NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) today announced the following executive appointments, effective January 1, 2016:

• John Demsey will expand his responsibilities and become Executive Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies.Mr. Demsey will add Clinique and the Men’s Skincare Group to his portfolio while continuing to oversee Aramis and Designer Fragrances, Prescriptives, M•A•C Cosmetics (“M•A•C”), Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Tom Ford, Smashbox, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle and GLAMGLOW. In his role, Mr. Demsey will also lead a newly created Center of Excellence for Creative, continuing to advance capabilities, processes and talent development in this important area for the Company.
• Jane Hertzmark Hudis will become Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies. Ms. Hudis will continue to lead the Company’s Estée Lauder and AERIN brands while adding La Mer, Darphin, Origins and Aveda to her portfolio. Ms. Hudis will also join several leadership committees within the Company.

Both executives will report directly to Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer. These appointments follow the previously announced retirement of Lynne Greene, Group President, and are part of the Company’s continuous organizational evolution to further align its expanding portfolio of brands while providing key leaders with increased opportunities. Ms. Greene will work closely with Mr. Demsey and Ms. Hudis to help ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities, as Ms. Greene prepares to retire on June 30, 2016.

Mr. Freda said, “These appointments for John and Jane recognize their strong leadership and unparalleled ability to drive the continued future success of our diverse portfolio of prestige brands. They also have a keen understanding of our key strategic initiatives, including Creativity, Innovation, Digital and Emerging Market growth, and have demonstrated relentless commitment and leadership to advancing our business in these areas. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Jane and John on their increased responsibilities.”

Mr. Demsey has served as Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies, since July 2006. After joining the Company in 1991, Mr. Demsey held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including his appointment in 1998 to President of M•A•C which, under his leadership, grew from a small, niche makeup artist brand to a global cosmetics powerhouse distributed in more than 100 countries/territories worldwide. Mr. Demsey has overseen the continued success and expansion of many brands in the Company’s portfolio, including several of the Company’s fastest growing brands, such as Tom Ford, Jo Malone London and Smashbox. He has also been an integral enterprise leader on many organizational transformation activities, including the Company’s recent acquisitions.

“John is well-known across the industry as a strong business leader and a creative visionary. His extraordinary creative taste makes him an ideal fit to also become be the leader of an enterprise-wide Creative Center of Excellence, helping to drive our renowned competitive advantage in this area through the advancement of Creative capabilities, processes and talent development,” Mr. Freda added.

Ms. Hudis was appointed Global Brand President, Estée Lauder, in July 2009. She has been dedicated to building on Estee Lauder's rich heritage to bring the brand to a new generation of global consumers. Under her leadership, the brand's net sales have grown more than 40 percent. Additionally, Ms. Hudis’ extraordinary insights and knowledge of the Asian consumer helped drive Estée Lauder to be the number one prestige brand in its distribution in Asia. Before assuming her current role, Ms. Hudis served as President of the Company’s Origins brand as well as BeautyBank, a division she founded in 2003 to develop innovative new brand concepts for The Estée Lauder Companies.

Mr. Freda continued, “Jane’s expanded portfolio of brands will strongly benefit from her best-in-class leadership as an excellent brand marketer with a strong commitment to quality. She is also widely recognized for her expertise in local relevance − tailoring product innovation and marketing to our consumers − and her excellent ability to grow brand appeal across multiple generations, from ageless consumers to millennials.”

“Throughout his outstanding career, John has overseen the continued success and expansion of many brands in the Company’s portfolio. The new additions to John’s portfolio, Clinique and the Men’s Skincare Group, will benefit from his unique business talent and world-class creativity,” said William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman. “Jane has a longstanding tenure of leading both small and big brands with deep heritage, authenticity, and unique brand positioning. The addition of La Mer, Darphin, Origins and Aveda to her portfolio is a natural fit for Jane to leverage her brand building expertise to further elevate and grow these brands.”

“I had the unique pleasure of bringing both John and Jane into the Company early on in their careers, and I’m proud to see them taking on even more leadership responsibilities. They bring innovation, creativity, style and a distinctly modern approach to our Company—all of which are vital to our business as they lead our brands into the future,” said Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus.

About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M•A•C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Marni, Tory Burch, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle and GLAMGLOW.

Contacts

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Media Relations:
Alexandra Trower, 212-572-4430
or
Investor Relations:
Dennis D’Andrea, 212-572-4384