On October 16, the Sanger Leadership Center welcomed Michigan Ross alumnus Ram Krishnan (MBA ’06), CEO of PepsiCo North America, to campus for the latest installment of the Leadership Dialogues speaker series. In conversation with Michigan Ross professor Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Krishnan shared insights from his career leading transformation and growth across PepsiCo’s global businesses.
More than 300 students, faculty, and community members gathered in Robertson Auditorium for the session, “Inside PepsiCo: Navigating Leadership Through Paradox.” The conversation explored the competing tensions that define modern leadership and how leaders can turn seemingly contradictory ideas into an advantage—from protecting an organization’s heritage while reinventing for tomorrow to remaining humble while leading boldly.
For students preparing to enter the workforce, the discussion offered a timely look at what it takes to lead amid disruption and change. Krishnan and Sanchez-Burks explored how leaders can embrace complexity rather than defaulting to either/or choices—and why distinctly human capabilities remain essential as organizations and workplaces evolve.
Throughout the conversation, Krishnan and Sanchez-Burks explored many tensions, including when to lead with a human touch and when to use technology like AI, a topic tied closely to Sanchez-Burk’s forthcoming book Human Mode: Unlock Your Unique Edge and Transform Your World of Work.
“The Leadership Dialogues speaker series really exemplifies our mission,” Michelle Austin, managing director, noted in her introductory remarks. “World-class researchers join in discussion with leaders of today’s largest companies to show us exactly how evidence and practice play out.”
The event was covered by The Michigan Daily in an article that summarized the conversation and the attendee experience.
Continue the Conversation
Audio from the Leadership Dialogues session will be featured in an upcoming episode of M-LEAD’s Break Away podcast. Stay tuned this winter for the episode and an opportunity to hear more from the conversation.