Leena Nair Biography: Leena Nair has stepped down as the Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever to join Chanel as its Global CEO. Nair will step into her new role by January 2022 and will be based in London. With her role elevation, Nair joined the ever-growing power club of Indian-origin executives who have taken up top roles in global companies.
I am humbled and honoured to be appointed the Global Chief Executive Officer of @CHANEL, an iconic and admired company.
— Leena Nair (@LeenaNairHR) December 14, 2021
Leena Nair is the second woman of Indian origin after Pepsico’s former chief Indra Nooyi to take over as global CEO of a company. Coincidentally, Indra Nooyi is her mentor. At this proud moment, let us take a look at her birth, age, education, career, and more.
Leena Nair Biography
| Birth | 11 June 1969 in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur |
| Age | 52 years |
| Education | MBA from Xavier School of Management |
| Husband | Kumar Nair |
| Children | Aryan Nair and Sidhant Nair |
| Occupation | CEO of Chanel |
| Net Worth | $5 million (approx) |
Leena Nair: Birth, Age, and Education
Born on 11 June 1969 in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, Leena Nair attended Holy Cross Convent High School, and The New College, both in Kolhapur. An MBA from Xavier School of Management as the gold medalist (1990-1992), Nair is an avid reader, dancer and loves to run.
Leena Nair: Husband and Children
The 52-year-old is married to Kumar Nair and the couple has two sons-- Aryan Nair and Sidhant Nair.
Leena Nair: Career
Leena Nair started her career with the Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) in 1992 as a management trainee and has since then never looked back. Nair became the Executive Director of HR of Hindustan Unilever Limited in 2007. In 2013, she was appointed as SVP HR Leadership and Organizational Development and Global Head of Diversity and Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Unilever Leadership Executive in 2016, becoming the first female and youngest-ever individual on the position. She was also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE).
During her stint at the company for around 30 years, she served in different positions in factories, sales, corporate headquarters before being appointed to serve on the top roles in India’s largest FMCG company.
“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,” Unilever CEO Alan Jope said while announcing her exit.
Nair previously served in the British government’s business, energy, and industrial strategy department as a non-executive director.
Leena Nair has now been appointed as the Global CEO of Chanel. She will step into her new role by January 2022 and will be based in London. The new appointments would ensure Chanel’s long-term success as a private company, according to a statement released by the French luxury fashion house.
Leena Nair: Awards and Recognition
1- Queen Elizabeth II recognized her as one of the accomplished Indian Business Leaders in the United Kingdom in 2017.
2- She was listed on the top 10 FT HERoes Champions of Women in Business by Financial Times between 2017 to 2019.
3- In 2019, she was on the Thinkers50 List – Thinkers Who Will Shape the Future of Business.
4- LinkedIn Top Voice during 2018 to 2020.
5- She received the Global Indian of the Year in 2020 conducted by The Economic Times’.
6- Fortune India's Most Powerful Women's List (2021).
7- Nair was the Role Model of Year, The Great British Businesswoman's Awards (2021).
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