Estée Lauder launches charitable fund for emerging women leaders

Beauty conglomerate Estée Lauder has announced the launch of a charitable fund set with the goal of supporting new generation women leaders.

The Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders (ELEL) Fund hopes to challenge the gender stereotypes of leadership through the support of global organisations that provide opportunities, build communities and advocate for emerging leaders striving for change.

Launched under The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, the ELEL Fund comes with an initial one million dollar investment by the luxury beauty label, with the first inaugural programme partner announced to be Vital Voices.

Together with the Fund and set to launch in July 2022, the nonprofit organisation has built a custom online and offline leadership development programme for global emerging leaders. Potential participants for the VV Visionaries Leadership Programme can apply for both the first and second cohort via a dedicated website.

Further grants by the ELEL Fund are to be announced in the coming year, the company said in a release.

“The 75-year legacy of the Estée Lauder brand shows what one visionary woman can achieve,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, group president of The Estée Lauder Companies and global brand president of Estée Lauder and Aerin Beauty.

La Faverie continued: “Through the work of the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund and its programme partners, we will champion women to contribute and lead in their workplaces and communities. We want to redefine what it means to be a leader and what it takes to lead. We want to see more women like Mrs. Estée Lauder in the world.”