Estée Lauder Companies UK&I President to retire

Sue Fox, President for The Estée Lauder Companies in the UK and Ireland, is retiring next year. 

Fox, who has spent 30 years at The Estée Lauder Companies in various roles, will step down on 30 June 2025, with her successor to be announced shortly.

Fox has led the company’s second most established market since January 2020, initially joining the region as Senior Vice President/General Manager for the UK and Ireland.

Prior to moving to the UK, she served as General Manager of ELC’s Japan Affiliate and oversaw five consecutive quarters of net sales growth, focusing on emerging trends across categories, channel segments and demographics.

Amongst other roles, she has also led Travel Retail EMEA, achieving a number of "firsts" including the company’s first ever traveller influencer day, opening a multi-branded ELC door in Abu Dhabi, and contributing to the profitability improvement of key Travel Retail EMEA accounts.

"A dynamic and inclusive global leader, Sue’s team-building ability has been integral to the success of each of the regions and affiliates that she has overseen. In the UK and Ireland, she built and led a truly exceptional team of experts who have served the region with unmatched expertise and dedication," reads a statement from ELC.

The news comes after The Estée Lauder Companies shared a message from the Lauder family, addressing its declining sales as it looks to bring the firm back to profitable growth.

It followed 4% decrease in net sales for the first quarter, revealing single-digit declines across all beauty categories.

The company's performance primarily reflected further softness in overall prestige beauty in mainland China.

It also acknowledged the appointment of Stéphane de La Faverie as President and CEO, replacing Fabrizio Freda, who will retire after nearly 14 years at the business.