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.



Armani Posts 'Single Digit' Sales Drop in 1st Half

FILE PHOTO: Designer Giorgio Armani appears at the end of his Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection show for Giorgio Armani Prive in Paris, France, June 25, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Designer Giorgio Armani appears at the end of his Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection show for Giorgio Armani Prive in Paris, France, June 25, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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Armani Posts 'Single Digit' Sales Drop in 1st Half

FILE PHOTO: Designer Giorgio Armani appears at the end of his Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection show for Giorgio Armani Prive in Paris, France, June 25, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Designer Giorgio Armani appears at the end of his Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection show for Giorgio Armani Prive in Paris, France, June 25, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani managed to keep its operating profit steady last year and grow net sales by 6% at constant currencies, despite a 'single-digit' slowdown in revenues in the second half which continued this year.
The weakening in sales observed through the first six months of 2024 reflects "an adjustment within the luxury market, especially in the Asia ex-Japan region and the more accessible segment of the offer," Reuters quoted Armani as saying in a statement.
Armani said the group had hiked retail prices only modestly, despite higher inflation driving up costs, because it remained focused on medium-term goals and would not use prices to inflate sales and margins in the meantime.
"We are well-prepared to manage a market slowdown without needing to maximize year-on-year profit at all costs," Giorgio Armani, who turned 90 earlier this month, said in statement.
"I remain steadfast in my belief that a focus on continuity and a pragmatic, consistent approach ... is the only way to navigate the challenges and uncertainties that characterize today's environment," Armani, who is chairman and chief executive of the group he founded, added.
Operating profit at the Milanese group, which makes more than half of its revenues in Europe, totaled 215 million euros.
The family-owned group posted net revenues of 2.45 billion euros ($2.65 billion) last year.