Priya Nair appointed as HUL MD and CEO

New Delhi: Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has appointed Priya Nair as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1 succeeding Rohit Jawa, who will step down on July 31 after a notably brief tenure of under two years in a five-year term.

Nair, currently serving as President of Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing division, boasts nearly 30 years of experience across diverse roles at both HUL and Unilever, including leadership positions in Home Care, Beauty and Personal Care, and global marketing 

The market welcomed the move with optimism: HUL’s share price surged between 4 percent and 5 percent, reaching Rs.2,521.50 on the NSE and Rs.2,518.65 on the BSE across trading sessions.

Forecasters from Citi, Jefferies, Nomura, and others highlighted Nair’s solid track record particularly her success driving margin growths and market share gains in the Home Care segment between 2014 and 2020 

Rohit Jawa’s departure reflects a broader leadership overhaul at Unilever, as HUL aims to address its recent challenges: sluggish volume growth, margin pressures, and heightened competition from agile, digital-first brands.

Nair is expected to forefront changes including premiumisation, portfolio revitalisation, modern trade and e-commerce expansion, and the integration of global innovations tailored to the Indian consumer.

Brokerage houses view her appointment as a clear sign of Unilever’s renewed focus on accelerating growth in its key Indian market 
The Economic Times.

Nair’s appointment also marks a significant stride toward gender diversity in Indian corporate leadership—with women occupying fewer than 20 percent of C-suite roles nationwide.

Her return to India follows high-profile global roles including Global Chief Marketing Officer and later President of Beauty & Wellbeing at Unilever in London, where she steered a Pound13 billion portfolio across 20+ countries 

Nair will join HUL’s Board pending regulatory approvals and assume a five-year tenure, aligning with Unilever’s “anchor market” strategy for India. 

Her leadership is widely seen as pivotal in revving up volume growth, modernizing distribution, doubling down on premium brands, and reenergizing stagnant categories like beauty, tea, and packaged foods.