Luxury brand Chanel chooses Unilever's Nair as CEO

The luxury fashion house Chanel has chosen Leena Nair, an industry outsider from India and longtime executive at Unilever, to be its new CEO

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The luxury fashion house Chanel has chosen Leena Nair, an industry outsider from India and longtime executive at Unilever to be its new CEO

Nair said in a Twitter post that she was “humbled and honored to be appointed the Global Chief Executive Officer of @CHANEL, an iconic and admired company.”

The news made a huge splash in India, Nair’s birthplace on Wednesday, where she received scores of congratulations and compliments to her announcement, one calling her a “serial glass-ceiling breaker.”

While Nair, 52, is not a part of the Paris fashion scene, Chanel has a wide range of products in addition to its fashion designs.

Nair, who was heading Unilever's human resources, is due to step into her new role in January. Her appointment is seen back home as a sign of the rising stature of Indian business leaders, especially women.

In her social media posts, Nair has described India-born former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi as a friend and mentor.

British consumer goods giant Unilever describes Nair as its first woman, first Asian and youngest ever chief human resources officer. She joined Unilever in 1992 in India and advanced up the ranks.