Responsible Leadership In A Changing World, VOICES2023 | The Business of Fashion

At every juncture of her extraordinary professional journey, Leena Nair has authored a series of ‘firsts.’ Growing up in her home country of India, she was part of the first cohort of female students at her school, at Unilever she was the first woman to lead global human resources, responsible for 150,000 employees and in January 2022 she became Chanel’s first-ever global CEO of Indian-origin — making her the only woman of colour leading a major global luxury brand. Nair is leaning on the lessons from her people-centric career to lead Chanel into the future as the post-pandemic luxury boom comes to an end. “I really believe if you look after people, their growth and development, their dreams and aspirations, they will look after the business. They will help you with ideas and really care about the institution they’re a part of,” says Nair. Nair sat down for her first public talk with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed at BoF VOICES 2023 to share her vision for Chanel, philosophies on leadership and advice for women who feel like outsiders. Key Insights: - Growing up in her home country of India, Nair frequently battled gendered stereotypes. “After a point I had to stop listening. … Gender roles were so strong. … One of the most [common] comments I would get is, ‘You’re so talented. You should have been a boy,’” she recalls. - Acknowledging that she is a fashion-industry outsider, Nair is conscious of fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. “Lift as y