Who is Leena Nair? XLRI Jamshedpur grad & top Unilever executive to be Chanel's new CEO

A top executive of Anglo-Dutch FMCG major Unilever, Leena Nair was declared the Global Chief Executive Officer of French luxury group and fashion house 'Chanel' on Tuesday. 

In a statement, Chanel said Nair would join the group in January, adding that her addition would ensure its "long-term success as a private company."

With this appointment, Nair, 52, becomes the latest to join the list of Indians who have over the past few years taken up challenging roles at the helm of global companies. 

Who is Leena Nair, the new Chanel boss?

The new CEO of Chanel, Leena Nair, holds the distinction of being "the first female, first Asia and youngest ever" chief human resources officer (CHRO) of Unilever and is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE). 

Born in Maharashtra, Nair studied at the Holy Cross Convent School in Kolhapur and graduated from XLRI Jamshedpur.

Career spanning over 30 years

Nair had joined Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) in 1992 and worked there for 30 years. She was among the very few female employees at the time who opted for factory roles and went on to become the factory personnel manager of Lipton (India) Ltd in 1993.

In 1996, she was made the Employee Relations Manager by HUL and in 2000, she was elevated as HR manager of Hindustan Lever India. By 2004, Nair became general manager HR of 'home and personal care India' and was further elevated as general manager HR in 2006. Subsequently, she was selected as the first woman on Unilever South Asia Leadership Team in 2008. 

A year later, she assumed the charge of executive director HR of HUL, and by 2013, she was elevated as Unilever's senior vice president, HR, responsible for leadership and organizational development. She also took over as the global head of diversity in the same year.

Nair joined the Unilever Leadership Executive, based in London, in 2016 and became the youngest, first woman and first Asian to be appointed as the CHRO.

Recently, she was included in Fortune India's Most Powerful Women of 2021.

Unilever CEO hails Leena Nair's pioneering career

On her being announced as the new CEO of Chanel, Unilever CEO Alan Jope said he was thankful to her for the outstanding contribution to the company over the past three decades.

"I would like to thank Leena for her outstanding contribution over the last three decades. Leena has been a pioneer throughout her career at Unilever, but no more so than in her role as CHRO, where she has been a driving force on our equity, diversity, and inclusion agenda, on the transformation of our leadership development, and on our preparedness for the future of work," Jope said.

She has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organization, which is now the employer of choice in over 50 countries globally, he added.

(Image: Instagram@LeenNairHR)