Leonard Lauder, philanthropist who globalized family cosmetic business - Estee Lauders Companies, dies at age 92
Estee Lauders Cos. announced the news in a release on Sunday and said he died on Saturday surrounded by family.
Lauder, the oldest son of Estee and Joseph H. Lauder, who founded the company in 1946, formally joined the New York business in 1958. Over more than six decades, Lauder played a key role in transforming the business from a handful of products sold under a single brand in U.S. stores to a multi-brand global giant. He had held the title of chairman emeritus at the time of his death.
Estee Lauder's products are sold in roughly 150 countries and territories under brand names including Clinique and Aveda, according to the company's latest annual report. The company generated sales of nearly US$16 billion in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the filing said.
Estee Lauder went public in 1995, but members of Lauder family still have about 84 per cent of the voting power of common stock, according to the latest annual filing.
Lauder served as president of The Estée Lauder Cos. from 1972 to 1995 and as CEO from 1982 through 1999. He was named chairman in 1995 and served in that role through June 2009.
Under his stewardship, Lauder created the company's first research and development laboratory, brought in professional management at every level, and was the impetus behind The Estée Lauder Cos.' international expansion, helping to spearhead the company's sales and profits exponentially, according to the company.
Lauder led the launch of many brands including Aramis, Clinique, and Lab Series, among others. Until his death, he remained deeply involved in the company's acquisition strategy, including the acquisitions of such brands as Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London and MAC, the company said.
During his years as chairman emeritus, Lauder was closely involved in the business and day-to-day operations and was a constant fixture at its global headquarters in New York and at its stores around the world until the time of his death, the company said.
'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,' said William P. Lauder, son and chair of the board at The Estée Lauder Companies in a statement. 'He was the most charitable man I have ever known, believing that art and education belonged to everyone, and championing the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's and breast cancer. '
Lauder was a longtime patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, in 2013, pledged his 78-piece collection of Cubist art to the museum in the largest single philanthropic gift in the museum's history. He later added five major works to that pledged gift, the company said.
In concert with his Cubist collection donation, he helped establish the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art at the Met to support a program of fellowships, focused exhibitions, and public lectures. He also was the Whitney Museum of American Art's chairman emeritus and a trustee from 1977 to 2011.
Lauder was married to Evelyn H. Lauder, who had been the senior corporate vice president at the cosmetic company and the founder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, from 1959 until she passed away in 2011.
On Jan. 1, 2015, Lauder married Judy Glickman Lauder, a philanthropist and internationally recognized photographer.
Lauder was born in 1933 in New York City. He was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and the Officer Candidate School of the United States Navy.
Lauder studied at Columbia University's graduate school of business. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and as a Navy reservist, for which the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Foundation later recognized him with its Distinguished Alumni Award.
In addition to his wife and son William, Lauder is survived by his other son Gary M. Lauder and wife, Laura Lauder; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, many stepchildren and step grandchildren, as well as his brother, Ronald S. Lauder, and wife, Jo Carole Lauder, and their daughters, Aerin Lauder and Jane Lauder.
Article by Anne D'innocenzio.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
5 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Air Canada service to resume Sunday following labour board ruling
Air Canada said it will resume flights on Sunday after the airline and striking Air Canada flight attendants were told to return to their jobs by the federal government, which ordered the company and its workers into binding arbitrations. The Canada Industrial Relations Board directed the company and the workers to resume airline service operations for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights at 2 p.m. ET Sunday after a hearing that ran late into the night Saturday. However, the Montreal-based airline said due to the complete shutdown of service early Saturday, which left crew out of position, its first flights won't take to the skies until Sunday evening, according to a statement from the company. Air Canada warned further flight cancellations will occur over the next week as it resumes normal operations. 'Air Canada expects it will take several days before its operations return to normal. During this process, some flights will be canceled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized,' the statement said. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu had ordered the parties to resume work and extend the terms of the existing collective agreement until a new one could be determined by an arbitrator. Air Canada, union await decision from federal labour board on flight attendants' return to work A lawyer for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents flight attendants, had asked the board to delay implementing the minister's order to give it time to seek an injunction from the federal court. The board concluded it did not have authority to review or block the government's decision. As of Saturday evening Air Canada had cancelled 623 flights, impacting more than 100,000 travellers. The company said customers whose flights were cancelled, and who did not travel or accept a refund or credit, will be contacted with new itineraries.
CTV News
5 minutes ago
- CTV News
This Toronto man films his walks around the city for YouTube. He makes ‘well over six figures'
Jonathan Hicks better known as "Johnny Strides" is pictured alongside the TORONTO sign by Nathan Phillips Square (Left: Youtube/JohnnyStrides. Right: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler) Jonathan Hicks spends his days walking Toronto streets with a camera. In just six years, he says the work has made him 'well over six figures,' turning a side hustle into a full-time job. The 44-year-old, better known online as Johnny Strides, has built a YouTube channel with over 136,000 subscribers and more than 46 million views, filming daily walking tours throughout the city. His success comes as Toronto's labour market grows more precarious, with some residents turning to unconventional work to supplement traditional jobs. The challenge is even sharper for young people as Ontario's unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 recently reached 15.8 per cent in June — roughly double the province's overall rate. 'I was working in insurance... doing a global program underwriting (for) big multinational companies,' Hicks said. 'Just before the pandemic hit, I got recruited by another company to do the same job, basically more money, more vacation — and my YouTube channel was just getting monetized.' He says it wasn't long before that new job quickly turned sour. 'I switched jobs and the new job was basically horrible. I went from a great company working there for five years, to an absolute dumpster fire,' he said. 'At that same time the pandemic hit, my views were going up and I remember one month I made $1,500 just doing it part time.' Looking back, he says 'it was just the perfect storm' to pursue this career full time. An unconventional career switch Hicks launched Johnny Strides in 2018 after buying a GoPro. He says early timelapse videos showing the city gave way to narrated walking tours, often running 30 to 45 minutes. 'I focus mainly on walking, cycling, transit videos and livestreams in the city,' Hicks wrote to his YouTube page. 'There's no shortage of content as I record in all weather conditions... morning, day and night.' He says his income from YouTube now far exceeds what he made in insurance but still admits 'Toronto is stupidly expensive.' 'I do have a rent control apartment, so I consider myself kind of lucky that I'm paying $1,100 a month,' he said. 'In terms of the risk management going full time on YouTube, it wasn't that difficult of a decision... because it's a pretty modest rent.' In Toronto, the average household income sits at $129,000, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data. While some creators may not earn as much as much as Hicks, experts say many still put in countless hours to support their entrepreneurial gig. A Statistics Canada survey found that most content creators reported being 'de facto entrepreneurs.' While Hicks says he sometimes works 16-hour days, the survey reveals that on average, respondents spend 15.5 hours per week. Walking through snowstorms and burnout The job doesn't just come with ups but also its fair share of challenges. Hicks recalls filming in a blizzard from Yonge and Eglinton to Dufferin, when his waterproof boots failed. 'My feet were just frozen and soaking… it was way below zero,' he said. 'It looks like a disaster zone. Yet I had thousands of viewers tuned in at once. So there was something exhilarating about it at the same time.' It's those exhilarating moments that Jenna Jacobson, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University says form 'parasocial relationships' with viewers. 'Those videos that are more real, raw and relatable are the ones that often will garner more attention... because it connects to people' she said. She explains that the flipside of that relationship is oftentimes burnout. 'Burnout is very real amongst content creators because there is this constant pressure to be on,' she said. 'Content creators are constantly having to labor at figuring out the best practices to improve their audience engagement. Hicks too acknowledges that it can be difficult to create fresh content. 'I don't want to repackage the same thing over and over again,' he said. 'The good thing is we have four seasons... (and) there's always changes being made.' In his most popular video, he garnered over 2.3 million views featuring a walk with the creator of Tiny Tiny homes Toronto, Ryan Donais. In that instance, both Hicks and Donais walked from the St Lawrence Market over to Yonge and Front Street to preview an early version of the tiny home prototype. 'Enough to keep going' The rise of creators like Hicks mirrors a larger shift in how Torontonians are earning a living. 'The job market is particularly tough right now… unemployment has been increasing in Canada, broadly,' said Obeid Ur Rehman, assistant professor of economics at Toronto Metropolitan University. 'This side hustle sort of concept is very prominent. Having something that's unconventional, that you have some flexibility over is increasing.' Rehman notes that while the work can be rewarding, it comes with risks. 'The platforms and the algorithm — trends change suddenly. As a result, income can decline very suddenly,' he said. Hicks says he's aware of the gamble, but for now, he's sticking with YouTube. 'Not having a boss and working for yourself is pretty awesome,' he said. 'I love the community. That in itself is rewarding enough to keep going.'
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Economists expect tariffs lifted food prices, core inflation in July
Statistics Canada is set to release inflation figures for July on Tuesday. A shopper pushes a shopping carts as they leave a Real Canadian Superstore in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Tariff impacts are expected to keep underlying inflation elevated in July, a Desjardins economist says, even if the headline figure retreats. Statistics Canada is set to report inflation figures for July on Tuesday. A poll of economists expects annual inflation cooled last month to 1.7 per cent, according to LSEG Data & Analytics. June's consumer price index showed the annual rate of inflation ticked up to 1.9 per cent. Randall Bartlett, deputy chief economist at Desjardins, said he expects the headline inflation figure slowed beyond expectations to 1.6 per cent in July as lower energy costs continue to take steam out of price pressures. 'We're kind of expecting it to be a bit softer than what we saw back in June. So, from a headline perspective anyway, that's overall pretty positive news for Canadians,' he said in an interview. RBC is above the economists' consensus, expecting July's annual inflation reading will match the 1.9 per cent seen in June. Economists Nathan Janzen and Claire Fan wrote in a note to clients Friday that the removal of the consumer carbon price at the start of April 'continues to artificially lower headline inflation.' But they warned that price pressures below the surface should remain stubborn in July. 'Underlying trends have surprised upward this year, partly due to tariff impacts on products like food and vehicles, but also from higher prices for domestic services,' Janzen and Fan wrote. The Bank of Canada's preferred metrics of core inflation floated a bit above three per cent in June, according to Statistics Canada. Bartlett said Desjardins foresees these metrics holding between 2.5 per cent and three per cent for the rest of the year as Canada's tariff dispute with the United States drives up prices. He said he'll be looking to see whether more businesses were passing costs from tariffs onto consumers in July. Consumer price index data from the United States this past week appeared to show a tariff impact in the form of higher prices for shoes and furniture. While he believes the bulk of tariff price impacts were passed through in April and May, Bartlett said Canada will continue to feel the pinch from border levies on food and durable goods. 'That's going to put persistent upward pressure on price growth in Canada,' he said. The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 per cent on July 30 as it waits for more information on how the Canada-U.S. trade dispute is affecting the economy. The summary of deliberations from that decision released this past week show the central bank's governing council remains wary of the effect of tariffs on inflation. Members indicated in those minutes that the impact on consumer prices 'appeared to be modest so far,' but the tariff influence is only just starting to show up in the data. While businesses' inflation expectations remain well-anchored according to recent surveys, the governing council said the costs of finding new suppliers amid shifting global trade could still push prices higher. 'Overall, members agreed that it was still too early to assess how tariffs and the rewiring of trade would affect economic activity and inflation in Canada,' the summary read. Bartlett said he expects economic data will open the door to a quarter-point interest rate cut at the Bank of Canada's next decision on Sept. 17. But that's contingent on core inflation readings getting back under control in the upcoming CPI releases for July and August. 'If we see that there's less passthrough from tariffs into inflation than we're expecting … we think there there's an opportunity for the Bank of Canada to cut further,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2025. Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
