Fashion house Chanel appoints Unilever executive Leena Nair as CEO

French fashion house Chanel named Leena Nair, an executive from Unilever, as its new global CEO on Tuesday, recruiting a consumer goods veteran to run one of the world's biggest luxury goods groups.

Nair's career at Unilever spanned 30 years, most recently as the chief of human resources and a member of the company's executive committee.

A 52-year old Indian national, Nair is a rare outsider at the helm of the tightly controlled family fashion house, known for its tweed suits, quilted handbags and No. 5 perfume.

She follows U.S. businesswoman Maureen Chiquet, who came from a fashion background and was CEO of Chanel for nine years until early 2016. She was not replaced until now.

Chanel said in a statement that 73-year old French billionaire Alain Wertheimer, who owns Chanel with his brother Gerard Wertheimer, would move to the role of global executive chairman of the group, which started out as a hat boutique on rue Cambon in Paris.

Chanel was founded in 1910 by fashion legend Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and grew to become a byword for French chic.

The group said Nair, who at Unilever oversaw 150,000 people, would join at the end of January and be based in London.

It added that the new appointments would ensure its "long-term success as a private company."

The recruitment of Nair, who rose through the ranks of Unilever having started out as a trainee on the factory floor, comes as the fashion industry is under pressure to show a more inclusive approach.

Under her watch Unilever achieved gender parity across global management, according to a Harper's Bazaar profile published last month, which also highlighted her commitment to pay the living wage across the supply chain.

Nair serves as a non-executive board member at British Telecom and has previously served as non-executive director of the British government's business, energy and industrial strategy department.

Chanel has fiercely defended its independence and only began publishing financial results in 2018. It said in July it expects to increase sales by double digits this year compared with their 2019, pre-pandemic level of $12.3 billion.