The Habitual Learner

Leena Nair, Chief HR Officer, Unilever, is the first woman and also the youngest CHRO of Unilever. Nair likes to call herself an eternal learner. All those who would have browsed through her LinkedIn profile would have come across her #LearnwithLeena movement wherein she has invited people to share with her about what they are learning and what they would like to learn in future. She has also asked for suggestions on what she should be learning. Nair says that she even approaches her job as learning everyday as that makes her curious and pushes her to improve skills on a day-to-day basis.

In fact, she is known to have consciously allocated 40 per cent of her time to learn beyond work. From Spanish to playing the keyboard and horse riding, learning never stops for the 50-year-old. It is this curiosity to learn that has led her to create a leadership centre in Singapore to nurture young leaders. In her earlier role as Global Senior Vice President for Leadership and Organisational Development and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Nair was instrumental in driving the company's employer brand to a new high.