Rohit Jawa calls Priya Nair 'perfect casting' as she takes charge at HUL

Unilever veteran bows out after 37 years; HUL gets its first woman CEO

On his last day as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) at Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Rohit Jawa said he was grateful for his 37-year-long stint with Unilever. “If there’s one word to describe my journey in the organisation, it would be ‘grateful’ for everything I’ve received in this company across both HUL and Unilever over the past 37 years. Fulfilled, because I’ve worked across eight markets. In the past 12 years, I have been the CEO of three very significant markets in Asia. How many people can say they’ve led both China and India in one career?” he said while addressing the media at the post-earnings conference.

 

Jawa hands over the baton to Priya Nair, who joins on Friday as the first woman MD and CEO at one of India’s largest consumer goods firms.

 

Speaking about Nair, Jawa said, “I’m handing over to a successor who’s also homegrown. She has three decades of experience, a large part of it with HUL, and has been on the management committee for seven years. She’s an excellent person to take over the baton. She’s also held a global leadership role in beauty and wellbeing, which is so important for us.”

 

Jawa said that during his tenure, he carved out the beauty and wellbeing vertical, seeing it as a key source of value creation for the company. “She’s the perfect casting for this time,” he added. 

 

A person within the company said that Nair will hold a town hall with HUL staff on Friday.

 

Nair taking over the reins in India was also mentioned on Unilever’s global analyst call after the company’s April–June results. The CEO of Unilever, Fernando Fernandez said, “We have recently appointed a new head of the business, Priya Nair, who takes over on August 1, after having successfully led our global beauty and wellbeing business.”

 

He added, “Priya combines a deep understanding of our home and personal care business in India, which she successfully ran for many years, with the knowledge of international markets necessary to keep our portfolio in tune with the significant consumer needs and channel shifts already visible in the market.”

 

Nair is said to have reached India last week. An employee said that Nair has been part of the HUL system for most of her career and that “we are elated to have her back”.

 

Another employee said that Nair is extremely clear, and they are looking forward to working with her.