Former International Student Indra Nooyi is Yale's Biggest Donor

Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Inc., has made a landmark gift to endow the deanship of the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut. Nooyi, who was born and raised in India, received a B.S. from Madras Christian College and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta before obtaining a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale in 1980.

“My experience at the Yale School of Management forever altered the course of my life,” Nooyi said in a Yale press release. “My gift to this wonderful institution pales in comparison with the gift that Yale gave me — the fundamental understanding that leadership requires an expansive worldview and a deep appreciation of the many points of intersection between business and society.

“Business issues are never just business issues, and my most ardent hope is that this endowment will teach future generations of leaders that the most successful companies of tomorrow will do more than make money. They will make a difference and create shareholder value by improving the quality of life in every market in which they operate.”

The gift, which will also be used to begin the Fifth Decade Innovation Fund, makes Nooyi the first woman to endow the deanship at a top business school. She also becomes the most generous graduate of Yale School of Management in terms of lifetime giving to the school.

Nooyi has served as chief executive officer of PepsiCo since 2006, and chairman since 2007.

(Photo: Copyright Pepsico.)