Estée Lauder launches London-based haircare hub, led by former John Lewis Commercial Director

The Estée Lauder Companies has appointed Kathleen Mitchell to lead a newly created London-based Hair Care Hub – West, as the beauty giant looks to sharpen its regional focus and reignite growth in the category.

The new global hub will cover the UK and Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, Turkey and India. It will serve as a regional centre for the group’s haircare portfolio, bringing leadership and commercial focus closer to individual markets.

Serving as Vice President & General Manager, Hair Care Hub - West, Mitchell will report directly to Shane Wolf, Global Brand President, Aveda and Hair Care Brands. She will also join the company’s Global Hair Care Leadership Team and its UK and Ireland Executive Leadership Team.

Her remit includes overseeing the hub’s central team and working with global leadership to strengthen the portfolio. She will focus on developing local capabilities and adapting the company’s approach across the markets covered by the operation.

“Kathleen’s appointment reflects our strengthened commitment to Hair Care and our investment in the leadership, capabilities and regional focus required to accelerate growth,” said Wolf.

“Her deep experience across professional beauty, retail and omnichannel environments makes her ideally placed to lead the new Hair Care Hub from London and build momentum across the portfolio.”

Mitchell joins The Estée Lauder Companies with more than 25 years of leadership experience across beauty, retail and consumer brands in the UK, Europe and the US. This includes more than 14 years in beauty industry leadership roles, with a focus on professional hair care.

During her career, she has led brand and commercial initiatives across multiple markets and supported launches into new geographies. Her experience also covers digital customer engagement, business-to-business capabilities and the development of new growth opportunities.

Most recently, Mitchell served as Commercial Director at John Lewis, where she led category strategy for Fashion, Beauty, Home & Technology.

Under her leadership, the new structure aims to combine global portfolio direction with greater regional market expertise. Its London base gives the hub access to the city’s beauty retail, professional talent and international brand operations.

It comes as haircare sales declined 1% for the fiscal year ended 30 June 2026, primarily due to lower sales from Aveda, partly offset by growth from The Ordinary.