*By Conor White*
PepsiCo's [decision](https://qz.com/work/1349337/pepsicos-long-serving-ceo-indra-nooyi-is-replaced-by-a-man/) that CEO Indra Nooyi will be replaced by company executive Ramon Laguarta highlights the gender disparity in C-Suite roles, an issue that's only getting worse, said New York Times gender correspondent Susan Chira.
"Nooyi said she would've loved to have chosen a woman," Chira said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar. "But there was no one Pepsi saw as a credible successor to her, and I think that's very discouraging."
Nooyi's departure is the latest in a string of female CEO exits since mid-2017, including Marissa Mayer (Yahoo), Irene Rosenfeld (MDLZ) and Meg Whitman (Hewlett Packard Enterprise). Including Nooyi, the number of female S&P 500 chiefs has shrunk 25 percent ー from 32 to 23 ー since last year.
"When women go, it's very seldom that they're replaced by other women," Chira said. "So it's not just that it's really hard to get to the top, it's that the pipeline of women that are seen as credible successors is incredibly small."
During Nooyi's 12-year term as CEO, sales at the company grew [80 percent](https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/10/investing/pepsi-earnings-frito-lay/index.html?iid=EL).
But Chira said that women are less likely to be "targeted" or "seen as leaders," and therefore are not granted an equal opportunity to prove themselves.
"This is something the corporate world has to examine searchingly because all the solutions haven't really worked," Chira said.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-c-suite-gender-problem).
After testing out some Icelandic cuisine, Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier gets a sneak preview of Taste of Iceland -- a cultural festival running between May 10-13 across New York City.
Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier gets a taste of Icelandic cuisine at Blue Lagoon Iceland in New York City.
Cheddar News reporter Ashley Mastronardi tracks the rise of the "mom-fluencer" or working mothers who have left their jobs to become full-time content creators. While not a new phenomenon, experts say the trend has gained momentum since the start of the pandemic.
Tens of thousands of fans descended upon the Swedish capital of Stockholm to celebrate the opening show of Beyoncé’s new world tour on Wednesday.
Peru’s government will allow the extradition to the United States of the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba, bringing her family hope there will be justice in the case.
With summer coming up, Cheddar News breaks down some artists that you can check out as music festivals approach for the coming season.
The top entertainment headlines for May 10, 2023.
Be Well: Shopping for the Perfect Pair of Sunglasses
MTV, a division of Paramount, is planning to shut down its news division and lay off 25 percent of its workforce. The company cited "broader economic headwinds" as the reason for the shuttering. The decision comes as Paramount makes cuts to better compete with rival entertainment giants.
Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier reports from the world premiere of Disney's live action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Hallie Bailey as Ariel.
