WOMAN LEADERS SPECIAL.................. India Inc's Rising Women Leaders 2015 (5)

WOMAN LEADERS SPECIAL India Inc's Rising Women Leaders 2015 (5)

5.    Priya NAIR 42

Executive Director Home Care, Hindustan Unilever

Priya Nair joined Hindustan Unilever 20 years ago as a member of the consumer insights team and a few years later, was the first woman regional sales manager at HUL. Ever since, she has been involved with a slew of HUL's major brands, including Pepsodent, Axe and Pureit, apart from being responsible for the revival of the laundry portfolio and entry into segments like liquid detergents. She was also responsible for the launch of the award winning rural mobile marketing initiative, Kan Khajura Tesan, last year.

Nair says that while she didn't face any discrimination at HUL, she feels that most people tend to view or treat women differently because it's the first time they are seeing women in a non-traditional role. The initial curiosity however dies out once your skills and competence come to the fore. Having moved into her current role a few months ago, she says she's not looking too far into the future, but is keen on making a difference to the company and community at large given the kind of op portunities and resources that are available. Among her biggest learnings from her mentors over the years has been integrity of character and the ability to challenge herself by thinking outside the box.

The glass ceiling:

“A shadow which is meant to be shattered “ Advice for women:

“Be the change you want to see“

CDET27MAR15