When Leena Naar took on the role of global CEO of luxury goods giant Chanel in 2022, she had been with Unilever for 30 years, holding the role of head of human resources.
But the journey to get there started with a train.
In a recent interview at the Stanford Graduate School of Management, Nair talks about how he dealt with naysayers every step of the way, from when he chose a career in engineering to when he decided to build a corporate career at India’s Hindustan Unilever. He talked about how he met him. A division of consumer goods giant Unilever.
Earning her MBA was an important step that paved the way for her to pursue her ambitions. There was one problem. That is, her home base is in the western part of India, while the university she wanted was in the eastern part of India. The distance takes 48 hours by train.
“It took a long time to go there and do that because it was a different planet for my family,” Nile said.
Her family also came, but not without hesitation.
“My father was a big supporter of my education. He said, ‘I’ll educate you, but I can’t promise you that you’ll have a career because I don’t know if your attitude will change.’ Mr. Nair said.
Nair knew she had a unique opportunity and wanted to make the most of it. And sure enough, she excelled at university and joined Unilever as a management trainee immediately after completing her MBA.
Since then, Nair’s performance has been on the rise, moving from factory manager for a specific brand in India to head of human resources and head of diversity and inclusion. For the last five years of her career at Unilever, she was the company’s CHRO based in London.
“Lifting when you climb is a big belief for me. How can I make it easier for those who come after me?” Nile said during an interview.
Perform a “quadruple transition”
Nehru, who has spent her entire professional career at Unilever, was surprised when she received a call from Chanel and didn’t want to answer.
“I told my husband that I got a call from Chanel and I’m not even going to consider it. Are they crazy?” said the London-based company’s CEO. I couldn’t.”
It took her nine months to finally say yes to the role of leading one of the world’s largest luxury companies, ranked 209th on the Fortune 500 Europe.
It would be a huge leap from fast-moving consumer goods to bespoke fashion, and from British and Dutch culture to French culture. Mr. Niall also moved from CHRO of a public company to CEO of a private company, which is unusual for a large company.
“Four transitions means you’re either very brave or very stupid,” she said.
Edward Berthelot—Getty Images
Niall needed to break free from Unilever’s fast-paced, mass-production mindset to understand the more delicate, artisanal world of Chanel, which produces luxury bags, apparel and fragrances. The French-originated company takes five years to create a dummy bag before its artists work on a real Chanel bag. During this period, Unilever dabbled in millions of products, from iced tea to laundry detergent.
Despite the significant differences between the two companies, Nair has made significant changes in his almost two years on the job.
Chanel, for example, has managed to survive the recession faced by much of the luxury goods industry. The company’s 2023 results show a 16% increase in sales compared to the previous year. It is currently expanding its presence globally by investing in more boutiques.
Niall, one of Europe’s few female CEOs, has increased funding to the Chanel Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm dedicated to supporting women, to $100 million. Recently, Chanel has also followed the trend of other luxury companies and ventured into sports sponsorships.
While passive spending weighs on luxury brands, Nehru’s vision for Chanel is more long-term. She hopes the brand will continue to be a trailblazer through her leadership 100 years from now.
“I want my 11-year-old self to be proud of being a leader,” Niall said.
