Indra Nooyi doesn't look like the person you'd imagine as head of one of the world's biggest soda companies. But the India-born, snappily-dressed CEO of Pepsico (NYSE: PEP) was a no-brainer when she was promoted from CFO in October 2006. She was given the additional title of Chairwoman in February. After being raised and educated in India, Nooyi came to the U.S. to attend the Yale School of Management and landed (as all good future CEOs do) at a blue-chip consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group.

With only 10 women at the helm of Fortune 500 companies, Indra is in the cross-hairs; even more so given her role as champion of so many highly useless food items. What do you do when you're the Chief Executive of Corn Syrup? You start talking about your customers like so many corn fields. Indra has actually been working to make her company's junk food a little healthier, moving to trans-fat free oils for frying Frito-Lay's chips, introducing chips made from fruit and overseeing the purchase or development of several healthy beverages like Propel Fitness Water, lower-calorie Gatorade, Naked Juice, and Izze Soda. She calls it the "sustainability" of the consumer. Keep 'em healthy: they'll be able to drink fruit-juice-sweetened soda until they're 100! Brilliant.

Love women CEOs or not, you can't argue with the appreciation in Pepsi's stock price since Indra took over; it's over 25%, revenues are up over 70%, and net profit has more than doubled. Those are some healthy numbers, though it's too soon to tell if it's a sugar high or the company will have energy for the long haul.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.

When Indra Nooyi was installed as CEO of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) just last year, it was a high-flying moment regarding the influence of women professionals in large companies -- and Nooyi joined the very exclusive club of Fortune 500 female CEOs.

That trust was extended in a large way today as PepsiCo said that Nooyi will assume the additional title of chairwoman. In recent memory, I can't recall a female being a CEO and Chairwoman of such a high-profile company, and it's a neat moment in business history. If you ask me, there needs to be a good deal more female leaders at the top of many large corporations. Some of the ones I've had the pleasure of meeting struck me as competent (and moreso than some male competitors) leaders and execs.

Looks like PepsiCo realized this. Now, when current board chairman (and former CEO) Steven Reinemund retires on in May, PepsiCo could have recruited another leader for the board, but apparently chose the most qualified candidate. If Nooyi's tenure so far is any indication, she'll be an asset to the board.

Indra Nooyi isn't even officially begun her new role as CEO of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), and already she's shaking things up. On Friday Pepsi announced Nooyi would be promoting John Compton to CEO of PepsiCo North America, effective immediately. The promotion is only part of a reorganization that morphs Pepsi into two separate divisions, both reporting directly to Nooyi: PepsiCo International and PepsiCo North America.

Bank of America analyst Bryan Spillane likes Compton in the role, but according to the Wall Street Journal [subscription required], said that Pepsi's "talent glut" might mean other executives would begin to grumble about their relative paucity of promotions and responsibilities.

Compton's background is notable for his ability to manage disparate organizations; he was responsible for the integration of Quaker Oats into PepsiCo following the 2001 merger. Nooyi won't be officially his boss until October 1, when she takes over from outgoing CEO Steven Reinemund.

My best girlfriend from business school, Jaime, just announced that she was quitting her job as a management consultant and taking a position at PepsiCo in the corporate strategy department. Evidently she's not the only smart, financially savvy woman PepsiCo values; today, the beverage giant announced that current CFO Indra K. Nooyi would be taking over as CEO effective October 1, when current chief Steven Reinemund steps down from the position "to spend more time with his family." He'll be retiring in May, and will continue as Chairman of PepsiCo's board until then.

Indra will join 10 other women currently in the CEO position at Fortune 500 companies (by market capitalization, she'll be the second-most important, behind Patricia Woertz at ADM). Analysts seem to be roundly thrilled, calling Nooyi a "star" (Citigroup's Bonnie Herzog) and marking this promotion as an indication there is "enough to keep Ms. Nooyi interested at Pepsi" (Bank of America's Bryan Spillane).

I see it as no coincidence that a valued friend would move to the company at the same time an obviously brilliant woman takes over the CEO role. This can only mean good things for Pepsi. Investors seem to be cheering, too, and have sent the stock up 57 cents to $63.90 so far today, within pennies of a 52-week (and, in fact, all-time) high.

Sarah Gilbert has a Wharton MBA and worked in investment banking for several years, then at a series of increasingly edgy startups before finding her calling, producing blogs for AOL. She doesn't own stock in Pepsi.