LEENA NAIR, Chanel's global chief executive, epitomises a rare breed of leaders who transcend traditional boundaries, challenge conventions, and inspire change.
When Nair took the helm at Chanel in January 2022, her appointment sent ripples through the fashion world. For the luxury fashion house, known for its tight-knit circles and traditional hierarchies, selecting an outsider of her background was unprecedented. As the first person of non-white origin to lead the business in its 112-year history, Nair’s appointment marked a seismic shift not just for Chanel, but for the entire fashion industry.
The journey to this pivotal role wasn’t straightforward. Having spent nearly 30 years in the consumer goods industry, Nair could have continued at Unilever, where she was serving as the chief human resources officer, potentially rising even further in its leadership ranks.
She spent nearly nine months deliberating before accepting the position, weighing the monumental leap from fast-moving consumer goods to bespoke fashion.
What she called a “quadruple transition” involved shifting from a public company to a private one, from mass market to luxury, from British to French culture, and from HR leadership to general management.
Reflecting on her three-year journey at Chanel earlier this year, Nair revealed in a social media post how it's been a path of “inspiration, and of opportunities to unlearn and relearn with humility and curiosity.”
“It’s about always having a long-term approach in mind and remaining true to my core beliefs: that business must have a positive impact on society, that benevolent leadership is fundamental, and that we must remain open and connected to our world,” she added.
Industry experts questioned whether someone with an HR leadership background could grasp the nuances of a heritage-driven, creativity-first brand like Chanel. Two years later, the numbers tell a different story.
Under Nair's leadership, Chanel bucked the wider luxury slowdown, reporting a 16 per cent year-on-year growth in revenue and 10.9 per cent growth in operating profit in its 2023 financial year, announced in May last year.
“Our belief in the transformative role of creation, our desire to shape what’s next and our long-term perspective guide our approach,” Nair commented, adding that the strong results underlined “sustained investment in building the desirability of our brand, creating the ultimate luxury experience for our clients and supporting our people to grow and develop.”
In 2023, Chanel increased its headcount globally by 14 per cent to more than 36,500 people, expanded its retail distribution network to over 600 boutiques worldwide, and invested significantly in R&D and in technology.
Nair, meanwhile, is focused on opening more stores of Chanel in mainland China. In her opinion, the fashion house should target young shoppers in China who see luxury purchases as long-term financial investments.
More telling than the financial success, however, is Nair’s ability to make bold, strategic decisions that honour Chanel’s heritage while propelling the brand into the future. Last year, she orchestrated a significant creative transition by bringing in gifted French-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy as artistic director, following Virginie Viard’s departure. The appointment ended months of speculation and set the stage for Chanel’s next creative chapter.
Her vision extends beyond the bottom line. Under her stewardship, Chanel launched an ambitious sustainability initiative as part of its Mission 1.5 climate report, which outlined the company's commitment to a low-carbon future.
Chanel has set a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2040. The fashion house is implementing innovative solutions across its operations, from adopting cutting-edge design principles for low-carbon footprint buildings to pursuing rigorous energy efficiency certifications for its stores.
Chanel is also investing in nature-based solutions to avoid and remove carbon emissions equal to its global footprint, setting a new standard in the luxury industry. The company has introduced an internal carbon fee of $60 per tonne of CO2 emissions, which serves as a catalyst for developing projects that further reduce its carbon footprint.
In the boardroom, Nair’s impact is equally profound. Her leadership style, emphasising collective intelligence and inclusive decision-making, has a transformational influence in Chanel’s internal culture.
“Everyone's voice matters, not just the ones who speak loudly,” she has said, a philosophy that has opened crucial conversations about diversity and fair chances in the corporate world.
Speaking at a Stanford University Graduate School of Business event in November last year, Nair, among the few female chief executives in Europe, added: “I truly believe in benevolence, kindness, compassion, and empathy.
"You have to do tough things in business but doing them compassionately is very important to me. It's about doing it properly, keeping the person in mind. If I am in a meeting, I am very particular to listen to every voice because I truly believe in collective intelligence.
“Diverse perspectives are important to me. I respect what each person brings-their values, beliefs, and individuality.”
Even as she embraces innovation, including artificial intelligence, Nair remains a steadfast champion of human creativity. Speaking at Stanford University, she stressed her commitment to ensuring that “AI supports human creators and creations rather than taking away what they bring so skillfully and masterfully.”
This balanced approach to progress and tradition stems from Nair's remarkable journey. Born in Kolhapur, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, to a middle-class family, she grew up with strong values of education and hard work instilled by her father, a factory manager, and her mother, a teacher.
Breaking conventions from the start, she chose to pursue electronics and telecommunications engineering before discovering her passion for human resources – a field that was still in its infancy in India at the time – at XLRI Jamshedpur, one of India’s premier business schools, located nearly 2000 km away from Kolhapur.
“As far as my family was concerned, that was another planet, so it used to take a lot to be able to go there and do that,” Nair has said.
“My father was a big sponsor for my education. He said, ‘I will educate you, but I can’t promise that you will have a career because I don’t know if attitudes are going to change’.”
She graduated at the top of her class, earning the gold medal for academic excellence, and joined Hindustan Unilever, the Indian subsidiary of Unilever, as a management trainee in 1992.
Rising through the ranks, she soon found herself in the company’s top South Asian human resources team. She was the first woman in the management committee of Hindustan Unilever – in 90 years – to head the HR department. She was also the first woman to be on the Unilever South Asia leadership team a year later.
“All my life it has been a great privilege to break some of the taboos and glass ceilings surrounding gender,” she later wrote. “I feel especially honoured in steering Unilever to a more balanced future. As a woman who has experienced being in the minority, I have empathy for anyone who feels marginalised. I take it personally.”
Throughout her career, she has been a vocal advocate for systemic change in workplace gender dynamics. “Gender inclusion is not a women's issue, it is a business issue,” she wrote in an article in the HR media platform People Matters.
“To bring balance to the numbers, you have to change the men, you have to change the women, and you have to change the culture. We need all three to happen for progress…. The mistake we do is that we try to work on the women, we work on making them assertive and confident; they are not the problem, the culture is not accommodating of their different style of working.”
Her own journey exemplifies the power of ambitious dreams and unwavering self-belief. Early in her career at Hindustan Unilever, she set herself a seemingly impossible goal: to become the company’s HR Director. “I remember my colleagues laughing and saying that I was dreaming foolishly, no woman had ever reached that position, and no HR person had actually ever lead the HR portfolio,” she recalled.
Yet at 36, she achieved precisely that goal.
She moved to London in 2013, taking on the role of senior vice president for leadership and organisational development as well as global head of diversity and inclusion, working directly with the top management. She eventually became Unilever's chief human resource officer in 2016, making history as the “first female, first Asian, youngest ever” to hold this position.
During her tenure, she transformed Unilever into one of the world's most inclusive workplaces, implementing progressive policies that became industry benchmarks.
“The heart of any organisation is its people. When we invest in them, we invest in the future,” Nair wrote in a social media post during her Unilever days, encapsulating a philosophy that would later influence her approach at Chanel.
Her experience spanning both factory floor (she opted for a factory stint at HUL’s plant in Mumbai – the first female manager to do so) and corporate office proved invaluable in implementing Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, demonstrating her ability to balance operational excellence with environmental responsibility.
At Chanel, Nair's impact extends beyond the company's walls. In 2022, she increased Fondation Chanel's annual budget to £80 million, strengthening the brand's philanthropic initiatives.
Over all these years, her mantra “lift as you climb" has remained close to her heart.
Beyond business, Nair is also a member of the board of the Leverhulme Trust, a charitable organisation focused on supporting education and research.
Her contributions to business and society were recognised with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list.
This year, Chanel marked a historic milestone: its centenary in the UK – home to its global headquarters. The celebration in February 2025 was more than just an anniversary; it was a testament to the deep-rooted relationship between the fashion house and British culture.
“The UK holds a special place in the House (of Chanel),” Nair reflected in a commemorative message. “It's where Gabrielle Chanel found inspiration to shake up women’s fashion with materials like tweed and jersey.”
This connection, which began in 1925 with the registration of Parfums CHANEL and the establishment of the first UK fragrance site in 1934, has evolved into a comprehensive integration with British creative and industrial landscape.
The anniversary year showcased this relationship through several high-profile events, including the acclaimed Gabrielle Chanel Fashion Manifesto exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the innovative Métiers d'Art show in Manchester, and the Fine Jewelry Tweed de Chanel exhibition in London.
The celebration held particular significance for Nair, as it coincided with Chanel’s growing presence in the UK under her leadership. The company is scheduled to open its new global headquarters in London’s Berkeley Square in 2026.
As an Indian woman leading a French luxury giant, Nair’s success challenges traditional notions of fashion industry leadership. Her vision for Chanel transcends immediate market challenges: she aims to position the brand as a pioneering force for the next century.
“I would like my 11-year-old self to be proud of the leader I’ve become,” she has said.
As she continues to break barriers and inspire millions, one thing is clear: Leena Nair is not just leading Chanel; she is redefining what it means to be a leader in the 21st century.
