Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has initiated a significant internal restructuring in tandem with the elevation of Priya Nair as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, in a move aimed at revitalising performance in its domestic market. The changes, effective August 1, reposition HUL’s governance to grant Nair exclusive oversight of local operations and streamline decision-making.
Nair succeeds Rohit Jawa, who steps down after a tenure of just over two years. Her appointment marks the first time a woman will lead HUL in its history. In announcing the change, HUL underscored that the reorganisation is intended to give more autonomy to the Indian arm, enabling faster response to local market conditions and sharper execution on strategy.
Nair’s career spans three decades at Unilever and HUL. She joined HUL in 1995 and has held multiple leadership roles across home care, personal care, beauty & wellbeing, and marketing functions. Prior to her new role, she was President of Unilever’s global Beauty & Wellbeing business. Unilever’s global CEO, Fernando Fernandez, described her as bringing a “view of the world” that combines domestic understanding with international experience, and positioned her appointment as part of a decisive leadership shift to energise growth in India.
The leadership reshuffle coincides with efforts by HUL’s parent company to bolster India as a central growth market. India is Unilever’s second-largest revenue base, and the company has flagged that its future global growth trajectory will include India as a key pillar. As part of the structural changes, HUL has also tapped leaders from external organisations, including hiring senior executives from leading homegrown companies to lead food and financial functions.
The leadership change comes at a time when HUL is navigating a mix of headwinds and opportunities. In its latest quarterly results, HUL’s India unit reported an increase in profit driven by rural demand recovery and success from its refreshed brand portfolio. Revenue growth was moderate, and margin pressures persisted due to costs of raw materials, but the results were broadly viewed as showing resilience. The board has expressed confidence that under Nair’s leadership, the company can sharpen strategic focus and drive renewed performance.
Outgoing CEO Jawa, marking a 37-year career with Unilever, praised Nair’s capabilities and described her as “perfect casting” for the role. He noted that she melds deep India market experience with global leadership exposure, positioning her well to lead HUL through evolving consumer and competitive dynamics. The abrupt transition also reflects acknowledgement within the company of slowing momentum in value growth in recent quarters, and the need for sharper strategic direction in key segments such as beauty, wellness, and direct-to-consumer offerings.
With the new structure, Priya Nair will report directly to global leadership and exercise full control over the India operations rather than a shared accountability model.
The board and Unilever expect this configuration to accelerate decision cycles, align resource allocation more tightly with market priorities, and enable HUL to respond more nimbly to shifts in consumer behaviour. The industry will watch closely whether this leadership and structural reorientation leads to measurable improvements in growth, efficiency, and market positioning in India.
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