Estee Lauder Names Two Group Presidents

Thia Breen and Lynne Greene have been named group presidents at the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., effective Jan. 1. Other Lauder group presidents are John Demsey and Cedric Prouve. Breen is currently president of North America, Lauder’s home market and Greene has been global president of Clinique, Origins and Ojon.


Breen and Green were promoted based on their performances and an acknowledgment of the importance of the territory and brands they manage, according to the company.


The move is part of a number of realignments and adjustments, also slated for January, that are designed to reward people with bigger responsibilities to create opportunities for growth, thereby leveraging the talents within the organization, said Fabrizio Freda, president and chief executive officer of Lauder.


“I will continue to fine-tune the organization to make sure it is in alignment with the strategy of growing the brands globally while making sure they are more locally relevant,” he said.


The realignment is the first since 2009. During that time,Lauder’s sales rose nearly 33% to $10 billion, the company has added $15 billion in capitalization and shareholder return has increased by 242%.


Freda added that much of this success was sparked by the dynamic growth — particularly in China — of the company’s oldest institution, the Estée Lauder brand. For this, he singled out the work of Jane Hertzmark Hudis, global president of the brand.