PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi headed for Washington?

20 Feb 2008

Indra K Nooyi,Mumbai: Indra K Nooyi, the India-born head of the global soft drink giant PepsiCo, is slated for a role in the US government, possibly after the next presidential term, media reports said.

"After PepsiCo, I do want to go to Washington," US business magazine Fortune quoted her as saying in a report published in its latest issue.

"I want to give back, to work for no money for four or five years," said Nooyi. But, she said, any such move could take time.

"Not now, she says firmly, but after the next presidential term sounds like a possibility," the report noted.

The Fortune report noted that the fight for market share is unlikely to engage her for long and, at some point, that role in government will beckon her.

"She is not hung up on pay... She is 52 years old and does not plan for this job to be her last. Her friend Henry Kissinger predicts that it is only a matter of time before she is plucked for a big Washington Post, possibly a cabinet job, and Nooyi acknowledges that at some point, she'd like that," the report said.

Nooyi, meanwhile, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the US India Business Council (USIBC). Nooyi is the first woman head the organisation.

The USIBC comprises Top 250 US companies with investments in India. The mandate of USIBC is to deepen two-way trade and strengthen American-Indian commercial ties.