Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, passes away
He was he oldest son of Estée and Joseph H. Lauder, the founders of The Estée Lauder Companies, where he joined the company in 1958 and served as chief executive for 17 years. He was an accomplished dealmaker and bought brands including Clinique, Bobbi Brown and MAC.
Lauder was a visionary and an innovator, helping transform the business from a handful of products sold under a single brand in US stores to the multi-brand, global leader in prestige beauty that it is today.
“Throughout his life, my father worked tirelessly to build and transform the beauty industry, pioneering many of the innovations, trends, and best practices that are foundational to the industry today,” Leonard’s son William P. Lauder, who serves as chairman of the company’s board of directors, said in the statement.
Speaking for The Estée Lauder Companies, president and chief executive officer Stéphane de La Faverie said, “Leonard Lauder was beloved by many and will be missed tremendously. To our employees at The Estée Lauder Companies, he was an inspiration and a champion. To the industry, he was an icon and pioneer, earning respect worldwide. His energy and vision helped shape our company and will continue to do so for generations to come. He was a deeply compassionate leader who cared profoundly about every person in the company. I feel privileged to have worked with Leonard, who has been the best mentor I could have dreamt to learn from. He will be remembered by all of us.”
Lauder shared many of the lessons he learned in business and life in his memoir, The Company I Keep: My Life in Beauty, published to great acclaim in 2020.