NARAYAN MURTHY

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, more popularly known as Narayana Murthy, is the co-founder of Infosys, a multinational corporation that provides services pertaining to technology, engineering, consulting and outsourcing. Narayana Murthy was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; in fact, he had to work extremely hard to reach the top.He was born on August 20, 1946, in Mysore, Karnataka. He came from a poor but an educated family. From his childhood days, Narayana Murthy was academically brilliant. He was passionate about Mathematics and Physics and always had the thirst and the desire to gain more knowledge in these fields. Hence, he pursued a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Mysore and later, received his Masters degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Although Narayana Murthy was born into a poor family, his dreams were huge. From a young age, he dreamt of starting his own business venture. Narayana Murthy began his career as a chief systems programmer at IIM Ahmedabad. He then started a company called Softronics, which failed after 1.5 years of its inception. Despite the failures he encountered at an early age, he did not give up his dream of being an entrepreneur. He learnt from his previous mistakes and decided to start afresh in 1981. That year, he, together with six software professionals, put together Rs 10,000 to create a company called Infosys. From the beginning, the team kept the interests of the company ahead of their own interest. And each of the team members brought complementary strengths to the company. Today, Narayana Murthy is listed as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, alongside Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. In 2000, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India for his significant contribution to the countrys IT sector and economy. In 2008, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan, Indias second highest civilian award. In 2011, when Narayana Murthy took retirement, the company went through tumultuous times. Cost-cutting was evident and the performance of the company deteriorated. On June 1, 2013, Narayana Murthy was called out of retirement to lead the company once again. Narayana Murthy, who will turn 67 this year, has taken up the challenge to bring the company back on its feet. He has taken up the positions of an Additional Director and the Executive Chairman of the Board with the company. And he is working closely with the top management

to come up with incentives such as giving higher salaries to top performers to improve the performance of the company. This is a true example of commitment and dedication. Even after his retirement, Narayana Murthy is willing to sacrifice his luxuries to revive the company. Being born into a poor family did not deter Narayana Murthy from pursuing his dreams. This is what we can learn from Narayana Murthys determination to succeed anyone can rise in education and career if he/she puts his mind and heart to it. Lack of financial resources is not an excuse for a dull career. William Shakespeare once said, It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in us. Similarly, just because one is born into a poor family does not mean that he/she will remain poor and unsuccessful for the rest of his/her life. If we are passionate about changing our future, our dreams will definitely come true. Life is full of challenges. We all make mistakes but it is important to learn from them and rise in our academic and professional lives.

INDRA NOOYI

The lady with a fizz, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is the chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, the world's fourth-largest food and Beverage Company. An Indian-born American executive, Nooyi was ranked No.4 on Forbes magazine's annual survey of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Prior to becoming CEO she was the President, Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of PepsiCo Inc. Belonging to a South Indian family, Nooyi was born on October 28, 1955 in Tamil Nadu, India. Her father worked at the State Bank of Hyderabad and her grandfather was a district judge. She completed her schooling from Holy Angels AIHSS, Chennai and received a Bachelor's degree in Physics, Chemistry and Maths from Madras Christian College in 1974. On completion of her graduation she went to Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta for doing Masters in Finance and Marketing. According to the faculty members Nooyi has been a very mediocre student.

After completion of her MBA she joined ABB and then Johnson and Johnson (J&J) in Mumbai as a product manager. One of her achievement with J&J is her close association with launch of the sanitary napkin, Stayfree. Not satisfied with the way her career was going she persuaded her parents to let her study at Yale Management School in US and earned a Master's degree in Public and Private Management in 1978. While studying at Yale she worked as a first job interview. Being uncomfortable next interview her professor advised her She wore a sari and got the job and this the rest of her career. receptionist to buy a western suit for her with the outfit she was rejected. For her to stick to what she was comfortable with. philosophy of be yourself she followed for

Before landing in Pepsi, worlds second largest soft-drink company Nooyi worked with Boston Consulting Group and Motorola. Nooyi coaxed the CEO Roger Enrico of the Pepsi to follow-up the companys restaurant division, including brands such K FC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, as the chief strategy officer. She was elected to PepsiCos Board of Directors and became President and Chief Financial Officer in 2001, after serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2000. Nooyi also served as PepsiCos Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development from 1996 until 2000, and as PepsiCos Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning from 1994 until 1996. In 2006, Nooyi surpassed everybodys imagination, when she was named th e successor to Steven Reinemund as chief executive officer of Pepsi Co. According to Business Week, since she started as CFO in 2000 the company's annual revenues have risen 72%, while net profit more than doubled, to USD 5.6 billion in 2006. She steered PepsiCo with revenues of more than USD 60 billion and over 285,000 employees. She equally emphasized in the Mergers and Acquisition which was bolstered by the acquisition of the Tropicana and Quaker fruit juice brands. With her superb knack of facts and figures she predicted the slowdown in the popularity of aerated soft drinks in the markets worldwide. She meticulously planned for the foray of Pepsi into the sport drinks market in association with Gatorade. Her quick decision making ability and clinging to the work until its accomplished continues to grow PepsiCo, the USD 39 billion food and beverage giant. Focusing on innovation instead of acquisition, the company has been debuting new product lines, targeted marketing and repackaging efforts since 2009. The group also launched a "Refresh Everything" campaign, featuring Pepsi Natural, made with all-natural ingredients, and Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, inspired by designs of the 1960s and '70s. Speaking of her achievements, Nooyi is the 12th highest paid corporate woman in the US, with an annual pay package of over USD 12.7 million, according to Forbes magazine. She shares the worlds most 100 most powerful women list with the likes of Condoleeza Rice, Sonia Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey and Hilary Clinton. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2007. Nooyi has been named the Most Powerful Business Woman in the world in 2006 and 2007 by Fortune magazine. Presently, there are only 10 Fortune 500 companies that are run by women. Nooyi is the 11th to break into the top echelons of power. The Cola giant chairperson serves as an Honorary Co-Chair for the World Justice Project.

Describing herself as an ordinary girl she still retains so much of her Indianness and dons sari with bindi in most of the office ceremonies. She believes the corporate world appreciates people who are genuine. She views PepsiCo as an extended family. Being a woman, immigrant and of different race made it thrice difficult for Nooyi to reach to this position but the only mantra which she followed was working twice hard as the male counterpart. A mother of two daughters, she has an inclination towards arts and is a member of the Boards of the Lincoln Center for the performing Arts in the New York City. Nature wise she is simple, chirpy and has a great sense of humour. She comes as personality sans controversy. At the age of 55, Nooyi rise to power has lit up fire in every mediocre soul that nothing is impossible for the determined and strong willed person, the only thing being required is the perseverance. The Iron woman of PepsiCo motto is, Brands go through ups and downs. I think every five or seven years, you've got to change out the approach to the brand, because you need a new boost of energy to think about the next iteration. Too many brands, when they are successful, just become arrogant and get trapped in their very self confidence.