Leena Nair has been Global Chief Executive Officer at Chanel since January 2022. Chanel is a private company and world leader in creating, developing, manufacturing and distributing luxury products. Founded by Gabrielle Chanel at the beginning of the last century, Chanel is dedicated to ultimate luxury and the highest level of craftsmanship.

Leena is highly respected as a visionary leader whose ability to champion a long-term, purpose-driven agenda is matched with a consistently strong track record of talent development and business outcomes. Prior to joining Chanel, Leena spent 30 years at Unilever, serving as the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and a member of their Executive Committee from 2016 to 2021. She built a global reputation for progressive human-centred leadership, delivering significant business impact.

Leena previously served as a member of the Board of the Leverhulme Trust, a charitable organisation focused on supporting education and research, and as a non-executive director at BT plc and the UK Government’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. She has won numerous awards throughout her career including most recently being recognised in the UK 2025 New Years Honours list in 2025 with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to the retail and consumer sector.

Leena featured in TIME’s Women of the Year (2024), and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business (2024 and 2023). Leena has also been honoured as Global Indian of the Year from the Economic Times in 2023, in WWD 50 Women in Power List 2023, Forbes India’s W-Power list 2022 and Role Model of Year in 2021 at The Great British Businesswoman's Awards. Leena is also part of the Thinkers50 List – Thinkers Who Will Shape the Future of Business.