Indra Nooyi, One of The Few Minority Women CEOs in America, is Stepping Down as Head of Pepsi

Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s first female chief executive, is stepping down after 12 years at the helm of the food and beverage behemoth.

Nooyi will stay on as chairman until early 2019 after 24 years with the company. When Nooyi took the reins, she was Pepsi’s first foreign-born chief executive. She is also one of the few minority women to lead major corporations, and her departure sheds new light on the absence of women — and particularly women of color — in some of America’s most high-profile corporate roles.

Nooyi will be succeeded on Oct. 3 by Ramon Laguarta, who has served as Pepsi’s president since last year. Nooyi became CEO in 2006.

“Leading PepsiCo has truly been the honor of my lifetime, and I’m incredibly proud of all we have done over the past 12 years to advance the interests not only of shareholders, but all our stakeholders in the communities we serve,” said Nooyi. “Growing up in India, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary company.”

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