Rashida La Lande will join The Estée Lauder Companies as executive vice president and general counsel, effective August 19. She will report to William Lauder, executive chair, and Fabrizio Freda, president and CEO.
La Lande was previously chief legal and corporate affairs officer at The Kraft Heinz Company. Her decision to step down from the company was announced on Monday in an SEC filing.
She joined Kraft Heinz as senior vice president, global general counsel and corporate secretary in January 2018. She was senior vice president, global general counsel and head of ESG and government affairs from October 2018 to December 2021 and corporate secretary from January 2018 to May 2022. La Lande became executive vice president, global general counsel and chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer in December 2021 and took on her latest role in December 2023.
Before joining the company she was a partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, where she had been since 2000, advising companies and boards on M&A, leveraged buyouts, private equity deals and joint ventures. She began her legal career as an associate at Chadbourne & Parke.
Lauder says in a statement: ‘Rashida’s impressive experience acting as a key strategic partner to executive leadership teams and boards, coupled with her sound judgment advising a publicly traded, values-driven business on legal matters, makes her ideally suited for this role.’
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson says in a statement: ‘Prash Akkapeddi, currently general counsel for international, will step in as interim global general counsel, reporting to CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera. Prash has been with Kraft Heinz for more than six years and will help ensure a seamless transition.
‘We thank Rashida for her many accomplishments during her time at Kraft Heinz. While she will no longer be at the company, [her] positive impact will be felt for years to come.’
La Lande did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
