Meet Kerala's Priya Nair: The Trailblazing First Woman CEO Of Hindustan Unilever Limited
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has announced the appointment of Priya Nair as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD), effective August 1, 2025.
With this appointment, Priya Nair becomes the first woman to hold the top leadership position in the company’s history. She will take over the role from Rohit Jawa, the current CEO and MD, who will step down on July 31, 2025, after completing over two years in the position.
Mr. Jawa had taken charge in 2023 and led the company through a phase of volume-led competitive growth, marked by the introduction of the ASPIRE strategy aimed at driving transformation and aligning the business with high-growth areas.
Priya Nair has been associated with HUL for 30 years, having joined the company in 1995. Over the course of her career, she has held a wide range of roles in sales and marketing across key business segments, including Home Care, Beauty and Personal Care, and Beauty & Wellbeing.
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She became part of the HUL Management Board in 2012, when she was appointed to lead the Beauty & Personal Care division. From 2014 to 2020, she served as Executive Director, Home Care, South Asia, where she played a key role in strengthening the company’s presence in the household care segment. She then moved to lead the Beauty & Personal Care vertical as Executive Director and EVP, South Asia, from 2020 to 2022.
In 2022, Ms. Nair was appointed as the Global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing business, where she was responsible for global marketing strategies, brand development, and innovation across multiple markets. In 2024, she took on the role of Business Group President, Beauty & Wellbeing, a global leadership position within Unilever.
She is currently a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive, and with her new role at HUL, she will also be inducted into the HUL Board, subject to regulatory approvals.
Priya Nair, hailing from Palakkad, Kerala, holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) degree in Accounts and Statistics from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, where she studied from 1987 to 1992.
She did her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, from 1992 to 1994.
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In addition to her formal education in India, she has also attended a program in Business Administration and Management at Harvard Business School, enhancing her leadership skills and strategic perspective at a global level.
HUL, a subsidiary of Unilever, is one of India’s leading fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. It operates across a wide range of categories, including personal care, home care, food, and beverages.
