By Aarushi Anandakumar, @aarushiideca | Centennial High School, TX
Chanel, one of the world’s most iconic fashion houses, has had a legacy of notable CEOs. Maureen Chiquet, Alain Wertheimer, and now, Leena Nair; Chanel’s first woman of color to serve as CEO. Born and raised in India, Nair built a career at Unilever, serving as their Chief Human Resource Officer for 30 years, and made history in 2022 when she was appointed as Chanel’s CEO. Despite her achievements, Nair credits her success largely to her empathy, compassion and progressive leadership style.
Discover how Leena Nair leads a global luxury powerhouse and what her approach teaches us about leadership.
Diversity
Something to take away from Leena is that she fights for diversity and representation. She believes that a successful company stems from “both genders at all levels of management”, as Leena stated in a Times interview. When interviewing two male candidates, Leena also meets two female candidates.
She believes in an environment where different beliefs are respected. To Leena, a workplace with no diversity or free speech is like having a party where no one dances. Even saying in an interview that inclusion ensures that “people can speak their minds, [and] feel free to challenge authority.”
DECA Take-away
When holding chapter meetings or conferences, it’s important to represent all voices. By encouraging questions and comments, members can feel much more comfortable and included in the community. Diversity in leadership can also give members a sense of belonging and a personal model to look up to and follow.
Empathy
Leena's leadership is composed mainly of empathy and taking the time to listen to people. To her, every voice matters. Alana Semuels writes that in meetings, she “[wants] to listen to every voice around the table, not just the dominant ones”.
Leena hopes to be remembered as someone who puts people at the center of her work and really cares about her people. Leena prioritizes learning people’s names, stories and “trivia”. Following up on an employee even once a day can make a difference in the environment. When you demonstrate that you care about your employees by giving them freedom and inclusion, they, in turn, will care about the company.
DECA Take-away
A huge part of leadership is caring about your members/employees. They make the community unique and deserve the same respect leaders get. When assigning tasks or holding meetings, take the time to get to know your members beyond a first-name basis. Showing you care and that the DECA community is there to support them can encourage more member involvement and make the chapter all the more exciting!
Ethics/Social Impact
In a Stanford Business podcast, Leena stated that “Lift as you climb has become a huge mantra for [her]”. She says, “How do I ensure I make it easier for those who come after me? Because this is not just about me: It’s bigger than that”. By raising the percentage of female managers at Unilever from 38% to 50%, Leena is a firm believer in advocating for more voices as she rises. In other words, she believes in doing what’s right, not what’s profitable.
Through making sustainable efforts to drive Chanel’s positive impact and leading Foundation Chanel, a corporation dedicated to gender equality, Leena strives to “ensure we are at the forefront of change and shaping what’s coming next, while protecting what makes us different,” as she states in Fortune India.
DECA Take-away
Carrying ethical standards in your leadership can make a huge difference in a chapter. When you prioritize purpose over profit in your business, you foster stronger relationships, connections and rapport in the long run. More importantly, you promote a better work environment where members know that they are supporting the right cause. “Lift as you climb” is a key takeaway from Leena because it advocates for creating more opportunities for members to thrive as they gain more power to do so.
