A Family in Business

A visionary entrepreneur who believed all women could be beautiful, Estée Lauder instinctively understood the power of makeup and the importance of skin care. Her dedication to offer women the highest-quality cosmetics transformed the fledgling business she started in 1946 with four products into today’s global leader in prestige beauty.

Born Josephine Esther Mentzer to immigrant parents in Queens, New York, Estée Lauder got her start selling skin care products developed by her uncle, a chemist, in local beauty salons and hotels. She landed her first major order from Saks Fifth Avenue in 1947. She believed in the power of word of mouth, and sampling products was a cornerstone of her philosophy. She acted as a one-woman research department, pioneering personalized beauty consultations and offering "Gift With Purchase" promotions.

Estée Lauder also developed some of the most successful fragrances of all time, including Youth Dew, Aramis and Beautiful. Expanding upon her vision, five more innovative brands were launched during the next two decades — Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series and Origins — all backed by iconic advertising campaigns and revolutionary marketing strategies.

She received many prestigious honors, including France’s Legion of Honor in 1978 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. The American Society of Perfumers gave her its first Living Legend award. She traveled and entertained extensively and socialized with world leaders, Hollywood royalty and celebrities. She had homes in Manhattan, Long Island, Palm Beach, London and the south of France, drawing inspiration from each location.

When she retired in 1995, her greatest wish was fulfilled: having her children and grandchildren immersed in the family business. “Living the American dream has been intense, difficult work, but I couldn’t have hoped for a more satisfying life,” she wrote in her 1985 biography, Estée: A Success Story. “I believe that potential is unlimited — success depends on daring to act on dreams.”

Estée Lauder died in 2004 at age 95.

Joseph Lauder was a co-founder of the Company in 1946 with his wife, Estée Lauder, and at the time they were the only employees. Joseph Lauder’s background had been in silks, buttons and textiles.

A native New Yorker born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Joseph met Josephine Esther Mentzer in Westchester County, near where her parents had a summer home. They married in 1930.

In the early days of the Company, Estée and Joseph developed skin care creams using a stove, and hand-delivered the products to their customers. As the Company grew, Mr. Lauder became in charge of the manufacturing operations and finances, while Estée oversaw product development, sales and marketing.

The Lauders traveled around the world for business and to socialize with friends including artists, world leaders, actors and social figures, among them the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The couple was also extremely philanthropic; Joseph Lauder was vice president of the family’s charitable organization, The Lauder Foundation. A lover of opera and the fine arts, he served on the board of the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy.

In 1983, the year he passed away, The Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania was created in his honor by his sons, Leonard and Ronald.

Leonard A. Lauder is Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies and is currently the senior member of its Board of Directors.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Mr. Lauder also studied at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, where he attended the Officer Candidate School. He formally joined the Company in 1958, when it had annual sales of $800,000. He consistently developed and implemented innovative sales and marketing programs and increased the Company’s sales and profits. He created its first R&D laboratory and brought in professional management on every level. He also initiated The Estée Lauder Companies’ international expansion, which began in 1960 with the opening of the Estée Lauder account at Harrods in London.

Mr. Lauder served as President of The Estée Lauder Companies from 1972 to 1995 and as Chief Executive Officer from 1982 to 1999. He added the title of Chairman in 1995 and served in that role through June 2009. Under his leadership, the Company launched many brands including Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series and Origins. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the company also began expanding through acquisitions including Aveda, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Jo Malone London, La Mer and M·A·C.

In addition to his activities with The Estée Lauder Companies, Mr. Lauder is extremely involved in the worlds of education, art, politics and philanthropy. He is Emeritus Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and a founding member of the Board of Governors of its Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies. He became a Trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City in 1977 and currently serves as its Chairman Emeritus. He is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation; Co-Chairman of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Board of Directors; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; Chairman Emeritus and Lifetime Trustee of the Aspen Institute Board of Directors, as well as former Chairman of the Aspen Institute International Committee; and a member of the President’s Council of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. He served on the Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations under President Reagan. Among his honors, he has been named an Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by France and recognized by the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Foundation with its Distinguished Alumni Award. The Lauder family received the esteemed 2011 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in recognition of its long-standing commitment to philanthropy and public service. Mr. Lauder was the 2013 recipient of the Palazzo Strozzi Renaissance Man of the Year Award, and in 2014 was named a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

He was married to Evelyn H. Lauder (Senior Corporate Vice President for The Estée Lauder Companies) from 1959 until she passed away in 2011. They had two sons together, William (Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies) and Gary (Managing Partner, Lauder Partners LLC), and five grandchildren.

On January 1, 2015, Mr. Lauder married Judy Glickman Lauder, an internationally recognized philanthropist and photographer whose work is represented in more than 300 public and private collections including the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Ronald S. Lauder is the younger son of Estée and Joseph Lauder and, like his brother, Leonard, learned the family business at the dinner table. He formally joined the company in 1964, beginning his career in the Oevel, Belgium factory. His executive roles began when he became General Manager of Clinique Laboratories in 1985, and he has served as Chairman since 1994. Mr. Lauder was instrumental in the creation of Prescriptives and served as Chairman of Estee Lauder International from 1992 to 2002. He also served as a member of The Estée Lauder Companies’ Board of Directors from 1968 to 1986 and 1988 to 2009. He was re-elected to the Board in November 2016.

In 1983, Mr. Lauder took a leave from The Estée Lauder Companies to serve in the U.S. Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Affairs. In 1986, he was appointed Ambassador to Austria by President Ronald Reagan. Upon his return from Vienna in 1987, he established the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, which now has 35 Jewish schools, kindergartens and summer camps throughout 15 countries in Eastern Europe. Over 7,500 children attend these schools today, and 2,500 children attend the summer camps. Over the years, the Foundation has educated more than 30,000 children in a region that was devoid of Jewish scholarship and has helped build thriving Jewish communities throughout this area. Mr. Lauder also created an International Student Exchange Program between Jewish high school students in New York and Vienna.

In addition to his international interests, Mr. Lauder has long been committed to civic causes and public policy issues at home. A political activist on the state and national level, he was a contender for Mayor of New York City in 1989.

In June 2007, Mr. Lauder was elected to lead the World Jewish Congress, and has served as the organization’s President ever since. In this capacity, Mr. Lauder meets with heads of countries, diplomats and religious leaders, representing Jewish communities in 100 countries around the world.

In February of 1999, Mr. Lauder was elected Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. His selection by the Conference followed his election in 1997 as President of the Jewish National Fund of which he now serves as Chairman.

Mr. Lauder also serves as Chairman of the International Public Committee of the World Jewish Restitution Organization; Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation Committee; Chairman of the Jewish Heritage Council; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sakharov Archives at Brandeis University; Director of the International Board of Governors of the International Society for Yad Vashem; and is a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Board of Directors of the Jewish Theological Seminary; the Board of Directors of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; the Board of Trustees of the Anti-Defamation League Foundation; the International Auschwitz Council; and the International Board of Governors of the Tel Aviv Museum.

Mr. Lauder is the Founder and Chairman of the New York based Water Holding Group RWL Water, LLC, an international water company. He is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1998, Mr. Lauder co-founded the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation together with his brother, Leonard A. Lauder. They serve together as co-Chairmen of the Foundation.

A renowned art collector, Mr. Lauder has established one of the world’s greatest private collections. He was Chairman of the Museum of Modern Art from 1995 to 2005 and now serves as the museum’s Honorary Chairman. In 2001, he established the Neue Galerie New York, of which he is President. The museum is dedicated to German and Austrian art. Mr. Lauder established the Commission for Art Recovery in 1997, which advocates and fights for the recovery of Nazi looted art.

Among his honors, Mr. Lauder received the International Emmy Directorate Award by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2006. He received, together with his wife, Jo Carole Lauder, the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2011, and in 2013, Mr. Lauder was named an Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by President Hollande of France. He was decorated with Germany’s highest honor, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit, in 2015 and was awarded the Guardian of Zion prize by the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies at Bar Ilan University in 2016. Mr. Lauder also received honorary doctoral degrees from Ben Gurion University in 2009 and from Yeshiva University in 2011.

Mr. Lauder was born on February 26, 1944. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in New York and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He studied at the University of Paris and received a Certificate in International Business from the University of Brussels. Mr. Lauder married Jo Carole Knopf in July of 1967. They have two children and two grandchildren. The family resides in New York City.

Evelyn H. Lauder (1936–2011) was the Senior Corporate Vice President and Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide for The Estée Lauder Companies. During her more than 50 years with the Company, she held many positions while contributing her invaluable insights about fashion trends, consumers' changing needs and new approaches to the development of innovative skin care, makeup and fragrance products. She also helped name the Clinique brand. As Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide for The Estée Lauder Companies, she led the development of the Company’s most globally successful fragrances, including the best-selling Beautiful and Pleasures.

She was perhaps best known to the public for her work addressing the stigmas in women’s health. At a time, when breast cancer wasn’t spoken about openly, Evelyn H. Lauder saw an opportunity to bring awareness to the disease. Her personal experience with early-stage breast cancer in 1987 led her in 1992 to co-create — with Alexandra Penney of Self magazine — the now ubiquitous Pink Ribbon, recognized as the worldwide symbol of breast health. In conjunction, Mrs. Lauder launched The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, which is now known as The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign.

In 2000 she launched its annual Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative through the Campaign, whereby historic landmarks are illuminated in pink lights during October to focus global attention on breast health. In 2010 The Campaign illuminated 38 global historic landmarks within a 24-hour time frame and achieved the first-ever Guinness world record for “Most Landmarks Illuminated for a Cause in 24 Hours.” Included were the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel in India, the Tokyo Tower in Japan, the Hotel Majestic in France and the Empire State Building in New York City.

Mrs. Lauder was also Chairman of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), which she founded in 1993. She was passionately committed to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in her lifetime by funding the most innovative clinical and translational research at leading medical centers worldwide. Today, BCRF is the world’s largest private funder of breast cancer research and BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.

To date, The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation have funded more than $118 million USD for lifesaving global research, education and medical services, with more than $93 million USD funding medical research through BCRF.

In 1989, Mrs. Lauder initiated the fundraising drive that established the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. As the first breast and diagnostic center, it became a model for similar facilities around the world. The expanded Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center opened in September 2009 and is three times the size of its predecessor. It provides the most up-to-date breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and outpatient treatment services and serves as a worldwide model for offering coordinated supportive services under one roof for one disease, a concept which has been replicated in other institutions and for other diseases.

Mrs. Lauder’s achievements have garnered global recognition. In 2002, she received France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. In June 2007, Mrs. Lauder received the prestigious 2007 Partners in Progress Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for her efforts to increase public awareness about cancer. In 1999 and 2007, she was featured in Crain’s New York Business magazine as one of New York’s 100 Most Influential Women in Business, and in 2008 she was nominated to the International Best Dressed List. In 2010, Mrs. Lauder received the Fashion Group International Humanitarian Award in recognition for her work with BCRF and her tireless efforts towards eradicating breast cancer. In October 2011, the Lauder family received the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for their longstanding commitment to philanthropy and public service.

Mrs. Lauder was a dedicated photographer, whose art has been represented in many public and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and leading medical facilities worldwide. She’s had two photography books published of her own work, The Seasons Observed and, An Eye for Beauty. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, including the Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York City, Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, Duran Exposiciones de Arte in Madrid, The Red Gate Gallery in Beijing and at the Galerie des Galeries at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Her most recent photography exhibition “Salon Beauties” opened at the Gagosian Gallery in London on September 29, 2011. In September 2006, Mrs. Lauder published her first cookbook, In Great Taste: Fresh, Simple Recipes for Eating and Living Well. All of Mrs. Lauder’s royalties from her books and exhibitions are donated to BCRF.

Evelyn Lauder passed away from complications of non-genetic ovarian cancer on November 12th, 2011. She is survived by her husband Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of the Estée Lauder Companies; her son William, Executive Chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies; her son Gary, Managing Director of Lauder Partners LLC and his wife Laura, General Partner of Lauder Partners; and her five grandchildren.

William P. Lauder is a son of Leonard and Evelyn Lauder and a grandson of Estée and Joseph Lauder. Mr. Lauder became Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors in July 2009. He was Chief Executive Officer from July 2004 through June 2009. During his five-year tenure as Chief Executive, he expanded the Company’s international presence and distribution channels and greatly strengthened the brand portfolio.

He joined the Company in 1986 as Regional Marketing Director of Clinique U.S.A. in the New York metro area. In 1990 he led the creation of the Origins brand and its innovative store-within-a store concept. He subsequently was promoted to several senior leadership positions; he led the worldwide businesses for Clinique and Origins and oversaw the Company’s free-standing stores and Internet business. In 2003 he became Chief Operating Officer, with oversight of all the Company’s global operations, as well as nine specialty brands and the retail business.

Under his leadership, Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion became the best-selling prestige skin care product in U.S. department stores and Clinique launched its first anti-aging product.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Lauder completed Macy’s Executive Training Program in New York City and was Associate Merchandising Manager of the New York Division/Dallas store when it opened in 1985.

He is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and an Emeritus Trustee on the Trinity School Board in New York City, his alma maters. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Fresh Air Fund, a member of the Boards of Directors of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the 92nd Street Y, the Partnership for New York City and the Advisory Board of Zelnick Media. In 2012, Mr. Lauder received a lecturer appointment to the faculty of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches “Decision Making in the Leadership Chair,” a course he designed for second-year MBA students.

Aerin Lauder is the Founder and Creative Director of the luxury lifestyle brand AERIN, and Style and Image Director for Estée Lauder, the flagship brand of The Estée Lauder Companies.

Aerin began her career with The Estée Lauder Companies in 1992 as a member of the Prescriptives marketing team. She proceeded to hold various positions in product development, advertising and creative, including Creative Director, shaping the Estée Lauder brand's image globally for 20 years.

Aerin is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications. She serves on the Education Committee for the Board of Trustees at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is a member of the International Committee of the Museum of Modern Art. Additionally, Aerin is actively involved in the Neue Galerie, a museum founded in 2001 by her father, Ronald Lauder, which is dedicated to German and Austrian art from the early 20th Century.

Jane Lauder, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Marketing and Chief Data Office, The Estée Lauder Companies, is a leading voice in the beauty industry, including more than 23 years at The Estée Lauder Companies. As a leader of The Estée Lauder Companies’ enterprise-wise efforts to combine data-driven insights with creativity, Ms. Lauder leads the company-wide strategy to leverage business insights and analytics to build digitally-directed priorities to accelerate growth. 

Reporting to Fabrizio Freda, President and CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies, Ms. Lauder leads global and regional corporate marketing, consumer and product marketing insights, global consumer care and marketing planning, and advertising and promotion effectiveness. This includes enhancing the integration of cross-channel data to drive personalized marketing and omnichannel activation, as well as leading The Estée Lauder Companies’ enterprise-wide data and analytics transformation program.

Prior to her role as EVP, Enterprise Marketing and Chief Data Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies, Ms. Lauder was Global Brand President, Clinique (2014 – 2019).  During her tenure, Ms. Lauder led the transformation of brand strategy, distribution, product innovation and consumer reach, positioning Clinique for strong long-term growth. Under Ms. Lauder’s leadership, Clinique fundamentally shifted nearly one-third of product revenue from low-growth distribution channels to high-growth channels and tripled Clinique’s online business. Ms. Lauder oversaw the development of product innovations including Moisture Surge™ 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator and Clinique iD™ and technology innovations with Clinique Clinical Reality™ to strengthen the brands skin care position in clinical efficacy and high-touch services and personalization. 

Prior to that, Ms. Lauder was the Brand President for the Origins, Ojon and Darphin brands (2008 – 2014). Under her leadership, Origins, a high-performance, natural skin care brand, grew and expanded globally.  She was the vision and guiding force behind the launch of the brand’s greatest success story, Plantscription™ Serum. In 2010, Ms. Lauder’s portfolio of brands grew with the addition of Ojon, and in 2013, botanical skin care brand, Darphin, which is a leading pharmacy and professional high-end skin care brand that offers excellence in efficacy and sensorial experience. 

Ms. Lauder served as Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Clinique (2006 – 2008). In this role, she led the brand’s overall strategic marketing and positioning as well as product, category, market and channel expansion.  

Prior to Clinique, she spearheaded the creation and launch of the American Beauty and Flirt! brands as Vice President of Marketing BeautyBank, and oversaw the positioning, product development and creative direction for both brands.

Ms. Lauder has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since July 2009. Currently, Ms. Lauder sits on the Board of Directors of Eventbrite, as well as the Board of Trustees for the New York Public Library and the Board of Directors of the Friends of the High Line in New York City.

Ms. Lauder graduated from Stanford University and currently resides in New York City.  She is the granddaughter of the Founder and namesake of The Estée Lauder Companies and the daughter of Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman, Clinique Laboratories, LLC.