Mumbai: In another crown for India, one more Indian has landed the top job with a global leader, only this time in the fashion industry. French luxury group Chanel has named former Unilever executive Leena Nair as its new global chief executive, based in London.
Alain Wertheimer, who owns the 111-year-old luxury brand with his brother Gerard Wertheimer, will act as global executive chairman, the group said in a statement.
A British national, born in India, Nair’s career at Unilever spanned 30 years, most recently as the chief of human resources and a member of the company’s executive committee. Nair rose through the ranks of Unilever having started out as a management trainee. Under her watch, Unilever achieved gender parity across global management.
Nair posted the development on her LinkedIn page and 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 organisation. I will always be a proud advocate of Unilever and its ambition to make sustainable living commonplace,” she further added.
Nair follows US businesswoman Maureen Chiquet, who came from a fashion background and was CEO of Chanel for nine years until early 2016.
Thereafter Alain Wertheimer, who will now move to the role of global executive chairman, had originally taken on the CEO job on a temporary basis.
Nair would join at the end of January and be based in London, the group said, adding that the new appointments would ensure its “long-term success as a private company.”
