Leena Nair has wrapped up her role as Unilever’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to join French luxury fashion house Chanel as its new Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a little over a month after the high-profile appointment was announced.
Leena Nair is Chanel’s first Indian-origin boss and at Unilever, she was the first woman, first Asian and youngest person to hold the top HR post.
She expressed her gratitude to the FMCG major as she left the company. "After thirty years at @Unilever, I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is to say goodbye. Unilever, in so many ways, has been one of the defining relationships of my life,” Nair said in a series of tweets on Wednesday, posting a photo collage of various moments with her Unilever colleagues.
“We are all products of what came before us. I am so grateful to all my leaders, mentors, coaches, and colleagues for the role played in my development. You have invested in me with your time, your wisdom and, most importantly, your kindness.”
With the Chanel top job, Nair is the second woman with Indian roots to become a global CEO after her mentor Indra Nooyi. With her new appointment, she joins the ranks of Indian-origin executives such as Parag Agrawal, Sundar Pichai and Sadya Nadella, helming global companies.
The corporate leader said she was exited to join Chanel.
“As I begin this new chapter, I look forward to immersing myself in another incredible organisation and experiencing the culture of an independent company that believes in the power of creation, nurturing human potential and having a positive impact,” she tweeted.
Nair joined Hindustan Unilever in 1992 after graduating from one of the top B-schools India - the Xavier School of Management - with a gold medal.
Read: When Chanel boss Leena Nair got a ‘kick in the pants’ from mentor Indra Nooyi
Leena Nair completed her schooling in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur before she earned a degree in electronics engineering from Walchand College of Engineering in Maharashtra’s Sangli.
In the early years of her career, she began working at different factories of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in West Bengal capital Kolkata, Tamil Nadu's Ambattur and Maharashtra's Taloja.
In 1996, she was appointed as Employee Relations Manager by HUL, and elevated as HR manager of Hindustan Lever India by 2000.
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