Leena Nair, the first female and youngest-ever Chief Human Resources Officer of Anglo-Dutch FMCG major Unilever has stepped down to join French luxury group CHANEL as its Global Chief Executive.
She was a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE), which is responsible for delivering Unilever’s business and financial performance.
Sharing the development on social media Leena 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.”
“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 organization. I will always be a proud advocate of Unilever and its ambition to make sustainable living commonplace.” she added.
”Leena Nair, CHRO, has decided to leave the company in January 2022 to pursue a new career opportunity as Global Chief Executive Officer, Chanel Ltd,” Unilever said in a statement while announcing Change to its Leadership Executive.
According to the reports, Nair, in her new position with the French luxury group Chanel, will be based in London.
”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,” Unilever CEO Alan Jope said.
She has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organization, which is now the employer of choice in over 50 countries globally, he added.
Nair, an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, had joined HUL, Unilever’s Indian subsidiary in 1992 and worked for 30 years. With PTI Inputs
