Jeanette Sarkisian Wagner, vice chairman emerita of the Estée Lauder Cos., has died. She was 92.
The cause of death could not be immediately learned.
The first vice chairman of the company, Wagner was instrumental in spearheading Lauder’s international expansion as president and chief executive officer of the International Division.
She was named to that role in 1986, and transformed the division from the smallest and least profitable to the largest and most profitable, a position it continues to hold today.
Prior to joining Lauder in 1975, Wagner was editor in chief of all international editions and director of new ventures at The Hearst Corp. She was the first female senior editor of The Saturday Evening Post and editor of The Chicago Daily News.
At Lauder, she started as vice president, director of marketing for the Estée Lauder brand in the international division, and was named corporate senior vice president in 1982, reporting directly to Leonard A. Lauder, then the chairman and CEO.
Four years later, she assumed oversight of the International Division, where she spearheaded strategy for 11 brands in 100 countries. During her tenure, new concepts were developed, including the first free-standing stores for both the Lauder and Clinique brands, as well as flagship environments in five cities in China and in every major Asia Pacific country.
She was named vice chairman in 1998, where she directed new business developments, including management oversight for acquisitions like MAC, Aveda and Bobbi Brown, and represented the company in key global associations.
“She has done a remarkable job for us,” said Leonard A. Lauder at the time of her retirement, which he announced at the company’s annual stockholder meeting, leading the crowd in a round of applause.
After retiring in 2002, Wagner turned her considerable energies to improving public school education in New York City, serving as secretary of the Board of the Fund for Public Schools during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s term in office. She served on a number of boards, including the New York City Center and the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Library of America Advisory Board and the Harvard Business School Club Board Emerita.
Wagner, who was a champion of women in the workplace throughout her career, also received numerous awards, including the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award in 1999, a CEW Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2016.
Source: WWD