By: Aparna Sreevalsan
FASHION giant Chanel announced its new chief executive Leena Nair, marking a huge landmark for diversity within the fashion industry.
Leena Nair, who served her 30 years at the consumer goods company Unilever as the global head of human resources will join Chanel in the beginning of January 2022. She will replace Alain Wertheimer, who will be working as the global chair of the company.
Leena, 52, who was born in India, was the first Asian, first female, and the youngest chief officer of Unilever, the multi-national consumer good company.
She started her career as a management trainee at Unilever in 1992. She was responsible for 150,000 employees across the globe and led the Diversity agenda for the workforce. She was also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE).
Leena has previously served as a non-executive director of the British government’s business, energy, and industrial strategy department. A British national, who got featured in Fortune magazine’s 2021 list of most powerful women, is widely praised for her people-focused approach to business.
She is the second woman of Indian origin after PepsiCo’s former chief Indra Nooyi, who is also Leena’s mentor, to take over as global CEO of a company.
“It’s been an honour seeing you rise”, Indra Nooyi, former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), PepsiCo wished good luck for Leena through her Tweet.
The fashion industry has come under fire for its serious lack of diversity. Chanel itself has been the subject of intense controversy itself and has been shunned in the past for its seeming lack of empathy or understanding of race issues, especially acute in France, according to its fiercest critics.
“The intention is to diversify. The intention is to take a more democratic approach to France itself,” said brand ambassador Pharrell Williams.
“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”.
“Given Leena Nair’s track record, I’m hopeful that Chanel is entering a period of profound change. If Chanel, a privately owned company in a conglomerate world, is starting to alter its worldview, then there is a chance that we are witnessing a fundamental shift within the fashion industry”, said Andrew Groves, a professor of fashion design at the University of Westminster.
“Leena Nair and Alain Wertheimer will further ensure Chanel’s long-term success as a private company”, said the brand.
Chanel was found by Coco Chanel and is 112 years old.
Subscribe for our weekly news letter here!
You can unsubscribe us at any time
