French luxury brand Chanel appoints Unilever CHRO Leena Nair as CEO

Nair started her career at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) 30 years ago, as management trainee and became the first woman on HUL’s management committee.

During her stint at the company, Nair progressed through roles in factories, sales and human resources.

In a Linkedin post, Nair said, “I am humbled and honoured to be appointed the global chief executive officer of Chanel, an iconic and admired company. I am so inspired by what Chanel stands for. It is a company that believes in the freedom of creation, in cultivating human potential and in acting to have a positive impact in the world.”

She also said, “I am grateful for my long career at Unilever, a place that has been my home for 30 years. It has given me so many opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to a truly purpose-driven organisation. I will always be a proud advocate of Unilever and its ambition to make sustainable living commonplace.”

After three years as head of leadership and organisational development in London, she was appointed CHRO in 2016 with responsibility for the company’s

150,000 people across more than 100 countries globally. Nair was also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive.

Nair completed her Master in Business Administration from XLRI- Jamshedpur as a gold medalist in 1991-1992.

Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever said in a release, “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 also said Nair has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organisation, which is now the employer of choice in over 50 countries globally.

“I am also especially grateful for her leadership over the last two years, and how our HR teams have helped Unilever manage through the many challenges of the covid-19 pandemic with great care, compassion and professionalism. On behalf of everyone at Unilever, I wish Leena every success in this very exciting new role,” he said.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor