Lena Nair is a British businesswoman. On December 14, 2021, she was appointed as the new global CEO of French luxury fashion brand Chanel. Lena is of Indian descent.
Wiki/Biography
Leena Nair was born on Wednesday, June 11, 1969 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra (age 52; as of 2021). Her zodiac sign is Gemini. She attended Holy Cross Convent School in Kolhapur.
Lena Nair’s student days
Leena studied Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at Walchand Engineering College, Sangli, Maharashtra (1986-1990). Thereafter, she studied MBA in Human Resource Management (Gold Medalist) at Xavier Management Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur from 1990 to 1992.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair color: black
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
Little is known about her father. She lost her mother in June 2021.
husband and children
Lena is married to businessman Kumar Nair. The couple has two sons, Aryan Nair and Sidhant (Sid) Nair.
Lena Nair with husband and children
Profession
Leena started her career in 1992 as a management trainee with Unilever (Hindustan Unilever Limited). At Unilever, she was one of the few female employees who chose to work in factories. In 1993, she was promoted to Factory Personnel Manager, Lipton (India) Ltd. Later, Leena worked in various HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) factories located in Kolkata (West Bengal), Ambattur (Tamil Nadu) and Taloja (Tamil Nadu). Maharashtra). In 1996, Leena became the Employee Relations Manager of Hindustan Lever. She was subsequently promoted to Management Development Planning Manager in 1997 and Human Resources Manager at Hindustan Lever India in 2000. In 2003, she was appointed as HR Manager, Ministry of Home and Personal Care, India. A year later, Leena took on the role of General Manager, HR, Home and Personal Care, India. In 2006, she was further promoted as General Manager, Human Resources, Hindustan Lever India.
Leena Nair during her visit to Unilever Philippines
A year later, Nair became the Executive Director of Human Resources at HUL; becoming the first and youngest woman to serve as Human Resources Head on the Management Committee of Hindustan Unilever. She subsequently became the first woman on Unilever’s South Asia leadership team.
Leena Nair at the Unilever production site in Nairobi
In 2013, Leena moved to Unilever’s London headquarters and was appointed Unilever’s senior vice president of global human resources, responsible for leadership and organizational development. That same year, she took over as the organization’s global head of diversity. As global head of diversity, Leena takes over the company’s growth responsibilities in the South Asian markets of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Lena Nair in her workplace
In 2016, Nair was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Unilever, responsible for the company’s human capital needs. As Unilever’s first chief human resources officer, Leena Nair said in an interview that her personal goal is to build an inclusive environment where all members of a diverse society can contribute equally and succeed. She further said,
My purpose is to ignite the human spark to build better businesses and a better world. “
As Unilever’s Chief People Officer, Leena is responsible for leading the company’s global talent agenda, which spans more than 160,000 employees in more than 100 countries. She ensures the company has the right people in the right roles.
Leena Nair dances at Unilever Future Leaders Alliance
On December 14, 2021, Leena was appointed as the new global CEO of French fashion giant Chanel. She is expected to take over Chanel in January 2022.
Lena Nair in an interview
Awards, Honors and Achievements
- Recognized by HRH Queen Elizabeth II as one of the most accomplished Indian business leaders in the UK (2017)
- Selected among the top 10 FT HERoes Women in Business Champions by the Financial Times (2017-2019)
- Among the Thinkers50 list – thinkers shaping the future of business (2019)
- Named LinkedIn Top Voice (2018-2020)
- Global Indian of the Year Award (2020) by The Economic Times Top Women in Leadership Awards
- Great British Businesswoman Awards Role Model of the Year (2021)
- Named to Fortune’s list of India’s Most Powerful Women (2021)
Favorites
- Starring: Kajol, Julia Roberts
- Businessman: Satya Nadella
- Vacation destination: Iceland
Facts/Trivia
- In her free time, Lena enjoys reading, running, and dancing to Bollywood songs.
- She is fluent in five languages - Hindi, English, Malayalam, Marathi and Spanish.
- Lena grew up in a large, conservative family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Growing up, she always aspired to achieve something surprising and break the prevailing norms of her society. In an interview, she shared that when she was a child, she had to fight for her education.
- In an interview, Lena shared an incident from her childhood, saying:
When I was a little girl, my aunt bought me a pair of jeans from a trip. I love them! But I couldn’t wear them outside: I wasn’t allowed. It became a huge family drama. Luckily, I have a lot of supportive cousins. In short, I have to wear jeans. “
- One of her school teachers Ms. Jeev Chahal once revealed that Leena was the tallest girl in the class.
- Lena once said in an interview that she enjoys public speaking.
Leena Nair speaks to Unilever employees
- Leena had revealed that when she started working in a HUL factory, there were few toilets for female employees. Later, when the restroom was built, her coworkers started calling it Lena’s restroom.
- In an interview, Lena shared that her learning motto is learn, unlearn, learn again.
- In 2016, she became Unilever’s first female, first Asian, and youngest-ever chief human resources officer.
- In 2021, she became the second Indian-origin woman to lead a multinational company after former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.
Leena Nair and Indra Nooyi
- Leena is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE); responsible for delivering Unilever’s business and financial results.
- Announcing her role as the new global CEO of fashion brand Chanel, Lena said:
I am honored to be appointed Global CEO of @CHANEL, an iconic and respected company. I am inspired by what @CHANEL represents. It is a company that believes in creating freedom, nurturing human potential, and making a positive impact on the world through action. I’m grateful for my long career at @Unilever, which has been my home for 30 years. It has given me many opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to a truly purpose-driven organization.
- In an interview, Unilever CEO Alan Jope thanked Lena for her thirty years of outstanding service to Unilever and said:
Leena has been a pioneer throughout her career at Unilever, but even more so in her role as Chief Human Resources Officer, where she has been a driving force behind our equity, diversity and inclusion agenda, leadership development transformation, and readiness for future career. She played a key role in building our purpose-driven, future-ready organization, which is now an employer of choice in more than 50 countries around the world. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education