Leena Nair, formerly Chief Human Resources Officer of Anglo-Dutch FMCG major Unilever – the first female, first Asian and youngest-ever person to have donned that hat, has now been appointed as the Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by luxury group Chanel.
Nair is now the second Indian-origin woman to take over as a global CEO after Indra Nooyi.
Taking to Twitter, on Tuesday, 14 December, Nair said:
"I am humbled and honoured to be appointed the Global Chief Executive Officer of Chanel."
"I will always be a proud advocate of Unilever," she further added.
The Indian-born British national has been given the charge of ensuring Chanel's "long term success as a private company," the company said in a statement, recognising Nair as a "visionary leader whose ability to champion a long-term, purpose-driven agenda is matched with a consistently strong record of business outcomes."
According to PTI, Unilever in a statement said:
"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's CEO, Alan Jope, thanked her for her "outstanding contribution," adding that she "has been a pioneer through her career... a driving force on our equity, diversity and inclusion agenda... she has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organisation."
A British national, Nair hails from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. She graduated with a gold medal from XLRI – Xavier School of Management in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
Her career at Unilever spans 30 years.
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