New Delhi: In a surprise move, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Thursday announced the appointment of Priya Nair as chief executive officer and managing director of the company. Nair is currently president, beauty & wellbeing, Unilever.
Nair, whose appointment comes into effect from 1 August, succeeds Rohit Jawa, who spent two years as HUL’s CEO and MD.
She will also join the HUL board, subject to necessary approvals, and continue to be a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive.
Jawa will step down as CEO and MD on 31 July to pursue the next chapter in his personal and professional journey, according to a company statement.
Nair joined HUL in 1995 and held several sales and marketing roles across home care, beauty & wellbeing, and personal care businesses. She became the executive director, home care, HUL between 2014 and 2020, and thereafter, the executive director, beauty & personal care, HUL from 2020 to 2022.
Subsequently, she went on to become the global chief marketing officer, beauty & wellbeing at Unilever. Since 2023, Priya has been the president of beauty & wellbeing, one of Unilever’s fastest growing businesses.
Jawa took over as HUL’s managing director & CEO on 27 June, 2023, succeeding Sanjiv Mehta, who retired from the company after a tenure of 10 years.
During Jawa’s tenure, the company delivered volume-led competitive growth. He introduced the ‘ASPIRE’ strategy that is driving the business to transform its portfolio and channels towards high-growth demand spaces.
“Rohit has held many notable roles across his successful 37-year career, including Executive Vice President North Asia and Chair Unilever China, and Chair of Unilever Philippines, two of the most important Unilever operations, in which he achieved notable success,” the company said.
HUL, which sells soaps, shampoo, tea, and ketchups, reported a turnover of ₹60,680 crore for FY25, up 2% over the year prior with underlying volume growth of 2%. Profit after tax grew 5% to ₹10,644 crore. The FMCG sector has been struggling with subdued urban demand.
