly[A] ResearchGate Retrieved 13th March 2024
[4] ‘Short Biography.’ Dr. Mary Ashun. September 2023 (furnished PELÉ by the author).
[5] “Christina DeVries”. Redeemer University. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 13th March 2024
[6] https://www.maryashun.com/academics
[7] “Mary Ashun”. Peoplepill.com . Retrieved 12th March 2024
[8] https://www.maryashun.com/mary-everywhere
[9] “One-on-One With Ghanaian Writer, Dr. Mary A. Ashun”. Geosi Reads. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 12th March 2024
[10] “Mary Ashun | Writers Project of Ghana”. writersprojectghana.com. Retrieved 11th March 2024.
[12] “GIS celebrates 10th Anniversary Musical with Prince of Egypt”. Modern Ghana. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
[13] “My classroom is a bigger place’: Examining the impact of a professional development course on the global perspective of experienced teachers”. ResearchGate. June 2013. Retrieved on 12th March 2024
[14] “Trickle down mathematics: Adult pre-service elementary teachers gain confidence in mathematics – enough to pass it along?”. www.academia.edu. Retrieved 12th March 2024
[15] Ashun, M. (2021-03-25). The issue of ‘the other’ when it comes to school admissions: The case of Achimota School and Rastafarian students. Ghanaweb.com Retrieved 12th March 2024
[16] ‘Short Biography.’ Dr. Mary Ashun. September 2023 (furnished PELÉ by the author).
[17] “Dr Mary Ashun”. Bettshow.com. Retrieved 12th March 2024
[18] Dr. Mary Ashun. WhatsApp interaction with PELÉ on 22nd March, 2024
[19] Bannerman, E. (2022-10-04). GIS holds 6th Time Educators Conference. Myjoyonline. Retrieved 12th March 2024.
[20] Richter-Anderson, M. (2023-05-30). Ghana International School poised to make an impact in Ghana and beyond – Principal discloses Myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 12th March 2024
[21] Okertchiri, J. A. (2017-09-09) GIS Principal Raises Funds for Charities. Daily Guide Network. Retrieved 12th March 2024
[22] Ibrahim, A. (2023-05-17). Ghana’s Mary Ashun named Top 10 finalist for Africa Education Medal 2023.
[23] Principal, Dr. Mary Ashun wins Excellent Educator Award 27th June 2024. GIS. Retrieved 11th March 2024
[24] Felicia (2014-06-24). “GIS Principal receives distinguished Klingenstein School Heads Fellowship”. GIS. Retrieved 10th March 2024
[25] Dr. Mary Ashun. Global Education Council. BETT. See https://www.bettshow.com/global-education-council/dr-mary-ashun
[26] Andah, Aba Cato & Zoe Baraka. 2023. Letters of Hope to My Younger Self. Triple A Press, p. 65.
[27] Dr. Mary Ashun. WhatsApp interaction with PELÉ on 22nd March, 2024.
50 Inspiring Living Leaders
This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.
INDRA NOOYI – The Business Leader and Strategic Thinker Who Transformed PepsiCo
“No business can ever truly succeed in a society that fails.” ― Indra Nooyi
INTRODUCTION
Indra Nooyi shattered the glass ceiling with her rise to become the first woman of colour and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company.[1] Her achievements at PepsiCo have marked her out as an outstanding strategist and leader. She spent twenty-four years at PepsiCo and is credited with growing the American multinational food and beverages company’s net revenue by more than eighty percent during her tenure as CEO. Her initiatives strengthened PepsiCo’s commitment to environment sustainability and improved the healthiness of its food offerings. In June 2023, Forbes estimated Nooyi’s net worth at $350 million.[2]
Nooyi’s amazing journey from Madras in southern India to the zenith of the corporate world in the United States is one that inspires many.
GROWTH
Roots in India
Indira K. Nooyi was born on 28th October 1955 in Madras (now called Chennai) in the south of India to a close and devout Hindu family. She has an elder sister and a younger brother. Indra describes her family as a ‘traditional family living in a multigenerational home’ and although they were not wealthy, they lived comfortably and had invaluable stability[3]. Her family was ‘supremely focused on education’ and so were keen on educating the women in the family, something that was uncommon in mid-twentieth century India.
Her mother, Shantha, instilled in Indra and her elder sister, Chandrika, respect for their teachers, admonishing them to revere their teachers as ‘gods’. Indra recounts that often at the dinner table, Shantha “would ask us to write a speech about what we would do if we were president, chief minister, or prime minister – every day would be a different world leader she’d ask us to play”. 3
Indra had her secondary education at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, a few kilometres from her home and then proceeded to Madras Christian College (MCC) from where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in 1974. She played guitar in an all-girl rock band and was an avid cricket player too. After a tough admission process, Indra began an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) in August 1974. She was pushed towards IIM Calcutta partly by her sister, Chandrika, who having spent her days at Holy Angels and MCC with Indra did not want Indra following her to Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad). “I need a break from you – don’t you dare apply to IIM Ahmedabad!” Chandrinka had warned Indra.3
After graduating from IIM Calcutta, Indra worked with Mettur Beardsell, a textile firm owned by a UK-based company, Tootal, and then subsequently with Johnson & Johnson’s Bombay (Mumbai) office. At Johnson & Johnson, she took on the difficult challenge of marketing Johnson and Johnson’s Stayfree brand of sanitary pads. This was particularly difficult in the late 1970s India when such a product was not advertised and many retailers were reluctant to stock them.[4]
A Shade of Difference
When her sister, Chandrika, decided to leave Madras for IIM – Ahmedabad, their parents had been reluctant to allow an unmarried woman to travel that far for studies and were insistent on her marrying before leaving for college. Their mother had declared that she would fast until death if Chandrika was allowed to leave for Ahmedabad. Their grandfather’s intervention saved the situation. In many ways Chandrika was a trailblazer for Indra – her attendance of the distant IIM Ahmedabad paved the way for less resistance to Indra’s decision to attend IIM Calcutta. In August 1978, at age 23, Indra was leaving unmarried to study in a place thousands of miles away. This was not an easy decision as she recalls in the Financial Times January 2004 edition: “It was unheard of for a good, conservative, south Indian Brahmin girl to do this. It would make her an absolutely unmarriageable commodity after that.” 4
After reading an article titled ‘A Shade of Difference’ in the September 1976 edition of the Newsweek magazine, Indra felt the article was speaking to her. She wanted a life in global business – a different shade of what she was doing at that moment. The article was about Yale University’s new business school. In 1978, Indra gained admission to Yale School of Management in the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management.
After graduating from Yale in 1980, Nooyi worked with the Boston Consulting Group for six years managing international corporate strategy projects.[5] From 1986 to 1990, she worked with telecommunications company Motorola, serving as Vice-President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning. She subsequently worked for power and automations company, ASEA Brown Boveri, as Senior Vice President for Strategy and Strategic Marketing.
SUCCESS
Leading PepsiCo
Nooyi sees the fundamental role of leaders as looking for ways to shape the decades ahead and helping others accept the discomfort of disruptions to the status quo.3 She demonstrated this leadership at PepsiCo.
Her journey with PepsiCo began in March 1994 as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Strategy and Planning overseeing major restructurings during her first years. She played a major role in PepsiCo’s acquisition of Tropicana Products in July 1998 and its merger with Quaker Oats Company in 2001.[6]
She rose through the ranks at PepsiCo serving as Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategy and Development; Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer; President and Chief Financial Officer; Member, Board of Directors, responsible for Corporate functions. Indra Nooyi was appointed President and CEO in August 2006 and Chairman in 2007.
To reposition PepsiCo for success in the decades ahead, Nooyi introduced her guiding strategy, Performance with Purpose (PwP). She introduced PwP to rethink PepsiCo to provide consumers with healthier products and to promote environmental sustainability.[7] PwP was aimed at delivering excellent financial performance and three important goals: Nourish humanity and communities, Replenish the environment and Cherish the people at PepsiCo (Nourish. Replenish. Cherish.).
PwP tested the resolve of Nooyi as she faced resistance from some of the shareholders of PepsiCo but she remained resolute and it defined her leadership of PepsiCo. PwP influenced major decisions as well as minor decisions. For example, to show that she cherished the workers at PepsiCo, she wrote hundreds of personalised letters and notes over ten years to the parents of senior executives thanking them for raising their children well to become excellent workers at PepsiCo. She sent similar ‘Thank You’ notes to the spouses of her direct reports.
PwP influenced major decisions such as redirecting the company from junk foods to more healthier foods.[8] PepsiCo reduced the sugar content in its products and also ended the use of trans fats. It introduced recyclable packaging and new processes to reduce water consumption.[9] In 2012, PepsiCo won the Stockholm Industry Water Award for conserving nearly 16 billion litres of water in 2011.[10]
Nooyi is renowned for her strategic thinking and is credited with growing the revenue of PepsiCo’s from $35 billion in 2006, when she became CEO, to $63.5 billion by 2017.[11] The market capitalisation of PepsiCo rose by $57 billion dollars between 2006 and 2018, when she stepped down. She is also praised for mainstreaming design thinking at PepsiCo to drive innovation in the company[12].
The many initiatives implemented by Nooyi at PepsiCo were hugely successful and the company continues to benefit from them years after her exit – she shaped the decades ahead. Her achievements have made her a celebrated business leader.
In an interview with Morgan Stanley in 2023, Nooyi advised business leaders that “You don’t inherit leadership. You earn the stripes to be a leader. Leaders have to inspire everyone in the organisation to follow them.”[13] Indra earned the stripes with her achievements at PepsiCo and has a global following.
The Value of Family
Nooyi sees family as a powerful source of human strength and has often touted the family she created with her husband, Raj Nooyi, as her proudest achievement. Indra was introduced to Raj by an Indian friend and after a few weeks of dating, they decided to get married. After four decades of marriage, Raj and Nooyi still debate who broached the subject of marriage. Raj and Indra have two daughters, Preetha and Tara.
Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Nooyi had in direct conversations with Jack Welch rejected job offers from GE (General Electric) because the offers were going to require her to move away from her family. She rejected an offer from the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology giant, Monsanto, for the same reason. Nooyi chose to join PepsiCo in part because its headquarters was close to her home and it would take her fifteen minutes to drive to her home, and to her children’s school, from the office.
Indra in her autobiography – My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future – recounts an occasion where her mother reminded her of the paramountcy of family and her role in it. She had just been informed of the decision to appoint her as President of PepsiCo and she drove home eager to tell her family. She was however met on arrival by her mother ordering her to go out and get milk. When upon her return she complained about her mother not being interested in hearing about her appointment as President of PepsiCo, her mother replied, “You may be the president or whatever of PepsiCo, but when you come home, you are a wife and a mother and a daughter. Nobody can take your place. So, you leave that crown in the garage.” 3
The importance of family and providing the right conditions for work-life balance underpinned many of the major decisions she took as CEO. It also drives her efforts to find solutions to the work-life conundrum. The family support structure – mother, uncles, aunts and in-laws – she had around her allowed her to work full-time. These family members supported with the care of her daughters.[14]
SIGNIFICANCE
Achieving Work-Life Balance
As a trail blazer for women at the very top, Indra has been a strong advocate for the creation of the right work environment to promote women’s financial independence and security.[15] She has been rallying businesses and governments to provide conditions that allow families to thrive.[16] In her view, companies need to see child care and elder care as business issues.[17] In order to create a healthy work-life balance, she has proposed a three-pronged approach focusing on paid leave, flexibility and predictability, and care.[18]
She has campaigned for a minimum twelve weeks paid maternity leave for mothers (primary caregivers) and eight weeks paid paternity leave to be made available across the United States. She has been pushing for the extension of paid leave to workers caring for sick family members. Indra is a beneficiary of these paid leaves. In January 1983, she was granted a 6-month paid leave by the Boston Consulting Group to enable her return to India to care for her ailing father. She ended up taking only three months but credits the gesture as saving her career as she did not have to choose between family and career. In her own words, “In many ways, it’s only when you have experienced this benefit yourself that you can truly realise its critical importance.” 3
The second prong focuses on providing workers with work flexibility—including opportunities to work remotely—and predictability in work schedules, especially for shift workers.
The third prong concerns the provision of quality, safe and affordable care infrastructure for children and the elderly. Again, Indra exemplified this at PepsiCo by resisting scepticism to spend $2 million to retrofit a floor at PepsiCo’s headquarters into a childcare facility, PepStart.[19]
Community Service
Since Nooyi’s retirement from PepsiCo‘s board in 2019, she has been focusing her efforts and attention on community service. For her it is no longer about “achieving anything. It’s about giving back—as so much was given to me—to my community, the state, the country.” 1
In 2019, Nooyi was appointed co-director of Connecticut Economic Resource Centre to help improve the state’s economic development strategy. Nooyi and fellow Yale graduate Dr. Albert Ko were chosen to represent Connecticut on a six-state body in the U.S. tasked with designing a plan for the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.[20] In 2021, Indra and her husband Raj Nooyi donated $3 million dollars to Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) to establish the Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health to help position YSPH as an international leader in public health science.[21] She has made several donations to Yale and is one of her alma mater’s largest alumni donors.
She was the co-chair of AdvanceCT, a Connecticut based non-profit organisation, from 2019 to 2021.[22] She joined the board of Amazon in 2019.[23] Nooyi also joined the Board of the International Cricket Council as its first independent female director in June 2018.[24]
Recognition and Awards
Indra Nooyi has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years. She was elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008[25] and was elected chairperson of the U.S. – India Business Council in January 2008. In 2009, she was named CEO of the Year by the Global Supply Chain Leaders Group and was named every year from 2008 to 2017 on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.[26] She was winner of Academy of International Business (AIB)’s The International Executive of the Year award in 2016.[27] In 2021, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in the U.S.[28] In 2019, Indra was honoured with a portrait at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.[29]
She has received honorary doctorate degrees from many universities including her alma mater (Yale University),[30] New York University[31], Duke University[32] and University of Warwick[33].
CONCLUSION
Indra Nooyi’s journey to the pinnacle of corporate America and her accomplishments at the top is one of the most remarkable stories about overcoming challenges with hard work and determination, no matter one’s origins. It is one that motivates many to strive for success in work and family life. When Nooyi stepped down as CEO of PepsiCo in 2018, after 24 years, she shared with staff some of the lessons that had guided her throughout her career. These lessons are worth repeating and are summarised below:[34]
- Always have a clear, compelling vision for what you want to accomplish
- Focus on the short-term and the long-term
- Bring people along with you
- Be a good listener
- Be a lifelong student
- Think hard about time–make the most of your days.
[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-indra-nooyi-on-leadership-life-and-crafting-a-better-future retrieved 29th January 2024
[2] https://www.forbes.com/profile/indra-nooyi/?sh=66b9d4be5d6f retrieved 29th January 2024
[3] Nooyi, Indra. My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. New York, Penguin, 2021
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50 Inspiring Living Leaders
This 50 Inspiring Living Leaders series highlights current influencers who are succeeding in leadership, integrity, family or entrepreneurship in whatever field and exhibit most, if not all, of our values of PELÉ. We value people, growth, particularity, excellence, success, authenticity and significance. These stories are largely written in terms of growth, success and significance in leadership, integrity, family and entrepreneurship. While we do our best to receive personal references about each leader, most of our research and writing is based on literature review of publicly-available information. As authorities in leadership, we are fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect leader, and leaders may have their flaws, but we choose to celebrate these inspiring living leaders for their achievements outlined in our series. Having said that, should you happen to have any incontrovertible evidence that any of our featured leaders does not fit our bill of an authentic leader, please write to us at info@perbiexecutive.com. Our vision at PELÉ is a flourishing global ecosystem of authentic leaders characterised by healthy growth, holistic success and lasting significance.
