Leena Nair, the chief human resource officer (CHRO) of Unilever was selected as the global CEO of the French luxury group Chanel. She becomes the second-Indian origin woman after Indra Nooyi to take over as a global CEO.
A Chanel statement said Alain Wertheimer (the owner) will move to the role of global executive chairman and Nair, 52, will assume the role of global CEO based in London, UK. The new partnership “will further ensure long-term success as a private company, believing in the freedom of creation, cultivating human potential and acting to have a positive impact in the world,” it added.
LVMH (Louis Vuitton), Hermes, Gucci, L’Oreal, Michael Kors are some of the competitors of Chanel.
“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,” Nair said in a post on LinkedIn.
“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 commonplace,” she added.
Unilever CEO Alan Jope said, “Leena has been a pioneer throughout her career at Unilever but 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 our preparedness for the future of work. She has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organisation, which is now the employer of choice in over 50 countries globally. I am also grateful for her leadership over the last two years, and how our HR teams have helped Unilever manage through the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic with great care, compassion and professionalism.”
Unilever moved the needle to attain a gender-balanced workforce under Nair’s leadership.
