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Chanel Appoints Unilever Executive Leena Nair As Global CEO

Nair, the youngest ever chief human resources officer of Unilever Plc., has been appointed the CEO of Chanel Ltd.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Leena Nair. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Yoliveros)</p></div>
Leena Nair. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Yoliveros)

Leena Nair, the first female, first Asian and youngest ever chief human resources officer of Unilever Plc., has been appointed the global chief executive officer at French luxury fashion house Chanel Ltd.

In a statement on LinkedIn and Twitter, Nair wrote she was "humbled and honoured" to lead the iconic fashion company. "I'm so inspired by what Chanel stands for," she wrote. "It's 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, an alumna of XLRI Jamshedpur, will leave Unilever in January after 30 years, which also saw her become a member of the company's executive committee.

Leena has been a pioneer throughout her career at Unilever, said Alan Jope, chief executive at Unilever, in a media statement.

...she has been a driving force on our equity, diversity and inclusion agenda, on the transformation of our leadership development, and on 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.
Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever