Estee Lauder's Longtime CFO Travis to Depart Next Year

An Estee Lauder cosmetics counter is seen in Los Angeles, California, US, August 19, 2019. (Reuters)
An Estee Lauder cosmetics counter is seen in Los Angeles, California, US, August 19, 2019. (Reuters)
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Estee Lauder's Longtime CFO Travis to Depart Next Year

An Estee Lauder cosmetics counter is seen in Los Angeles, California, US, August 19, 2019. (Reuters)
An Estee Lauder cosmetics counter is seen in Los Angeles, California, US, August 19, 2019. (Reuters)

Estee Lauder said on Thursday that Tracey Travis would be stepping down and retiring from her 12-year role as the MAC lipstick maker's finance chief, effective June 30, 2025.

The company said a successor for Travis has been identified and will be named in the coming weeks. Travis will work closely with this person to ensure a smooth and successful transition, it added.

Travis, who has been Estee Lauder's CFO since Aug. 2012, had joined the company from Ralph Lauren, where she served as finance chief for over seven years.

Under her leadership, Estee Lauder has significantly strengthened financially, made extensive investments in innovation and digital transformation, and also made several acquisitions of companies including Tom Ford and Deciem, among others.

"Tracey has been instrumental in growing Estee Lauder from a $24 billion market cap company in 2012 to over $135 billion at peak," Jefferies analyst Ashley Helgans said in a note earlier on Thursday.

"A fresh set of eyes on the business could be beneficial given the recent volatility and would allow for the company to reset the growth algorithm," Helgans added.

The company had lowered its annual organic sales estimate in May on persistent softness in mainland China's prestige beauty space, even as a demand rebound for its pricey items in the US and Asia-Pacific markets drove a profit forecast raise.

Shares of Estee Lauder, which have dropped more than 30% this year, were marginally up in after-hours trading.



Prada's H1 Operating Profit up 17%, Asia, Europe Boost Sales

A man wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks past a store of Italian luxury brand Prada on a shopping street in Beijing, China, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A man wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks past a store of Italian luxury brand Prada on a shopping street in Beijing, China, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Prada's H1 Operating Profit up 17%, Asia, Europe Boost Sales

A man wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks past a store of Italian luxury brand Prada on a shopping street in Beijing, China, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A man wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks past a store of Italian luxury brand Prada on a shopping street in Beijing, China, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Prada posted a 17.1% increase in adjusted operating profit on Tuesday as the Italian luxury group saw double-digit sales growth in Asia and Europe.

Prada's operating profit rose to 575 million euros ($623 million)for the first six months of the year, beating the 552 million seen in an analyst consensus provided by Visible Alpha, Reuters reported.

Net revenue rose by 17% at constant exchange rates to 2.55 billion euros.

Retail sales of the Prada brand rose by 6% while those at smaller brand Miu Miu almost doubled, the group said.

"While we are vigilant, we remain committed to our strategy and to our ambition to deliver solid, sustainable and above-market growth," CEO Andrea Guerra said in a statement.