Estée Lauder pushes ‘one team, one culture’ model as WPP deal details emerge

More than a month after news of Estée Lauder’s decision to consolidate its global media account with WPP, details of the deal are beginning to emerge, pointing to a broader shift in how the beauty giant is restructuring its marketing and operations.

At the centre is a new “One ELC” operating model, built around what the company describes as one team, one culture and a unified operating ecosystem, designed to reduce silos and enable faster decision making.

The appointment of WPP as its first-ever global media partner is a key part of that shift, moving the company away from a decentralised regional structure toward a connected global model powered by data, technology and AI.

Stéphane de La Faverie, president and chief executive officer at Estée Lauder, said the move is about simplifying how the business operates at scale.

SEE MORE: Estée Lauder consolidates global media with WPP

“With the appointment of WPP as our first-ever global media partner, our One ELC operating model is now fully established,” he said.

“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.”

The shift reflects a wider push to centralise decision making and improve consistency across markets, with the company restructuring teams to reduce layers, clarify ownership and streamline execution.

Internally, that has meant building a single operating system across media, data and commerce, supported by a group of strategic partners including WPP, Accenture and Shopify.

The media consolidation is expected to give Estée Lauder greater control over investment and performance, while improving speed and efficiency across its global portfolio of brands.

Aude Gandon, chief digital and marketing officer at Estée Lauder, said the model is designed to better connect brand building and performance.

“Today, beauty is discovered and experienced across a constantly evolving mix of platforms,” she said.

“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 centre of everything we do.”

The changes sit within Estée Lauder’s broader Profit Recovery and Growth Plan, which aims to reshape its cost base while reinvesting in consumer-facing marketing. It also reflects a broader reset underway across global brands, as fragmented regional models give way to centralised systems spanning media, data and technology.

The company said it is on track to deliver up to US$1 billion in gross savings, with most benefits expected by 2027.