French fashion house Chanel named Leena Nair as its global CEO—who will now run one of the world’s biggest luxury brands. This is just the latest achievement in a career marked with a number of ‘firsts’. Here’s a quick introduction to the latest NRI hotshot in town.
Education: Unlike many other Indian-born CEOs, Nair did not follow the typical IIT/Ivy League track. She studied at Holy Cross Convent School in Kolhapur and got a degree in engineering from the Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli. She went on to study management at XLRI—where she earned a gold medal.
The early years at HUL: Nair started her career in 1992 as a summer trainee in Hindustan Unilever—and became one of the first women managers to opt for a factory stint in the industrial belt of Taloja. She was also the first woman on HUL’s management committee and its youngest executive director. And she soon became famous for her HR skills:
“During her stint at HUL, she transformed employee relations from a fire-fighting function to a proactive employee-centric one. For instance, HUL had 40 units and 96 unions with whom she negotiated. From losing 50,000 man days per year, Nair helped reduce this to less than 100 man days.”
Next, Unilever Global: In 2013, Nair moved to the company’s headquarters in London as global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development—and never looked back. In 2016, she became the first woman and Asian to be appointed the company’s Chief HR Officer. At 46, Nair was also the youngest ever CHRO in Unilever’s history. This year, she was #16 in Fortune’s list of most powerful Indian women in the world.
Big point to note: Nair has drawn notice for a number of diversity-friendly initiatives such as ‘Career by Choice’—which allows women who have fallen off the career track to reenter the workforce. Under Nair’s leadership, Unilever has achieved a 50/50 gender balance across global leadership. Also notable: Her commitment to pay a living wage across the company’s whole supply chain.
Key quote to note: In a Harper’s Bazaar interview, she said this of her career of many ‘firsts’:
“Being the first woman in every single job I have done, means I get to see just what it means to be in a job that feels built for someone else. I always say, ‘We're all in the same storm, we're not in the same boat’. My experiences have made me incredibly conscious of wanting the workplace to work for everyone, and knowing that that means catering to individual circumstances.”
Personal deets: on Nair are scarce. All we know is that she is married to Kumar Nair, who runs his own financial services company, and has two sons. But here’s a fun photo from her Insta handle:
Nair will replace Chanel co-founder Alain Wertheimer, who owns privately held Chanel with his brother Gerard. And while she has had a stellar career, her appointment is surprising for two reasons.
One: As Wall Street Journal notes, it is rare for luxury companies to hire top executives from outside the industry. The biggest brands usually prefer insiders or—in the case of fashion houses—children of the founders. The only other notable exceptions: Fabrizio Freda who was recruited to head Estée Lauder in 2009 from Procter & Gamble; Antonio Belloni who became general manager of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy—and was also a P&G veteran.
Point to note: Reuters flags the fact that Nair’s appointment “comes as the fashion industry is under pressure to show a more inclusive approach.” And Chanel has been underlining its commitment to diversity—picking as its brand ambassador rapper Pharrell Williams who said in a speech:
“The intention is to diversify. The intention is to take a more democratic approach to France itself. We do know that there has been tension with our African brothers and sisters here in this country, our Arabic brothers or sisters in this country. Chanel understands that.”
Two: It is also rare for someone from HR to be picked to run the show. But that is changing as companies grapple with diverse workforces—which puts people-management high on the list of desired CEO skills. Nair herself says:
“I always tell HR people they need to walk with swagger…HR is no longer a backroom department, it’s a vital part of running any successful business. If you want to support your people, you need to understand how the business works, and you need to be visible within the business.”
And in its statement on Nair’s hire, Chanel emphasised her “global reputation for progressive and human centered leadership, delivering significant business impact.”
The company she inherits: This is a very good time to take charge of a luxury brand. The industry is poised to spring out of its pandemic slump—and global luxury revenues will rise from an estimated $320 billion this year to around $418 billion in 2025. While Chanel’s sales took a Covid hit—declining 17.6% in 2020—its revenues grew by double digits in the first six months of this year.
Parting note: Whatever Nair does at Chanel, she should probably avoid any book projects on women in business—which is one of the things that got her predecessor Maureen Chiquet fired in 2016.
There’s not a lot of reporting around this hire—unlike the media storm that accompanied Parag Agarwal’s ascension to Twitter CEO. Times of India has the most detailed piece on Nair. Also worth your time: Nair’s interview in Harper’s Bazaar. WWD offers a biz take on the hire.
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