Indra Nooyi and Jeff Bewkes speaking at Yale School of Management today
Yale School of Management Reunion
This weekend is the celebration of my Yale School of Management (SOM) 30th reunion. We heard two excellent speakers this afternoon: Indra Nooyi, SOM ’80, the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, and Jeff Bewkes, Yale ’74, the Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, Inc.
I loved their comments. They clearly feel the responsibility of their positions. Creating value within their company is important to them. They are committed to hiring and rewarding excellent people who understand the culture they are building.
It was fascinating to hear about how many lives they impact. Indra Nooyi, CEO and Chair of PepsiCo, said they have over 260,000 people in the worldwide company. “We’re in 180 countries,” she said. They are active in Nigeria – I was sure, but just checked!
Sharon Oster at Yale SOM today. Pic is of her image on screen as she spoke.
She spoke strongly about sustainability within the company. She referred to PepsiCo as a legacy company. “To be a global company today as we are, you have to be very large,” she said.
We also toasted and honored the five faculty members who are retiring this year. Sharon Oster was my econ professor, an outstanding teacher, and someone I admire.
She wrote a recommendation for my memoir! It was such fun to greet her and several of my classmates.
Museum Shows Horrors of Lynching
A new museum that depicts the horrors of years of lynchings, has opened in Montgomery, Alabama. One man has made it his mission to bring our attention to these atrocities. The museum provides long-overdue recognition of people who died in lynchings.
You can read about it here. I hope I can visit it.
Meanwhile, right here in Westport, an exhibit at our Westport Historical Society explores the history of African Americans in the town. Dan Woog wrote about it today in his blog.
I plan to attend the opening on May 11.
Biafra Conference Next Week
Indra Nooyi with one of her famous quotes
I’m chairing a panel, “Waging Peace, Unique Experiences of Former Peace Corps Volunteers in Biafra,” next week. Biafra was the secessionist state that existed from 1967-70 in southeastern Nigeria. The Nigerian military, with help from Great Britain, defeated the breakaway country.
I was there for part of the time, spending a year in my husband’s village.
The two other panelists were still in the Peace Corps when war broke out. More next time about them!
We’ll be at the “Women in Biafra” conference at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, UMBC, on Tuesday morning. Check my events page if you’re nearby and want to come!
President Buhari on Boko Haram
Buhari spoke to Voice of America, VOA, after his meetings on Monday in Washington. He said that many people have gone back to their farms and villages. He even stated that they are receiving low-interest government loans.
President Buhari has said repeatedly that Boko Haram has been weakened, even defeated. They held many local government areas when he took office in 2015, he says, ” ‘But now they are not holding any local governments, according to what the military told me, and I believe them,’ he said Monday.
Yet the very next day there was an attack in Mubi, in northeastern Nigeria.
More Reunion Tomorrow
I’ll drive back to New Haven tomorrow for breakfast with my classmates and a day of reunion activities!
