Nair becomes the first woman CEO and MD of Hindustan Unilever, succeeding Rohit Jawa, amid sluggish growth and rising market challenges
Priya Nair, newly appointed CEO and MD at HUL. Credit: Courtesy HUL
Hindustan Unilever, India’s largest consumer goods company, has announced the appointment of Priya Nair as MD and CEO replacing Rohit Jawa, who will step down.
Nair, who joined Hindustan Unilever in 1995, was heading Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing division since January 2024. Seen as a rising star in the Unilever’s deep managerial bench she is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive, a 13-member team tasked with running Unilever’s businesses across the globe.
At HUL she has been given a five-year tenure till 2030, subject to shareholder approval. She is also the first woman to lead the company.
Nair’s appointment comes at a time at a time when Hindustan Unilever has found the going tough in India’s consumer market. Sales growth during Jawa’s three-year tenure was anaemic with topline in the last three years rising by 5 percent a year to Rs 63,000 crore (primarily on account of price increases) and profitability up 6 percent a year to Rs10,600 crore during the same periods. Margins trended downwards to 23.5 percent from 24 percent.
The challenges that likely led to Jawa’s exit were acknowledged in Hindustan Unilever’s press release announcing the change.