NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 14, 2009-- The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) today announced that Ronald S. Lauder has retired from the Company’s Board of Directors. He joined the Board in 1968 and continued to serve as a director when the Company went public in 1995. The Board has elected his daughter, Jane Lauder, 36, to fill the vacancy on the Board. Ms. Lauder is currently Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Company’s Origins brand. Ronald Lauder, 65, will continue to serve as Chairman, Clinique Laboratories, LLC and as an officer of The Estée Lauder Companies.

Jane Lauder was appointed Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Origins brand in July 2008. Prior to joining Origins, she was Senior Vice President, Global Marketing for the Company’s Clinique brand from July 2006. In this role, she was responsible for the brand’s overall strategic marketing and positioning, including developing products and expanding the brand into new channels and categories globally. Before joining Clinique, Ms. Lauder was Vice President of Marketing for BeautyBank, the Company’s entrepreneurial think tank, a role she took on in 2003. There she spearheaded the creation and launch of the skin care and cosmetics line American Beauty as well as Flirt!, the color cosmetics brand. Previously, she worked as Vice President of Marketing for the Stila brand from 2001 to 2003. A graduate of Stanford University, Ms. Lauder joined The Estée Lauder Companies in 1996 after working in the advertising industry. She is a granddaughter of Estée Lauder, the founder of The Estée Lauder Companies.

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Board of Directors consists of 13 Directors, four of which are members of the Lauder family and will now include: William P. Lauder, Chairman of the Board and Executive Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of the Board, Aerin Lauder, Senior Vice President, Creative Director of the Estée Lauder brand, and Jane Lauder.

“I am proud that the next generation of our family will continue to help lead this great Company,” said Ronald S. Lauder. “This is an important opportunity for my daughter Jane to continue to evolve as a leader and help the Company carry out the next phase of its growth. It has been an honor to serve with my fellow Directors on our Board and I look forward to continuing my work as an officer of the Company.”

“We are very pleased that Jane has joined our Board of Directors,” said William P. Lauder. “Jane’s innovative marketing sense, longstanding commitment to our Company and proven talent has earned her the respect of our Directors. She has a deep understanding of our business and the family values upon which our Company has been built. I am confident she will help to carry on the heritage that has been instrumental in driving long-term shareholder value and enhancing our role as the leader in prestige beauty.”

“Ronald’s astute insight, excellent judgment and extensive global experience have greatly contributed to the success of The Estée Lauder Companies,” said William P. Lauder. “During his more than 40 years of service to the Company and the Board, Ronald helped build the foundation of excellence that has shaped our Company’s culture and growth. On behalf of my fellow Directors, I thank Ronald for his leadership and many contributions.”

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 140 countries and territories under the following brand names: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, M•A•C, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Kiton, La Mer, Donna Karan, Aveda, Jo Malone, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Michael Kors, American Beauty, Flirt!, Good Skin™, Grassroots Research Labs, Sean John, Missoni, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Ford, Mustang, Coach, and Ojon.

An electronic version of this release can be found at the Company’s website, www.elcompanies.com.

The forward-looking statements in this press release, including those in Mr. W. Lauder’s and Mr. R. Lauder’s remarks, involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include current economic and other conditions in the global marketplace, shifts in the preferences of consumers as to where and how they shop for the types of products the Company sells, competition, the Company’s ability to successfully implement its long-term strategic plan and those described in the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

Source: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

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