India, July 3 -- India-born Indra Nooyi, who became the first woman and first immigrant to lead global food and beverage giant PepsiCo in 2006, has sparked a debate on women in leadership roles. Speaking at a recent event at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in California, Nooyi credited the US with giving immigrants and women the opportunity to rise on merit.

Nooyi said: "This (US) is where an immigrant could come in with nothing in her pocket and become the CEO of an iconic American red, white and blue company. I could never have become CEO in any other country in the world, including in India."

The 70-year-old hailed America's "meritocratic system", asserting, "It's because the mentors here don't care if you're male or female,...