Biography of Chanel CEO, Leena Nair – British Indian businesswoman | Role model entrepreneur

Leena Nair, a British Indian businesswoman donned the hat of CEO of Chanel, a popular French luxury house, on December 14, 2021. Nair comes from a conservative joint family where female education was never allowed. She always wanted to achieve something big in her life and break the existing norms of society. Her fight for education during her childhood made Nair the first, and the youngest woman Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) at Unilever.

Leena Nair Personal Details

Name — Leena Nair

Age — 52 years (as of 2021)

Date of Birth — 11-Jun-69

Place of Birth — Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

Occupation — Businesswoman

Designation — CEO of Chanel

Spoken Languages — Hindi, English, Marathi, and Spanish

Father’s Name — K. Karthikeyan

Mother’s Name — Not mentioned

Siblings — Not mentioned

Marital Status — Married

Spouse — Kumar Nair

Children — Aryan Nair and Sidhant Nair

Hobbies — Dancing to Bollywood songs, reading, and running

Net worth — $1.5 million

Leena Nair’s Early Life

• Nair was born in a conservative joint family where female education was not allowed.
• She fought for her education throughout her childhood.
• She is an aspiring individual, who always wanted to achieve big and make changes in society.
• Nair is a cousin of industrialists, Vijay Menon and Sachin Menon.
• She was the only female who opted for factory roles at Unilever.
• She was a gold medalist during her MBA.

Leena Nair’s Educational Qualifications

• Nair completed her schooling at Holy Cross Convent School, Kolhapur.
• She graduated in electronics and telecommunication engineering from Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, Maharashtra (1986–1990).
• Nair completed her MBA in human resource management from Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur (1990–1992).

Leena Nair’s Career

• Nair started her career with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) in 1992 as a management trainee.
• In 1993, she became the factory personnel manager of Lipton (India) Ltd.
• Nair also worked at various HUL factories in Taloja (Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal), and Ambattur (Tamil Nadu).
• In 1996, she became the employee relations manager in HUL.
• In 1997, Nair was promoted to management development planning manager.
• Nair became the HR manager in HUL in 2000.
• She was appointed as the human resource manager at Home and Personal Care India in 2003.
• In just one year, Nair was promoted as the General Manager, HR, in Home and Personal Care India.
• In 2006, she became the General Manager, HR, in HUL.
• In 2007, she became the first and the youngest woman who worked as executive director, HR, at HUL.
• She was also the first woman to be a part of the Unilever South Asia leadership team.
• Nair became Unilever’s global senior vice-president, HR, in 2013, taking over the role of leadership and organizational development.
• As the global head of diversity, she also monetized the company’s growth in South Asian markets including Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
• In 2016, she became the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Unilever.
• After 30 years of service at Unilever, Nair became the new global CEO of the French luxury perfume house, Chanel.

Leena Nair’s Success Mantra

“Learn, Unlearn and Relearn”