Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi Speaks at WFU Graduation

Indra Nooyi, the chairman and CEO of Pepsico, spoke at this year’s graduation ceremony at Wake Forest University. She encouraged graduates to never stop learning. Hear her speech here, courtesy of NPR affiliate WFDD.

In her commencement address, “For Humanity,” Nooyi encouraged graduates to remain open to every opportunity that comes their way. “Never stop growing intellectually; don’t lose your curiosity, your quest for learning,” she said. “To be the best you can be, you have to be a lifelong student.”

Nooyi paid tribute to two of her predecessors at PepsiCo — Steve Reinemund, dean of the Schools of Business, and the late Wayne Calloway (’59), who served as chairman of Wake Forest’s board of trustees in the 1990s. Using examples from her own career in business, she warned graduates not to become too narrowly focused on a certain career plan because they could miss opportunities that will could lead to greater things.

“Keep your childlike curiosity and never stop learning. Grasp every opportunity that comes your way and give 110% to generate these opportunities. Stay positive about yourself [and] assume positive intent about other people. It creates a virtuous circle of common humanity where you get what you give. If you do all these things, I have no doubt that you will make a different and help change the world.”

110516news Photo courtesy of WFDD.

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