Hear them roar: Global 500 women CEOs

• Global 500: The world's largest companies

While a student at Yale's business school, Indra Nooyi found herself broke and outfit-less before an interview. Out of necessity, she says she wore a sari after being told by a friend, "If they don't hire you for who you are, then they don't deserve you." Nooyi got the job.

Starting at a textile firm in India, Nooyi had stints at The Boston Consulting Group, Motorola, and Asea Brown Boveri.

She joined PepsiCo in 1994. In 2001, Nooyi was made president and CFO at the company. In October 2006, she became PepsiCo's CEO.

Nooyi has been lauded for her innovations since becoming CEO. She has focused on diversifying PepsiCo's offerings, focusing on healthy products while still promoting the classic sugar-in-a-can Pepsi cola. She is also married with two children.

NEXT: Irene B. Rosenfeld