Who Is Leena Nair? All About Luxury Brand Chanel's New Global CEO

Who Is Leena Nair? France's popular luxury brand Chanel appointed Indian-origin Leena Nair as its Global Chief Executive Officer. The announcement on Nair's appointment came on December 14.

In her statement, Nair said that she was humbled and honoured to be appointed the Global CEO of Chanel. Calling it an iconic and admired company, Nair further said that it believes in the freedom of creation, in cultivating human potential and in acting to have a positive impact in the world.

To join her new role, which will be based out of London, in the United Kingdom, Nair will be stepping down as a member of Unilever's Leadership Executive. In her statement she also thanked Unilever for giving her opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to a truly purpose-driven organisation. Nair has been working for the Unilever group for the past 30 years. "I will always be a proud advocate of Unilever and its ambition to make sustainable living commonplace," Nair wrote, concluding her statement.

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Who is Leena Nair?

The 52-year-old holds the distinction of being the first female, first Asian and youngest-ever chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Unilever.

Nair holds a gold medal from the Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur. In 1992, she joined Hindustan Unilever as a management trainee. The following year, Nair was appointed as the factory personnel manager of Lipton (India).

After being appointed as Employee Relations Manager by HUL in 1996, she was given the role of HR manager, Hindustan Lever India in the year 2000. In 2004, Nair was elevated to the post of general manager HR of home and personal care India by the company and then to general manager HR department in 2006.

It was in 2013, that Leena Nair was appointed as Unilever's senior vice president, HR, also taking over as the global head of diversity the same year. She went on to join Unilever Leadership Executive in 2016, being based in London.

An avid runner, Nair revealed in a previous interview that she took it up so that she could spend more time with her husband Kumar. Nair also practices meditation and yoga. The couple is parents to two sons.