Estée Lauder Appoints Nicole Monson to Lead New Equity and Engagement Center of Excellence

Estée Lauder is making equity and representation a priority at all levels of its brand.

Today, the company established a new Equity and Engagement Center of Excellence (COE), according to Business Wire.

This creation will engage The Estée Lauder Companies’ (ELC) commitment to building more representation and equity within every aspect of its business including both consumers and employees.

Nicole Monson will lead the Equity and Engagement COE and will serve as Senior Vice President, Equity and Engagement. She will report directly to Michael O’Hare, Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources.

Following the events of 2020, company’s like Estée Lauder have been taking action to advance not only equal representation but to promote advocacy and inclusion across their organizations.

“Our collective vision is to be the most inclusive, equitable, and diverse global prestige beauty company for our employees and consumers alike. This important new capability will enhance employee engagement and build greater equity across the business today, while also providing a strategic platform to expand and scale this work into the future,” said Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer in a news release. “We know that authentic change takes time, dedication, and a clear strategy, and we will continue to devote focused and meaningful resources toward accelerating this goal.”

Monson has over 20 years of experience across labor and employment law and compliance. She has served as a member of ELC’s Diversity Council as well as its Network of Black Leaders & Executives and Women’s Leadership Network Employee Research Groups proving that her influence on the company’s culture extends far beyond her general role and responsibilities.

“Since our company’s founding, our talented employees have been at the center of our business and the most important driver of our success. While we are proud of the progress we have made as a company thus far, we are committed to driving equity and engagement for the long-term,” said William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman in the statement. “Nicole’s deep experience and extensive knowledge of Human Resources and the global legal environment, combined with her demonstrated ability to positively influence ELC’s culture, have been invaluable to the company. I look forward to her continued leadership at the helm of this new Center of Excellence.”

In her new role, Monson will work across all areas of the business to develop the company’s enterprise-wide capabilities as well as its long-term equity and employee engagement strategy.