Indra Nooyi's throwback: When Manmohan Singh said, 'She's one of us', Obama's reaction

Indra Nooyi recalled the time she met Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama in 2009.

Indra Nooyi, former PepsiCo CEO, recalled the time she met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former US president Barack Obama together during the former’s state visit to the United States. About Nooyi, the two world leaders told each other, “She’s one of us.”

On President’s Day that the US observes, Nooyi shared an excerpt from her memoir, “My Life in Full”, describing the episode from November 2009.

“One foggy Tuesday… Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh had entered the room for an update on our group’s progress, and President Obama began introducing the American team to his Indian counterpart. When he got to me—Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo—Prime Minister Singh exclaimed, ‘Oh! But she is one of us!’”

“And the president, with a big smile and without missing a beat, responded, ‘Ah, but she is one of us, too!’”

Nooyi, one of the most powerful business leaders in the world, has often spoken about her personal and professional journey, and about the challenges of rising up the corporate ladder as an immigrant woman in the United States.

“This President’s Day, I'm grateful for the spontaneous kindness I've received from countless leaders from the US, India, and across the globe,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

The 66-year-old is one of the two Indian-origin women to become a global CEO, the second being Chanel’s new boss Leena Nair.

She worked at PepsiCo for 24 years, 12 of them as CEO, before stepping down in 2018. . While she was CEO, PepsiCo's revenues grew from $35 billion to $63.5 billion and she became known for promoting such good for you snacks as Baked Lays potato chips and Naked juices made of fruits and vegetables.