Indra Nooyi is in the news for being named CEO of PepsiCo. That was three days ago. Nooyi has had her place in the news before, for reasons very different. On May 15, 2005 Nooyi, as PepsiCo president and CFO, had compared the US to the middle finger on a hand during a speech to Columbia MBA graduates. The analogy was meant to illustrate how America was culturally different from many parts of the world it was doing business with, and how it should sensitise itself to cultural diversities. The speech was misinterpreted and started off a blogstorm. Many condemned what they perceived as the apparent anti-American implications of her remarks. Excerpts from the speech:

...This evening, graduates...I’m going to take a look at how the United States is often perceived in global business, what causes this perception, and what we can do about it. To help me, I’m going to make use of a model.

To begin, I’d like you to consider your hand. That’s right: your hand.

First, let’s consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa...because of its place on the world’s stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand.

Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world’s economic stage.

Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.

... contd.