Hindustan Unilever names Priya Nair as CEO and MD

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Thursday announced the appointment of company veteran Priya Nair as its next chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD).

Nair will take charge on 1 August for a five-year term, succeeding Rohit Jawa, who will step down at the close of business on 31 July.

The decision was approved by the HUL board of directors at its meeting held in Mumbai, following a recommendation from the nomination and remuneration committee, the company said in a statement to the exchanges.

Nair, whose appointment as CEO and MD is subject to shareholder and statutory approvals, will also join the HUL board and continue as a member of Unilever’s global leadership executive.

A veteran of nearly three decades with Unilever, Nair currently serves as president of the company’s global beauty and wellbeing business, overseeing a €13 billion portfolio spanning hair care, skin care, prestige beauty, and health and wellbeing brands across more than 20 markets.

Under her leadership, the business has been among Unilever’s fastest-growing segments.

Nair began her career at HUL in 1995 in consumer insights before moving into leadership roles across sales and marketing in the home care, beauty and wellbeing, and personal care divisions.

She served as executive director of home care at HUL between 2014 and 2020, driving sustainability, innovation, and premiumization that improved margins and volumes.

She then led beauty and personal care at HUL from 2020 to 2022 before being appointed global chief marketing officer for beauty and wellbeing at Unilever.

Recognized as one of India’s most influential business leaders, Nair is widely respected for combining commercial acumen with consumer empathy and purpose-led innovation.

She is credited with architecting social-first marketing strategies, scaling influencer-led campaigns, and repositioning Unilever’s beauty portfolio for younger, digital-native consumers globally.

Nair holds a commerce degree from Sydenham College, an MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

She is known for advocating inclusion, learning agility, and authenticity in leadership.

Welcoming her appointment, HUL chairman Nitin Paranjpe said, “Priya has had an outstanding career in HUL and Unilever. I am certain that with her deep understanding of the Indian market and excellent track record, Priya will take HUL to the next level of performance.”

Rohit Jawa, who has served as CEO and MD of HUL since June 2023, informed the Board of his decision to step down to pursue the next chapter in his personal and professional journey.

In a letter to the board, Jawa said it had been a privilege to lead HUL and credited his team for delivering competitive, volume-led growth in challenging market conditions during his tenure.

Jawa’s tenure at HUL was marked by the introduction of the ‘ASPIRE’ strategy, aimed at transforming the company’s portfolio and channels toward high-growth demand spaces, and strengthening its market leadership.

With a career at Unilever spanning 37 years, he previously held prominent roles including executive vice-president for North Asia and chair of Unilever China and chair of Unilever Philippines, overseeing two of the company’s largest and most strategic operations.

Thanking Jawa for his leadership, Paranjpe said, “On behalf of the board of HUL, I would like to thank Rohit for leading the business through tough market conditions and strengthening its foundations for success. The company took decisive actions to sharpen the portfolio and further stepped up its market leadership over the last two years. I wish him the very best for the next chapter in his life.”

The board meeting to approve the leadership changes was held on Thursday evening and concluded within an hour.