Try GOLD - Free
Pulling All The Right Levers
The New Indian Express Kannur
|July 13, 2025
Dalal Street has given a five-notch salute to the news of a small-town girl Priya Nair moving to the corner room of the country's largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) maker.
It is less about her being the first-ever woman to lead the 92-year-old Hindustan Unilever, but more about her accomplishments during her three decades in the company.
Priya's journey began in 1995 as a management trainee in the company, also known as the 'CEO Factory' for grooming dozens of trainees into chief executives of large multinational corporations.
Born into a middle-class Malayalee family in Maharashtra's sugar town of Kolhapur, Priya does not boast of a degree from top B-schools—she graduated from Sydenham College in Bombay and then earned a master's in marketing from Symbiosis Management Institute in Pune (not from top-tier IIMs). Nair's rise to the top itself breaks many a myth.
This story is from the July 13, 2025 edition of The New Indian Express Kannur.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The New Indian Express Kannur
The New Indian Express Kannur
Rain puts a dampener on NZ’s best laid plans
IN the last week or so, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was seen playing with a mosquito bat in the dressing room at the RS Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and a sparkler, a type of firecracker, during Deepavali celebrations here in the city. But not so much with the bat.
1 mins
October 23, 2025

The New Indian Express Kannur
Asia Cup to be handed over in official ceremony: Naqvi
REFUSING to budge from his previous stance, Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and also president of Asian Cricket Council (ACC), reiterated that the Asia Cup will be personally handed to the victorious Indian team by him in his capacity as the head of the continental cricket board.
1 mins
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
Rural women's participation in workforce high
25 Bhairav Light Combat Battalions likely to get ready within six months
1 mins
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
NZ stand between India & future
Hosts are staring at danger after 3 losses; they'll be hoping for a turn in fortunes today
3 mins
October 23, 2025

The New Indian Express Kannur
A tribute: Naroditsky touch in chess lessons
FOR over two weeks in Singapore at the World Championships last November and December, GM Daniel Naroditsky had inadvertently become my eyes and ears.
1 mins
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
PSG score seven, Barca hit six on a goal-filled night
PARIS Saint-Germain scored seven, Barcelona hit six and Erling Haaland struck his 24th goal of the season on an actionpacked night in the Champions League.
1 min
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
BIHAR LEADERS FACE YOUTH TEST
WITH the Bihar election campaign gaining steam, the spotlight is increasingly focused on three key factors—the caste calculus, alliance chemistry and women’s vote—that past elections have highlighted.
3 mins
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
Only joint secy, DGP can order removal of social media content
Labels for deepfakes, Al-generated content
1 min
October 23, 2025
The New Indian Express Kannur
Brittas says concerned over OCI registration norms, writes to Shah
CPI(M) MP John Brittas has written to Home Minister Amit Shah expressing concerns over the recent notification under the Citizenship Act, 1955 that allows cancellation of Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) registration if the cardholder is charge-sheeted for certain offences.
1 min
October 23, 2025

The New Indian Express Kannur
Punjabi singer shot at in Canada, gangster’s aides claim responsibility
PUNJABI singer Teji Kahlon was shot at in Canada and associates of gangster Rohit Godara claimed responsibility for the attack.
1 mins
October 23, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size