New York, USA – The Estée Lauder Companies has appointed WPP as its first global media partner as part of efforts to strengthen its newly established “One ELC” operating model and advance its ongoing profit recovery strategy.
The move forms part of the company’s broader transformation programme aimed at enabling faster decision-making, more disciplined execution, and scalable growth across its global business.
According to the company, the appointment represents a milestone in the restructuring programme under its Profit Recovery and Growth Plan (PRGP), which is part of the wider Beauty Reimagined strategy. The programme is designed to reshape the organisation’s cost structure while enabling reinvestment into consumer-facing initiatives.
Stéphane de La Faverie, President and CEO at 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.”
He 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.”
It should be noted that the One ELC operating model is designed to transform how the company operates globally. It is structured around three components: One Team, One Culture, and One Operating Ecosystem.
The One Team structure, deployed in July 2025, aims to simplify the organisation by reducing layers and silos while improving ownership and speed of decision-making. Moreover, the One Culture initiative, introduced in February 2026, focuses on reinforcing internal ways of working through accountability, entrepreneurial thinking, and agility. Meanwhile, the One Operating Ecosystem integrates shared platforms, data systems, and strategic partners to support consistent execution across brands, markets, and functions.
As part of the ecosystem, the company has transitioned from a decentralised regional media structure to a unified global media model powered by data, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Under the new setup, WPP will lead global media buying for the organisation, supporting more coordinated investment and improving efficiency and measurement across markets.
Aude Gandon, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at 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.”
The company is also working with several partners as part of the new operating ecosystem.
Accenture is supporting the transformation of shared services through the company’s Enterprise Business Services (EBS) model, which aims to improve standardisation and efficiency across key functions. The transition is expected to be completed before the end of calendar year 2026.
Meanwhile, Shopify is powering the company’s global direct-to-consumer omnichannel platform. The initial rollout through TOM FORD BEAUTY’s U.S. brand website has already delivered improvements in sales, conversion rates, and average order value, according to the company. Around half of the in-scope direct-to-consumer business is expected to be launched on the platform by the end of 2026.
