Perhaps the most famous luxury house in the world, Chanel, has a new chief executive officer (CEO). Indeed, a new CEO, Leena Nair (pictured). And it is the first surprise, because the role had so far been held by Alain Wertheimer, owner, together with his brother Gerard, of Chanel, who had taken over in 2016 from Maureen Chiquet, an American manager. Wertheimer will become global executive chairman. The second surprise is that Leena Nair comes from Unilever, a giant of consumer goods, not from the high-end world.
The Paris-London axis
It is since 2018 that the offices following the economic and financial part of Chanel have been moved to London, which will also be the main place of work of Leena Nair. The creative office and all other activities linked to Chanel’s “artistic direction” will remain in Paris. At the same time as the “financial heart” moved to London, the maison began to publish financial statements, confirming that it is one of the top three luxury brands in the world.
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Strange as it may seem, it is not the first time that the top management of the very high range, we could say, has chosen great protagonists of the consumer goods sector. Yves Carcelle, who transformed Louis Vuitton into one of the largest luxury brands in the world, came from the same industry. Which is then that of Pietro Beccari, today president and CEO of Dior.