Leena Nair

Businesswoman

British Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

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Quick Info

ProfessionBusinesswoman
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth11/06/1969
Age56 years
BirthplaceKolhapur, Maharashtra, India

Latest News about Leena Nair

01/01/2025

Leena Nair received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the retail and consumer sector. The honour recognizes her leadership as CEO of Chanel and her broader contribution to business. This award was reported in connection with the 2025 New Year Honours.

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Bio/Wiki

Famous ForBeing appointed as the global chief executive of French luxury fashion house Chanel on 14 December 2021

Physical Stats & More

Height170 cm
Eye ColorBrown
Hair ColorBlack

Educational Qualification(s)

DegreeMBA In Human Resource Management (Gold Medalist)
GraduationElectronics and Telecommunication Engineering
College
  • Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, Maharashtra
  • Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur

Personal Life

SchoolHoly Cross Convent School, Kolhapur

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
Family
HusbandKumar Nair
Children
  • Aryan Nair
  • Sidhant (Sid) Nair

Career

Awards, Honours, Achievements
  • Recognised as one of the accomplished Indian Business Leaders in the UK by HRH Queen Elizabeth II (2017)
  • Listed in Top 10 list of FT HERoes Champions of Women in Business by the Financial Times (2017-2019)
  • Secured a place in Thinkers50 List – Thinkers Who Will Shape the Future of Business (2019)
  • Recognised as LinkedIn Top Voice (2018-2020)
  • Global Indian of the Year by The Economic Times’ Prime Women Leadership Awards (2020)
  • Role Model of Year by The Great British Businesswoman’s Awards (2021)
  • Listed in Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women’s List (2021)
  • Ranked 68th on Forbes’ list of Most Powerful Women (2023)
  • Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the retail and consumer sector (2025)
Career Milestones
  • Joined Hindustan Unilever Limited as management trainee (1992)
  • First female, first Asian, and youngest Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever (2016)
  • Senior Vice President of Leadership and Organisation at Unilever global headquarters, London (2012-2021)
  • Global CEO of Chanel (December 2021-present)

Favourites

Actress
BusinessmanSatya Nadella
Travel DestinationIceland

Social Media

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/leena_nair_official/
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nairleena

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Leena Nair, a British businesswoman with Indian roots, assumed the role of global CEO at Chanel on December 14, 2021.
2. Despite coming from a conservative family, Leena aspired to make significant accomplishments in her life.
3. During her career, she has served in different management roles at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL).
4. Leena is fluent in five languages: Hindi, English, Malayalam, Marathi, and Spanish.
5. She joined Hindustan Unilever as a management trainee in 1992 and became the first woman to work the night shift on the factory floor.
6. In 2016, she became Unilever's first female, first Asian, and youngest Chief Human Resources Officer.
7. Mentored by Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo.
8. Her maiden name is Menon.
9. She started her career by selling tea in rural India to understand markets and people from the ground level.
10. As CEO of Chanel, she is the only woman of colour leading a major global luxury brand.
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