The Estée Lauder Companies creates a new role for Sara Moss

Sara Moss has been with The Estée Lauder Companies since 2003; and for those years she has been the company’s executive vice president and general counsel. (Prior to that Moss held a similar senior legal role at Pitney Bowes.)

“Sara’s innovative leadership, strong business acumen and strategic guidance have proven to be invaluable to our business growth,”​ says Fabrizio Freda, president and CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies, in a media release announcing Moss’s promotion.

“As our organization continues to grow and evolve, her expertise and judgment will be important to help position our company for long-term success,”​ he says, adding that “In addition, Sara’s passion for developing women leaders will build on Mrs. Estée Lauder’s legacy as a company ‘founded by a woman, for women’ and will further strengthen our ability to attract and retain the most talented women in the industry.”​

Advising leadership and family​

As vice chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, Moss will essentially serve as an in-house diplomat. “She will,” ​according to the media release, “serve as a senior advisor to Executive Management, the Board of Directors and the Lauder Family on issues critical to the business [and] work collaboratively with senior leaders across the organization to drive the company’s global programs focused on developing women as exceptional leaders, as well as women’s focused initiatives.”​

As William P Lauder, the company’s executive chairman sees it, “Sara has been an outstanding leader and critical partner to the Board and to me, consistently providing guidance based on sound judgment and a deep understanding of our business. She will continue to play a critical role, working closely with Fabrizio and me, the Board and the Lauder Family, to ensure that our long-term business goals are met.”​

Advancing women’s leadership ​

As a woman in leadership, Moss finds herself in a position—at and beyond The Estée Lauder Companies—to help other women advance. She provided funding for a week-long intensive called the Moss Women’s Leadership Training Program that’s now part of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law, where Moss earned her degree.

“NYU Law has a long tradition of training extraordinary lawyers, and I’m proud to support the school’s outstanding initiatives to nurture women’s achievement and ensure that women graduates of the Law School continue to serve as leaders in the field of law,”​ Moss commented, for an item highlighting her gift on the NYU Law site​.

And as part of her new role at The Estée Lauder Companies, Moss will work with senior leadership on global initiatives meant to help women attain leadership roles; and she’ll also be working on what the company describes as “women’s focused initiatives” ​as well.

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.