LONDON — Priya Nair, president of Unilever’s beauty and well-being division, has been named chief executive officer and managing director of Hindustan Unilever Ltd., effective Aug. 1. She will also join the HUL board, and continue to be a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive.

Her successor at the beauty and well-being division will be revealed in due course, the company said.

The new appointment is a homecoming for Nair, who joined HUL in 1995 and held several sales and marketing roles across home care, beauty and well-being, and personal care.

During her career, she served as executive director of the home care, beauty and personal care divisions at HUL. She has served as president of beauty and well-being, one of Unilever’s fastest-growing businesses, since 2023.

In her new role, she will succeed Rohit Jawa, who will step down as CEO and managing director on July 31.

Nitin Paranjpe, chairman of HUL, said Nair “has had an outstanding career in HUL and Unilever. I am certain that with her deep understanding of the Indian market and excellent track record, Priya will take HUL to the next level of performance.”

In May, Nair told the 2025 WWD Beauty CEO Summit that beauty and well-being are deeply interconnected.

“Enhancing one enhances the other and compromising one compromises both. People no longer see the pursuit of beauty and well-being as independent of each other. In fact, nearly nine in 10 people say they don’t feel beautiful unless they also feel good on the inside. They’re now seeking solutions that support physical appearance, mental well-being and positively contribute to overall health,” she said.

Nair added that Unilever products try to address consumers’ desire for beauty and well-being. “This can be seen across our portfolio, with brands such as Nutrafol and Liquid I.V., where this connection is integral to their core proposition, as well as in new innovations from brands like Dove and Clear.”