Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel
Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel
Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel
Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel

As Ananya Panday becomes Chanel's first Indian ambassador, who are the fashion house's other famous faces?


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French luxury house Chanel has named Ananya Panday, 26, as its first Indian ambassador. Sharing her excitement on social media, the Bollywood star said she was “beyond grateful and excited”, adding: “Dreams really do come true.”

The daughter of actor Chunky Panday and TV personality Bhavna Panday, Ananya made her debut in 2019 with the romantic comedies Student of the Year 2 and Pati Patni Aur Woh, earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

Since then, she’s starred in the 2022 sports action film Liger, the 2023 coming-of-age drama Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and the 2024 thriller CTRL. Her latest role is in Kesari Chapter 2, based on lawyer C Sankaran Nair’s fight to uncover the truth behind the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel
Ananya Panday has been named as Chanel's first Indian ambassador. Photo: Chanel

Panday joins Egyptian actress Tara Emad, a Chanel "friend of the house" since 2022, as well as global names such as Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, Monaco royal Charlotte Casiraghi, Blackpink’s Jennie and Australian actress Margot Robbie.

Other notable ambassadors include Lily-Rose Depp, who took on the role at age 15 in 2015, Diane Kruger, Kristen Stewart, and Caroline de Maigret, who transitioned from model to ambassador in 2012. Nicole Kidman became the face of Chanel No.5 in 2003, while Depp’s mother, Vanessa Paradis, has long been associated with the brand.

Though Chanel doesn’t design menswear, it has embraced high-profile male ambassadors. In 2012, Brad Pitt became the first male face of No.5 perfume. Pharrell Williams collaborated on a unisex capsule in 2019, while Timothee Chalamet fronted the 2023 campaign for Bleu de Chanel. South Korean rapper G-Dragon was appointed the brand’s first Korean ambassador in 2016.

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

Asian Cup 2019

Quarter-final

UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg

PROFILE OF CURE.FIT

Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

'Spies in Disguise'

Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Updated: April 17, 2025, 7:16 AM