Sunday, November 13, 2011

Influential Leaders


 Who have been some influential leaders (Founders, CEOs) in the industry over the past 20 years?

Indra Nooyi is the current Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.  She joined the company in 1994 and after just 7 years, became the president and CFO in 2001.  By 2007, she became the CEO.  As the company’s chief strategist, she restructured the company’s global strategy and direction.  Seeing that there was less opportunity in fast food, she began focusing on better-for-you products.  She had the company sell KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in 1997.  According to US News (2008), she betted on beverages and packaged food by acquiring Tropicana in 1998 and merged with Quaker Oats Company in 2001. 

According to BusinessWeek, since she started as CFO in 2000, the company’s annual revenues have risen 72% and net profit more than doubling to $5.6 billion in 2006.  The Wall Street Journal listed her as the one of the top 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008.  She was among Time’s Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2008.  Forbes ranked her as number 3 most powerful woman in 2008.  Fortune ranked her as the number 1 most powerful woman in business in 2009 and 2010.  Forbes magazine ranked her as the 6th most powerful woman in the world. 

            John MacKey is the CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods Market.  He is one of the most influential advocates for organic food.  According to the Guardian, MacKey started SaferWay, but after he started to merge with local natural-food stores to form Whole Foods, it became America’s fourth-largest chain store and the world’s most profitable organic grocer.  Whole Food was the first grocery chain to set standards to treat animals humanely.  According to the New York Times (2011), as of 2010, the company owns 299 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. 

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