Leena Nair joining BT Board as non-executive director, member of Remuneration Committee

Leena Nair is joining the BT Board as a non-executive director and as a member of the Remuneration Committee, the Nominations Committee and the Digital Impact & Sustainability Committee. Her appointment takes effect from the end of BT’s Annual General Meeting on 10 July 2019.

Leena brings broad functional HR expertise to the BT Board, and has an outstanding record in driving large scale change and transformation. She has been Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever, a leading company in the “fast moving consumer goods” sector, since March 2016 where she has overall responsibility for the global people agenda for Unilever’s 160,000 employees. Leena is also a member of Unilever’s leadership executive.

She has been a non-executive director of the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since 2018 and is chair of its Nominations and Governance Committee.

Prior to her current role, Leena held a number of senior HR roles at Unilever, including: Senior Vice President for Leadership and Organisational Development and Global Head of Diversity; Executive Director of Hindustan Unilever; and Vice President HR South Asia.

In welcoming the appointment, BT’s Chairman Jan du Plessis, said: “We are delighted to welcome Leena to BT. She brings a deep understanding of the strategic and practical challenges of driving large scale cultural transformation, making her an excellent addition to the Board.”

Leena added “I am delighted to be invited to join the Board of BT, an iconic company. I am looking forward to making a contribution to shape the future of this exciting business in a dynamic sector.”

Leena is Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever, a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company. She was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer in 2016 and is a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive. Leena is responsible for Unilever’s global people agenda, working across 160 markets to help deliver Unilever’s business financial performance as well as its environmental and social impact objectives.

Leena is also a non-executive director at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, having been on the Board since 2018.

Leena joined Unilever in 1992 and has held a wide variety of roles in HR throughout her career. Between 2013 and 2016, she was Senior Vice President for Leadership and Organisational Development and Global Head of Diversity, and between 2007 and 2012, Leena was Executive Director of Hindustan Unilever and Vice President HR South Asia.

Leena has an MBA from XLRI – Xavier School of Management (formerly Xavier Labor Relations Institute), India's oldest business school of international repute, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics and Telecommunications) from Walchand College of Engineering.