India strong enough to support PepsiCo’s growth: Indra Nooyi

PepsiCo chairperson and chief executive Indra Nooyi said there was no reason that India should lose sheen for her company when the country's economic fundamentals are strong for PepsiCo to expand and thrive.

Despite the current economic slowdown, the country continues to offer a vast market for the new-age multinationals like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola as well as the global retailing giants.

"The fundamentals of our country are very brilliant and I don't see any reason why the great Indian story has lost so fast its sheen and the reason for the pessimism," Nooyi said at a special session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) meeting in the capital on Friday.

Last week, Nooyi had announced Pepisco's plans to invest around Rs33,000 crore in innovation, manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture among other areas, by 2020, to boost its India operations.

According to her, PepsiCo has so far invested more than Rs10,000 crore in India since its entry in 1989.

Speaking on `Managing uncertainty: Leadership in turbulent times' at the CII National Council here, Chennai-born Nooyi narrated the leadership and foresight with which PepsiCo had handled the turbulent times during the 2008 global slowdown and financial crisis.

''First, accept that turbulence is here to stay. Most successful companies are those that stay calm and think down to earth rather than showing aggressiveness to shorten the crisis period,'' she said.

''Don't take an eye on the short term but think long,'' is the second lesson.

She further added that in turbulent times, leaders need to handle the crisis with courage and conviction, while the fourth lesson learnt through 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 Nooyi.