The Indian Leena Nair ( over 50 years) will succeed the French billionaire Alain Wertheimer as CEO of Chanel Limited.
Wertheimer, who is also the Chairman of the company’s fashion division assumed as well the CEO functons in 2006 when Maureen Chiquet left “la maison”.
An indian ingeneer specialist in HR and first ever Asian woman member of the SALT at Unilever
Leena Nair has been the first female, first Asian, youngest ever CHRO of Unilever and a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) since 2016.
In this role she was responsible of ensuring that each of Unilver’s 160,000+ employees in over 100 countries were the right people, in the right roles, with the right capabilities and mindset to deliver the goals set by the multinational.
She joined Unilever as management trainee of Hindustan Lever in 1992 and has made a brilliant career inside the fast moving consummer goods company since then.
To know more on her career at Unilever click on the link provided at the end of the post.
A brittish citizen born in India, Leena Nair got her first training at her homeland. Hse got a Bachelor’s degree, Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering (nothing to do with Human Ressources) at the Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli in 1990. After joining Unilever Leena Nair earned a Gold medal ath the Master on Business Adminoistration (MBA, Human Resources) at the XLRI Jamshedpur, also in India.
Besides a brilliant trainee and professional Nair has been a Non Executive Board Member ath the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) of the Government of the UK (2018-Jan 2021); and she currently still is an active member of the Women’s Network Forum hosted by Countess of Wessex, FTSE Mentoring Programme from 2017; member of the Steering Commitee at the World Economic Forum; Boart Trustee of the Leverhulme Trust since 2018 and a Non Executive Board Member of BT since 2019.
Humbled and honored by Chanel but always an Unilever advocate
The news on Nair’s appointment were triggered as soon as Unilever announced that she was leaving the company to become the new CEO at the haute couture and luxury goods company.
Chanel announced its strategical “acquisition” through a press release published today as well.
“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.
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 common place.”
