When asked about impact of Donald Trump’s surprise presidential victory, PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi did not mince words. Her daughters and some of her employees are “in mourning” over the election, said the CEO.
Speaking at the DealBook Conference in New York City on Thursday, Nooyi said she’s doing her best to reassure her girls—as well as many PepsiCo workers—about the future.
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“I had to answer a lot of questions, from my daughters, from my employees, they were all in mourning,” said Nooyi, according to a CNBC report. “Our employees are all crying and the question that they are asking, especially those that are not white: ‘Are we safe?’ Women are asking, ‘Are we safe?’ LGBT people are asking, ‘Are we safe?’ I never thought I’d have had to answer those questions.”
According to a PepsiCo spokesperson, the safety questions came up at a meeting Nooyi had with a small group of employees in New York City.
“The first thing we all have to do is assure everyone living in the United Sates that you are safe,” said Nooyi, adding that election results are simply “the process of democracy.”
She did comment on some of Trump’s sexist remarks, asking, “How do you talk about women that way?,” according to Forbes‘ coverage of her talk. Misogynist discourse cannot be tolerated, said Nooyi: “If we don’t nip this in the bud it is going to be a lethal force in society.”
While the CEO did not publicly come forward to support either candidate during the race, she has congratulated President-elect Trump on his win, said the spokesperson.
The election is over, Nooyi told the DealBook crowd, and now there is one way forward: “We just have to let life go on.”
