Estée Lauder announces brand leadership reshuffle

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jun 25, 2020

New York-based cosmetics group The Estée Lauder Companies announced on Wednesday that Jane Hertzmak Hudis, John Demsey and Stéphane de La Faverie have all gained new responsibilities as part of an organizational restructure resulting in the creation of a third brand cluster.

 
Hertzmak Hudis has been promoted to the role of executive group president, becoming the first woman to hold this position at the company. She will continue to head up a portfolio of brands including Estée Lauder, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, AERIN, Origins, Aveda, Bumble and bumble, Dr. Jart+ and Do The Right Thing.
 
The executive, who holds a BA from Vassar College and an MBA from Columbia University, first joined Estée Lauder as a member of the Prescriptives brand’s marketing team. She was promoted to the role of group president in 2016.

During her time at the company, she has successfully driven brand-building expertise, developed the group’s marketing and talent, and led her portfolio of brands to achieve significant cross-category growth.
 
Following her latest promotion, Hertzmark Hudis will continue to report directly to The Estéé Lauder Companies president and CEO Fabrizio Freda.
 
Demsey is retaining his role as executive group president but will be taking on new responsibilities. He will continue to oversee the MAC, Clinique, Becca, Too Faced, Smashbox, GlamGlow and Tom Ford Beauty brands, and will also maintain his role at the head of Estée Lauder’s enterprise-wide creative organization.

However, he will also become a key advisor on new brand integration at the company, while continuing to report directly to Freda.
 
As for La Faverie, he will continue to serve as global brand president for the Estéé Lauder and AERIN brands, but has also been promoted to the role of group president, leading a new brand cluster including Jo Malone London, Aramis and Designer Fragrances, Le Labo, Darphin, Lab Series, By Kilian, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Rodin Olio Lusso and Prescriptives.

Before joining Estée Lauder in 2011, La Faverie’s previous experience included stints at Giorgio Armani Beauty and L’Oréal. Since joining the company, the executive’s leadership has resulted in the Estée Lauder brand to achieving a “tremendous global performance across demographics, regions and channels.”

La Faverie will continue to report to Hertzmark Hudis in his role as global brand president for Estée Lauder and AERIN, but will report directly to Freda as group president.
 
“This exciting evolution of our leadership and organizational structure reflects our ‘run to win today, transform to lead tomorrow’ approach,” said Freda in a release. “It further aligns our portfolio of brands to continue to lead in an increasingly competitive beauty landscape, and ensures that we are matching the expertise, capabilities and experiences of our exceptional leaders with the biggest opportunities and engines to deliver long-term, sustainable growth.”
 
The announcement of this latest reshuffle at Estée Lauder follows the recent appointments of Jane Lauder to the role of executive vice president, enterprise marketing and chief data officer, and of Michelle Freyre to the role of senior vice president, global general manager, Clinique.