Andrall (“Andy”) Pearson died March 11 in Palm Beach at the age of 80. Pearson was a friend of the family, as they say–one of the original seed investors in Fast Company and a guy who helped shape the focus and strategy of the magazine.
In his day job, he was president of PepsiCo (until 1984), then a professor at Harvard Business School, and then founder and chief executive of Yum! Brands (nee’ Tricon Global Restaurants), the spin-out of Pepsi’s restaurant chains including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
It was in that last role, in 2001, that Pearson appeared in Fast Company’s pages. The intriguing headline:“Andy Pearson finds love:Twenty years ago, as CEO of PepsiCo, Andy Pearson was named one of the 10 toughest bosses in America. Now at Tricon, Pearson has found a new way to lead–one based on personal humility and employee recognition.”
It’s a great read, still.