The Big Challenge

New HUL CEO and MD Priya Nair has her task cut out—getting growth back without sacrificing on profitability

- By SAMAR SRIVASTAVA

AS PRIYA NAIR TAKES OVER THE top job at Hindustan Unilever (HUL), she’d have her priorities in place. Chief among them would be getting the country’s largest consumer goods company to grow without sacrificing profitability. How she balances the two will make or break her stint.

For now, the answers to those questions are probably known only to Nair who is said to have lobbied for the position from the incumbent Rohit Jawa, who had a two-year stint at the top job.

Nair, who joined HUL 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.