Estée Lauder Announces North American Leadership Changes

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (Estée Lauder) has announced leadership updates for its North American business.

Chris Good has been promoted to the role of group president, North America. He most recently served as president, North America, a position he assumed in 2017. Good has been with the company for more than 15 years, and has extensive global leadership experience across Europe, Asia and North America. He previously held the position of president, U.K. and Ireland; under his leadership, net sales grew double-digits on average in constant currency, and online sales tripled. Prior to this, he was a member of the leadership team for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and general manager, Russia.

“As our home market, with a competitive and fast-evolving prestige beauty landscape, North America remains a central part of our Corporate Strategy and an important engine for the Company’s long-term sustainable growth,” said CEO Fabrizio Freda. “Chris has played a vital role in driving the transformation and turnaround of our North America business and this promotion reflects his track record of achieving strong performance and our confidence that this visionary leadership and deep consumer, retail and operational expertise will help drive meaningful future growth in this important market.”

Related: Estée Lauder Reports Q4, Fiscal Year 2018 Results

Claudia Benshimol has been appointed senior vice president, general manager, Estée Lauder and Aerin Beauty North America. In her new role, she will be tasked with developing and leading the execution of the North America go-to-market strategy for they company’s namesake brand. She will oversee marketing, account management, field sales and education, and evolving the brand’s strategy across channels. She will also lead digital marketing and social media strategies to drive consumer engagement, and have oversight of Aerin Beauty as it grows its North American business.

She most recently served as vice president, account management, Estée Lauder North America. Prior to this, she served as vice president, strategy & analytics, North America and key account manager for Belk’s and Dillard’s, and associate principal at McKinsey & Company. She joined Estée Lauder in 2012.

“Claudia is an exceptional leader with a forward-thinking approach to retail commerce and consumer strategies,” said Freda. “She brings deep North America market and strategic expertise and she has played an important role in driving retail growth for the Estée Lauder brand in North America.  Her demonstrated ability to identify and pivot to granular and high-growth opportunities, and her adeptness in driving high-performance teams makes her ideally suited to build on the brand’s remarkable success in North America and further accelerate its growth.”