Dana Strong
ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIESAbout Dana Strong
Dana Strong, CBE, is a 55-year-old 2025 Class II director nominee at The Estée Lauder Companies (EL). She is Chief Executive Officer of Sky Group Limited (Comcast’s European subsidiary) and previously held senior leadership roles at Comcast and Liberty Global, bringing 25 years of media, technology, and telecom experience. She serves on the Board of SkyShowtime and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025 for services to the media industry . The Board determined she is “independent” under EL’s independence standards and NYSE rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comcast (Xfinity Consumer Services) | President | 2018–2021 | Led large-scale consumer business; strategic and operational expertise . |
| Liberty Global | Executive roles of increasing responsibility | 1999–2018 | International operating leadership; business transformation experience . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Group Limited | Chief Executive Officer | 2021–present | European media and telecom; Comcast subsidiary . |
| SkyShowtime (JV: Comcast/Paramount Global) | Board member | Not disclosed | Content streaming JV; governance role . |
| Telenet Group Holding NV | Board experience | Not disclosed | Prior board experience . |
| Wharton School (EMEA Advisory Board) | Advisory Board member | Not disclosed | Regional academic advisory role . |
Board Governance
- Independence: EL’s Board determined Dana Strong meets company Independence Standards and NYSE independence requirements; she is an “independent” nominee .
- Committee assignments (as of Record Date): The 2025 proxy lists committee compositions and nominees; Dana Strong is presented as a nominee with no committee assignment shown as of September 15, 2025 .
- Attendance and engagement: EL reports combined Board and committee attendance >97% for fiscal 2025, and no director under 75% attendance; six executive sessions of non-employee directors and one session of independent directors were held. Directors are expected to attend stockholder meetings. As a 2025 nominee, individual attendance metrics for Dana are not disclosed .
- Governance context: EL is a “controlled company” under NYSE rules (Lauder family ~84% voting power) and uses controlled-company exemptions; Audit is fully independent, but Nominating & ESG and Compensation Committees include non-independent members (Chair roles are independent). Board maintains a majority of independent directors (9/14) and has a Lead Independent Director governance mechanism .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation structure for non-employee directors (applies upon election):
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (Board) | $100,000 | Payable quarterly; deferrable . |
| Committee member retainer | Audit: $12,000; Compensation: $8,000; Nominating & ESG: $8,000 | Paid quarterly; deferrable . |
| Committee chair retainer | Audit Chair: $25,000; Compensation Chair: $15,000; Nominating & ESG Chair: $15,000 | Paid quarterly; deferrable . |
| Chair of the Board retainer | $225,000 | Additional to Board retainer; deferrable . |
| Lead Independent Director retainer | $30,000 | Additional; deferrable . |
| Annual stock units retainer | $75,000 | Granted at annual meeting; converts 1-for-1 to Class A shares upon Board departure . |
| Annual stock option grant | Up to ~$100,000 grant date value | Grants at annual meeting; 10-year term; exercisable 1 year post-grant if continuing service . |
| Initial equity grant for new directors | $300,000 (≤2,000 stock units cap) | Granted at first annual meeting >6 months after initial election . |
| Stock ownership guideline | 5× cash retainer ($500,000) within 5 years of initial election | What counts: common stock and stock units (share payout); options do not count; hedged/pledged shares excluded . |
As a 2025 nominee, Dana Strong’s individual cash/equity awards will follow these structures upon election; specific grants to her are not yet disclosed .
Performance Compensation
- Non-employee director compensation at EL is not explicitly tied to performance metrics; it comprises fixed cash retainers, time-based stock units, and options with standard vesting/exercisability (no TSR/financial metric linkage) .
- Annual stock units: fixed-dollar retainer translates into share units; paid out after Board service ends .
- Annual options: exercisable 1 year post-grant, 10-year term; no performance conditions .
| Metric Category | Used in Director Pay? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth/EBITDA/TSR targets | No | Director compensation description shows fixed retainers, stock units, options, no performance metrics . |
| ESG goals | No | No ESG-linked director pay disclosed . |
| Discretionary performance bonus | No | Not part of non-employee director program . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current external governance roles: SkyShowtime board; prior Telenet board experience .
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: No related-person transactions disclosed involving Dana Strong. EL’s Related Person Transactions Policy requires Audit Committee review; no items cited for her . The Board assessed independence and affirmed she has no material relationship with EL under defined thresholds (e.g., payment relationships >$1 million or >2% revenues) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global executive leadership across media/technology/telecom with large-scale consumer businesses in US and Europe .
- Strategic, operational, and business transformation experience; financial acumen; board experience (Telenet, SkyShowtime) .
- Recognitions: appointed CBE in 2025 for services to media .
- Advisory/academic engagement: EMEA Advisory Board, Wharton School .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership section provides director and nominee holdings as of July 31, 2025; Dana Strong is not listed among individuals with disclosed Class A/Class B holdings in the provided table excerpt, and no beneficial ownership details for her are disclosed therein . Stock ownership guidelines for directors require 5× retainer ($500,000) within 5 years of election; shares hedged/pledged do not count toward compliance .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Strong adds deep consumer connectivity, subscription economics, and digital/media distribution expertise to a beauty portfolio with accelerating digital engagement needs .
- Independence/committee posture: She is independent, which supports EL’s majority-independent Board stance; committee assignment TBD. However, EL’s controlled-company structure includes non-independent members on Compensation and Nominating & ESG Committees, a structural governance constraint to weigh against overall independent leadership (Lead Independent Director; independent Audit and committee chairs) .
- Alignment & incentives: Director pay is balanced across cash, stock units, and options with clear ownership requirements ($500k within 5 years), supporting alignment; absence of performance-linked metrics in director pay reduces risk of short-termism but also limits explicit pay-for-performance signaling at the Board level .
- RED FLAGS and watch items:
- Controlled company risk: Lauder family ~84% voting power; dual-class stock; Stockholders’ Agreement designating up to four family-linked director nominees .
- Committee composition: Non-independent members on Compensation and Nominating & ESG Committees despite majority-independent Board; mitigated by independent chairs and fully independent Audit Committee .
- Ownership disclosure: No beneficial ownership disclosure identified for Dana Strong as of July 31, 2025 in provided excerpt; monitor initial equity awards and ownership progression vs guidelines post-election .
- Time/overboarding policy fit: EL policy allows a sitting CEO of another public company to serve on up to four public boards (including their own company’s board and EL); Dana’s roles appear consistent with this guideline; the Board evaluates attendance and engagement annually .
Overall, Dana Strong’s independence, global operating expertise, and media/digital background are positives for EL’s Board composition. Investors should weigh these strengths against EL’s controlled-company governance features and monitor her committee placement, ownership alignment progress, and any future related-party disclosures post-election .