Indra Nooyi, the chief executive officer for PepsiCo, was the keynote speaker for the Phoenix Women’s Commission’s fifteenth annual International Women’s Day Luncheon where Maricopa County Community College District students received scholarship awards recognizing their contributions to the community.

Nooyi, who was born in India, is part of a small group of women of color in high profile leadership positions.  PepsiCo is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world boasting profits of almost 33 billion dollars in 2005. 

Nooyi’s speech focused on opportunities for women to share their accomplishments.  She highlighted the fact that women have reached new levels of achievement all around the world.  Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was the first women elected president of an African nation. Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria was elected the first women president of Chile.  On January 4, 2007, Rep. Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the first female Speaker of the House.  The honorable Janet Napolitano was also mentioned as an example of achievement.

With all of these achievements in mind, she cautioned the audience that the tide has not turned for women.  Millions of women and girls do not have access to education.  In the poorest areas around the world women farm the land but are unable to own the land.  Women do not enjoy equal right and opportunities.  Having the status of second class citizens, women all over the world are victims of verbal and physical abuse and homicide.  She said that if you hold back women you hold back a whole society.  For a nation to advance, women must acquire legal and economic power.

Nooyi told the audience that it is the responsibility of women in leadership positions to enhance opportunities for women coming through the ranks by supporting them and creating environments for leadership and learning.  Women must instill in each other the great possibilities and opportunities that are available.  It is possible for women to be presidents, prime ministers and captains of industry. 

Nooyi suggests that success is not the endpoint but a means to higher giving.  She believes that sharing in success so that others might also succeed is the ultimate goal.  We must embrace the role as mentors.  At the luncheon, she passed along the insights she has learned throughout her years in business: 

The shackles of assumptions and stereotypes are being unlocked by examples of excellence and achievement such as the opportunity to hear the wisdom from a woman of the stature of Indra Nooyi.  MCCCD should be proud that that they provided this learning opportunity to their students and other members of the community.   Exposure to the continuing realities of the oppression of women is a necessary component to embracing diversity and inclusion.
Submitted by Ken Clarke, PVCC

Background information: The Phoenix Women’s Commission plays a significant role in the lives of women who are residents of in the City of Phoenix and are reentering education.  “The purpose of the annual Phoenix celebration of International Women's Day is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to raise money for scholarships for women to continue their education. For the past 15 years, the city of Phoenix, Phoenix Women's Commission and the International Women's Day Steering Committee have hosted a luncheon to recognize the resilient spirit of women around the world and raise funds to provide educational scholarships to re-entry women interested in furthering their education.”
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. It is a day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.  The first IWD was observed on February 28, 1909 in the United States

Women’s groups around the world celebrate International Women’s Day. The March 8th date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. This day represents for women the remembrance of at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.