Meridith Webster has stepped down from her position as chief communications and public affairs officer at the Estée Lauder Cos. to pursue an external opportunity, WWD has learned.
In an internal email viewed by WWD, chief executive officer Stéphane de La Faverie said: “Meridith helped reshape our corporate narrative as ELC navigated one of the most consequential periods of operational, leadership and cultural transformation in our history, bringing greater focus, discipline and ambition to how we communicated our strategy, our progress and the strength of our brand portfolio. Her leadership helped us navigate an increasingly volatile external environment with greater clarity and confidence.”
Related Articles
Webster joined the beauty company, whose brands include Tom Ford, Clinique and Bobbi Brown, in 2021 as its first executive vice president, global communications and public affairs.
In a note to staff viewed by WWD, she said: “I have been so fortunate to work with and for Stéphane. He believes in this team, loves being part of the work and brings curiosity and an inexplicably un-caffeinated enthusiasm to everything. He treats communication as part of leading, not something that happens after the decisions are made, and he champions this team in rooms we are not in. He makes everyone around him feel their idea is worth hearing, and he will rehearse a speech one more time, without (a ton of) complaint, because he knows how much we care about getting it right. He leads with optimism even when the headlines don’t, gives credit freely, takes the hard and spontaneous questions himself and laughs easily, including at himself. As bosses go, it does not get much better. I have learned so much from him, and I will always be grateful for his trust.”
Webster joined Lauder from the Biden administration, where she was special assistant to the president, and chief of staff to the domestic policy council. During the Obama administration, Webster was senior adviser to two separate chiefs of staff, Rahm Emanuel and Pete Rouse. Prior to that, she held roles in both the Clinton administration and the U.S. State Department.
Prior to serving in the Biden administration, Webster served as Vox Media’s first chief communications officer, overseeing strategic communications and media relations. She also served in several roles at Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies, including as the global head of public affairs.
