Who is Leena Nair, the Chanel CEO, PM Modi met during his France visit?

France extended the red carpet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Paris and New Delhi celebrated their 25-year strategic relationship. While he began the day as the special guest at the Bastille Day parade, his subsequent engagements involved well-known figures who work in a variety of different sectors. Indian-born Chanel CEO Leena Nair was on the list of notable individuals. PM Modi and Nair talked about India’s development and discussed ways to further boost skill development and make Khadi more popular. Let’s take a look at her profile. Also read: PM Modi’s pitch for UNSC membership: How can India get a permanent seat? Who is Leena Nair? Born in Kolhapur, a small town in the western state of Maharashtra, in 1969, Leena Nair is the daughter of Indian politician K Karthikeyan, and the cousin of industrialists Vijay Menon and Sachin Menon. She studied electronics and telecommunications engineering at Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli. She then graduated with a gold medal from XLRI, Jamshedpur, with an MBA in Human Resources in 1992, according to Financial Express. Nair started her career in 1992 as a Management Trainee at Hindustan Lever (now Hindustan Unilever Limited). She held a variety of positions inside the company during the ensuing 14 years, steadily moving up the corporate ladder. She worked her way up to become the organisation’s first female chief human resource officer and the youngest woman in Asia. She was also a member of the Unilever leadership executive. According to the HR Executive’s Instagram post, “Unilever has been one of the defining relationships of my life in so many ways.”

Nair’s impact extended beyond her position at Unilever to a number of prestigious institutions. She was a member of the steering committee for the World Economic Forum, a board trustee for The Leverhulme Trust, and an advisor to the international council at Università Bocconi. She actively contributed to significant international dialogues and initiatives as a result of her dedication to education, gender equality, and the future of work. Nair spent 30 years with Unilever before joining Chanel in January 2022. She broke all the barriers when she became the first global CEO of Indian ancestry at the French luxury fashion business.

After spending a year working for Chanel, Nair wrote on her LinkedIn profile about her time there, calling it “an iconic and admired company.” In her recollection, she mentions that she “visited 25 regional offices, 40 manufacturing locations and heritage sites, 100 points of sale, and every creation studio.” Leena Nair was named one of the most successful Indian business leaders in the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017. Among her many other accomplishments, she was also named the “Role Model of the Year” at the 2021 Great British Businesswoman’s Awards. Additionally, in 2022, she was listed among Forbes India’s Top Self-Made Women. Nair, who now calls London home, is in charge of the top fashion companies in the world, an 11.5 billion US dollars business empire. Also read: Modi takes UPI to France: Which other countries use the payments system? PM Modi’s commitment to support women in business Chanel chief executive officer (CEO) Leena Nair expressed her delight at meeting PM Modi on Friday and said that he is keen to support women and girls in the business. “You could see his passion and commitment to supporting women more and more in business and in all avenues to grow and develop,” Nair said. According to ANI, Nair was delighted to meet the Indian premier and said, “It was a proud moment for me to talk to him. He was encouraging about my achievements but importantly, he was keen that I continue to support other women and girls and be a role model for many of them coming out of India.” PM Modi is keen to make India an investment hub for everyone, she said.

“Our PM is really interested in ensuring that India is an investment hub for everyone. He wants to make it easy for businesses to continue to build bonds with India and invest in India,” Nair added. Furthermore, PM Modi and Chanel’s CEO talked about India’s development. “We talked about the development of the embroidery work and chikankari work done in India which is important and requires skill. We also talked about khadi fabric and how we can bring it to the global stage,” she said, adding, “He felt that India’s handicrafts which are our homegrown skill should be encouraged.”

Referring to his meeting with Leena Nair, PM Modi said they talked about ways to further boost skill development and make Khadi more popular. “It’s always a delight to meet a person of Indian origin who has made a mark on the world stage. We had a great conversation about ways to further boost skill development among artisans and to make Khadi more popular,” he said. Also read: Modi gets France’s highest award: What is Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour? Other key meetings PM Modi’s Friday list of engagements also included meeting with astronaut and Aerospace engineer Thomas Pesquet. “When it comes to motivating youngsters towards science and space, Thomas Pesquet’s name figures prominently. It was a delight to meet him and exchange views on a wide range of subjects. His energy and insights are very valuable. @Thom_astro,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.

Following the meeting, Pesquet also said that he congratulates the premier on the successful launch of Chandrayaan 3. Pesquest told ANI after the meeting, “I think he (PM Modi) is doing the right thing. Like I was saying, he’s taking a lot of good decisions. He’s using space for his people, and that’s what you should do. I think it’s great. I think space does a lot for a country. I think it’s hugely difficult to have a space program. To send people into space is the most difficult part of that. But I think India is going at an incredible speed towards that goal.” He added, “And so, congratulations on Chandrayaan 3, and then soon we’ll see Indian astronauts. So I think it’s great. I think India is going to benefit from it." The prime minister was also astounded by his meeting with Charlotte Chopin, who started practising yoga at the age of 50. Chopin is renowned for her fitness all around the world and will shortly turn 100.

“In Paris, I had the opportunity to meet the remarkable Charlotte Chopin. She began practising Yoga at the age of 50. She’s going to turn a hundred soon but her passion towards Yoga and fitness has only increased over the years,” PM Modi wrote in another tweet. Also read: Indian CEOs in top global firms: Diversities of largest democracy help in building leadership qualities With inputs from agencies