French luxury brand Chanel appoints Unilever CHRO Leena Nair as CEO

Nair will step down as Unilever's chief human resources officer in January to join the French luxury brand

Leena Nair, Unilever’s chief human resources officer (CHRO) will step down in January to join French luxury brand-Chanel as global chief executive officer and will be based out of London. 

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.