Indian-origin Leena Nair will now be the global chief of French luxury brand Chanel. Nair, a British national now, is currently the chief of Human Resources at Unilever.
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
Born in Maharashtra, Nair did her schooling in Kolhapur and earned a degree in electronics engineering from Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli.
Nair joined Hindustan Unilever in 1992 after graduating from Xavier School of Management with a gold medal. In 1996 she was appointed Employee Relationship Manager by HUL and was elevated as the HR manager of Hindustan Unilever India by 2000.
Nair is the second Indian-origin woman after Indra Nooyi to become Global CEO. Nooyi was the global CEO for PepsiCo in 2006 before stepping down in 2018.
The French billionaire Alain Wertheimer, a 73-year-old who owns Chanel with his brother Gerard Wertheimer and had originally taken on the CEO job on a temporary basis. He will move to the role of global executive chairman. Chanel was founded in 1910 by fashion legend Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel as a hat boutique on rue Cambon in Paris. The brand is now synonymous with luxury fashion and is known for tweed suits, handbags and No. 5 perfume.
