Leena Nair

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Leena Nair did not come from the fashion industry. She came from factories, boardrooms and HR strategy sessions. Yet in 2022, she became the Global Chief Executive Officer of Chanel, one of the most iconic names in global luxury. Her journey began in India, where she trained as an engineer before joining Unilever as a management trainee in 1992. 

Over nearly three decades, she advanced to serve as the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer and joined its Executive Committee, influencing leadership growth, workplace culture, and diversity within a global team. When Chanel named her CEO, it marked a daring decision. Amid a new era following Karl Lagerfeld’s passing in 2019, the brand opted for a leader recognized more for fostering culture than for couture. 

Nair became the only woman of colour leading a major global luxury house, signalling that the future of luxury would be shaped as much by people strategy as by product design.