Leena Nair has become the latest Indian to be elevated to the top of a global company.
The first female, Asian and youngest Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever, Leena has now been appointed as Global Chief Executive Officer of the popular French luxury fashion house Chanel.
Chanel said in a statement that Leena will join the company in January 2022 and added that her appointment will ensure its “long-term success as a private company.”
“I am humbled and honoured to be appointed the Global Chief Executive Officer of @CHANEL, an iconic and admired company,” Leena tweeted.
“I am so inspired by what @CHANEL stands for. It is a company that believes in the freedom of creation, in cultivating human potential and in acting to have a positive impact in the world,” she added.
Here’s a list of other Indians employed as CEOs of international brands:
* Parag Agarwal — An IIT-Bombay alumnus, the Ajmer-born Parag was appointed as CEO of Twitter on November 29, 2021
* Satya Nadella – He was appointed Microsoft Chairman on June 16, 2021. Nadella hails from Hyderabad and studied in Manipal Institute of Technology.
* Sundar Pichai – The Chennai-born Pichai was appointed as Google’s CEO on August 15, 2015. He graduated from IIT-Kharagpur.
* Shantanu Narayen — Hyderabad-born Narayen was appointed as the CEO of Adobe Inc. on December 1, 2007.
* Arvind Krishna — Appointed CEO of IBM in January 2020. Krishna hails from Andhra Pradesh.
