“That kind of scene may be rare in the hypercompetitive realm of C-suites, but not at PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s three ex-CEOs, all on good terms with one another, weighed in to help Nooyi keep White on board. She says she asked the board to increase White’s compensation to nearly match hers (Nooyi’s 2006 compensation: $7.1 million). White was Pepsi’s best operations man—the kind of guy who would be indispensable in a downturn. He would be an important advisor. In the end, White decided to stay. When it was his turn to speak to the troops at the meeting the following week to announce Nooyi’s
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