The Estée Lauder Companies Fully Establishes Its “One ELC” Operating Model and Reaches Milestone in Its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan
WPP Appointed First-Ever Global Media Partner, Unifying Media Execution Worldwide
“One ELC” Operating Model Is Transforming How the Company Operates at Scale
NEW YORK — The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today announced WPP as its first-ever global media partner, marking a significant advancement of its One ELC operating model, a scalable system designed to operate faster, execute with greater discipline, and drive growth. In fully establishing One ELC, the Company also reached a significant milestone in its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan’s (PRGP) Restructuring Program — a key action plan priority of Beauty Reimagined.
Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies, said, “With the appointment of WPP as our first-ever global media partner, our One ELC operating model is now fully established. This more unified and scalable system will enable us to be faster, more agile and efficient, and support unlocking additional growth. Together with our execution progress, we are confident that we are on a trajectory to deliver sustainable, profitable long-term growth.”
de La Faverie added, “Building on our strong fiscal 2026 first half results, which included increased consumer-facing investments to restore sustainable sales growth, today we announced an important milestone in the Profit Recovery and Growth Plan’s Restructuring Program. We have now approved initiatives to achieve the high-end of the target gross savings range and affirmed we are on track to realize the vast majority of PRGP’s full run-rate benefits in fiscal 2027. The PRGP has instilled a strong sense of cost discipline into our organization that is now embedded in our ways of working.”
Advancing a New Operating Foundation
The Company has fundamentally changed how it operates and now has the foundational pieces in place to complete its transformation. At the center of this is the Company’s One ELC operating model, an integrated system built on three elements: One Team, One Culture, and One Operating Ecosystem.
One Team, deployed swiftly in July 2025 to simplify the organization with fewer layers and silos, clearer ownership, and faster decision making.
One Culture, introduced in February 2026, to reinforce how teams work every day, grounded in accountability, bold, entrepreneurial thinking, and agility.
One Operating Ecosystem, built over the last year and now fully in place, brings together shared platforms, data, and strategic partners to enable consistent, scalable, and effective execution across brands, regions, and functions.
Establishing a Unified Global Media Model
As a core component of its One Operating Ecosystem within One ELC, the Company has appointed WPP as its first global media partner, establishing a unified, enterprise-led approach to media buying designed to enable greater scale, precision, and impact.
The Company is moving from a decentralized regional media structure to a connected global system powered by data, technology, and AI. This model strengthens the Company’s ability to generate and capture demand while improving media effectiveness and efficiency at scale and at speed.
Aude Gandon, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies, said, “Today, beauty is discovered and experienced across a constantly evolving mix of platforms. To lead in this environment, we are building a connected, AI-enabled media system that brings brand building and performance together at global scale. Partnering with WPP strengthens our ability to invest with greater precision, move with greater speed, and deliver stronger, more measurable returns, while keeping creativity and brand leadership at the center of everything we do.”
Delivering a Connected Ecosystem with Strategic Partners
With WPP’s appointment, the Company’s One Operating Ecosystem is now in place and brings together a coordinated set of best-in-class strategic partners to modernize and scale how it operates globally.
Accenture is transforming shared services through the Company’s Enterprise Business Services (EBS) model, driving standardization, efficiency, and scalability across core functions. The Company has designed EBS and begun transitioning services, with the model on track to be fully in place before the end of calendar year 2026.
Shopify powers the Company’s global direct-to-consumer omnichannel experience, creating a modern and unified commerce foundation. Initial implementation with TOM FORD BEAUTY’s brand.com in the U.S. has already delivered improved sales, conversion, and average order value performance — all encouraging signs as the foundation scales. Following the initial implementation phase, the Company expects to have launched 50% of the in-scope direct-to-consumer business by the end of calendar year 2026.
By partnering with best-in-class organizations, the Company is transitioning from a fragmented data landscape to a more unified one. This will create a scalable foundation for real-time insights, a single consumer view, and more effective activation across brands and markets.
Delivering Against the Profit Recovery and Growth Plan
Since expanding the Restructuring Program when it introduced Beauty Reimagined in February 2025, the Company has taken decisive actions to reshape its cost structure and operations, allowing for increased consumer-facing investments. As of March 31, 2026, the Company has approved initiatives expected to deliver total gross benefits at the high end of its targeted range of $0.8 billion to $1.0 billion, a portion of which has been and will continue to be reinvested in consumer-facing initiatives, with expected total charges at the mid-point of the estimated range of $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion.
With a line of sight to additional gross benefits, all business case approvals for the Restructuring Program are still expected to be made by June 30, 2026. This progress reflects disciplined delivery against clearly defined priorities and has supported the Company’s ability to reinvest for growth. The Company expects execution of the PRGP to be substantially complete by the end of fiscal 2027 and affirmed that the vast majority of PRGP’s full run-rate benefits, including its Restructuring Program, are to be achieved during fiscal 2027.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The forward-looking statements contained herein, including those relating to our expectations regarding restructuring and other charges, involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include current economic and other conditions in the global marketplace, actions by retailers and consumers, competition, The Estée Lauder Companies’ ability to successfully implement its long-term strategic plan, and those factors described in The Estée Lauder Companies’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025.
About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD, and BALMAIN Beauty.
About WPP
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit wpp.com.
About WPP Media
WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, it brings the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260401678161/en/
Contacts
Investor Relations:
Rainey Mancini
rmancini@estee.com
Media Relations:
Brendan Riley
briley@estee.com
The post The Estée Lauder Companies Fully Establishes Its “One ELC” Operating Model and Reaches Milestone in Its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan appeared first on Montreal Gazette.