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Leena Nair Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth11 June 1969

Age55 Years

BirthplaceKolhapur, Maharashtra, India

ProfessionBusinesswoman

NationalityBritish

Marital statusMarried

SpouseKumar Nair

FamilySons: Aryan Nair, Sidhant (Sid) Nair

Leena Nair Biography

Leena Nair is a British businesswoman of Indian origin who rose through Unilever’s ranks over three decades to become its Chief Human Resources Officer and

Early life and background

Leena Nair was born on 11 June 1969 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. She grew up in a large, traditionally conservative joint family and attended Holy Cross Convent School in Kolhapur. She went on to study electronics and telecommunication engineering at Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli and later earned an MBA in Human Resource Management from Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur, graduating as a gold medalist.

Career

After completing her MBA, Nair joined Hindustan Unilever Limited as a management trainee in 1992. Early in her career she chose to work in factory roles, a path that was uncommon for women at the time. She held a series of operational and HR positions across Unilever’s factories and businesses in India, including roles in Kolkata, Ambattur and Taloja.

Within a few years she progressed from factory personnel responsibilities to broader employee relations and management development roles. By 2000 she was HR Manager for Hindustan Lever India, and in the early 2000s she advanced to HR leadership roles within the Home and Personal Care business. Her responsibilities continued to expand, and in 2007 she became executive director HR of HUL, becoming the first and youngest woman on Hindustan Unilever’s Management Committee and the first woman on the Unilever South Asia Leadership Team.

Nair’s career then moved to Unilever’s global operations. In 2013 she assumed senior HR responsibilities at Unilever’s London headquarters, becoming senior vice-president HR and global head of diversity. In those roles she had responsibility for leadership and organisational development and for diversity initiatives across multiple markets in South Asia.

In 2016 Nair was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Unilever, the first woman to hold that position at the company. As CHRO she oversaw a workforce of around 150,000 people and served on Unilever’s leadership executive. Her stated focus as CHRO was creating inclusive environments in which people from diverse backgrounds could contribute and succeed.

After more than 30 years at Unilever, Nair stepped down from the CHRO role in December 2021 to take up a new position as global chief executive of the French luxury fashion house Chanel, an appointment announced on 14 December 2021.

Public profile

Over the course of her career Nair has received recognition from a range of organisations. Awards and honours cited during her career include recognition by HRH Queen Elizabeth II as an accomplished Indian business leader in the UK, repeated inclusion in Financial Times lists of champions of women in business, selection on the Thinkers50 list of thinkers to watch, recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice, and several leadership awards in India and the UK. She has also been listed among Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women.

Nair has described her purpose in HR as igniting human potential to build better businesses and a better world. She became known for championing equity, diversity and inclusion, leadership development and future-of-work preparedness. Colleagues at Unilever acknowledged her role in transforming the company’s leadership development and inclusion agenda prior to her departure.

Personal life

Leena Nair is married to Kumar Nair and the couple have two sons, Aryan and Sidhant (Sid) Nair. She holds British nationality. She speaks multiple languages, including Hindi, English, Malayalam, Marathi and Spanish. Outside of work she enjoys reading, running and dancing to Bollywood music.

Latest updates

In December 2021 Nair left Unilever after more than three decades to become Global Chief Executive Officer of Chanel. At the time of her appointment she described the company as one that values creative freedom, human potential and positive global impact. Her move made her the second person of Indian origin to lead a major global corporation as CEO, following earlier precedent in international business leadership.

Her public comments and interviews reflect an emphasis on continual learning—summed up in her learning mantra of learning, unlearning and relearning—and on addressing and engaging with people as part of leadership.
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Recent Work

Global Chief Executive

Appointed Global Chief Executive of Chanel on 14 December 2021 after more than 30 years at Unilever.

2021
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined Hindustan Unilever as a management trainee (1992) and progressed through factory and HR roles
  2. First woman and youngest executive director HR on Hindustan Unilever’s Management Committee (2007)
  3. Senior vice-president HR at Unilever’s London headquarters and global head of diversity (2013)
  4. First female Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever (2016), overseeing around 150,000 employees
  5. Appointed Global Chief Executive of Chanel (2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Leena Nair born?

11 June 1969

What is Leena Nair known for?

Businesswoman

What is Leena Nair’s marital status?

Married

Who is Leena Nair married to?

Kumar Nair