Estée Lauder Cos. Board Member, Richard Parsons, Dies

Richard “Dick” D. Parsons, a long-serving member of The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) Board of Directors, died on December 26, 2024. For more than two decades, Parsons was an invaluable member of the Board, and a trusted advisor, mentor and friend to three generations of the Lauder family and company leadership, according to company executives.

“On behalf of The Estée Lauder Companies’ Board of Directors, my family and our colleagues around the world, we join in mourning the loss of Richard D. Parsons,” said Chairman William P. Lauder. “Dick was a sage counselor and steady hand providing more than two decades of service to our company and communities. Though we will miss him immensely, our company is better as a result of his committed service and the values he perfectly embodied: his humanity, his integrity and his abiding optimism. We are deeply saddened by his passing and forever grateful for his innumerable contributions.”

Parsons’ Rich, Diverse Career

Since joining ELC’s Board in 1999, Parsons brought to his role the hard-earned savvy of a diverse career, spanning fields and industries. A lawyer by training, he served as the former chairman of Citigroup, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, and an economic advisor to former US President Barack Obama. On ELC’s Board, he served on numerous committees over the years; most recently, acting as a member of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and ESG Committee.

Parsons is survived by his wife and three children.