In this special episode of WWD Voices, Jenny B. Fine, editor in chief of Beauty Inc and executive editor, Beauty at WWD, interviews Jane Lauder, chief data officer and executive vice president, Enterprise Marketing at The Estée Lauder Companies, on the mainstage at the fourth annual WWD x FN X Beauty Inc Women in Power event in New York, on the intersection of leadership and AI.
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When Jane Lauder’s grandmother Estée Lauder began her eponymous beauty company, it was based on the one-on-one personal experience of knowing the customer or the client. Lauder pointed to the Clinique card catalog as an example, where sales associates would note product recommendations and purchases as well as personal details about the shopper. In 2024, however, artificial intelligence (AI) can make connections even more personal.
In fact, Lauder said she believes that AI supports products and the consumer experience.
“Sometimes we think about data being impersonal and taking away from that personal experience, but what I actually found is that beauty is personal and personal is really driven by data,” said Lauder. “I share with my team that the technology of the past was that vertically integrated tech companies had the advantage. Now, AI is driven by vast amounts of data so the more proprietary data you have, the bigger the advantage you’re going to have.”
During the conversation, Lauder also highlighted the importance of women being able to see themselves in leadership roles. She learned several lessons from her grandmother, though the biggest is that you can be everything you want to be.
“What’s so important is that the biggest barrier for women leaders is not being able to see themselves in positions of leadership, and that’s what’s so important in making sure we have this network of women,” she said. “It’s about supporting women on their journey.”
