This is what the new boss of Chanel does every morning for 20 minutes

Forbes counts Leena Nair among the 50 most powerful women in India and at Unilever she was head of HR for 150,000 employees. By bringing in Nair, Chanel is doing something they normally never do: making an outsider the head of the company. Who is Leena Nair?

The new CEO of Chanel achieved many firsts at Unilever in India. She was the first woman to work in the factory, the first woman on the night shift, and the first woman in management. Nair often heard, ‘this can't be done because it has never been done before,’ and her response is still, ‘How wonderful that it has never been done. Tell me how it can be done.’ It is up to Nair to do this at Chanel in triplicate. She is the youngest CEO, the first woman, and the first woman of color in this position.

Two of the most important lessons in life Leena Nair received from her former professor: 1) find your purpose in life and 2) always seek a mentor. It was also precisely this professor and mentor who directed her towards management, as he believed she was much better with people than with technology. This meant she had to disappoint her father, as he saw her as a great engineer. But Leena Nair followed her purpose and has since always had a dot on the horizon that she follows.

Nair sees the corona crisis as a moment to reinvent oneself. Under her leadership, Unilever introduced the four-day workweek and the ability to determine how much time off one takes annually. At Chanel, she particularly looks forward to having a positive impact on the world.

The recipe that Nair swears by to feel good? The new top woman of Chanel has been writing down everything she is grateful for in a diary every evening for a few years. Furthermore, Nair meditates every morning for twenty minutes, without exception. It is these small things that keep her balanced. Leena Nair also finds it important to make time for what she loves. She walks a lot, enjoys running, and participates in Bollywood dancing every week. The most important thing for Nair is that she also lets her team know that she does this and that she is not just working.

Sources: NRC and Times