Estee Lauder Names CIO

Estee Lauder Companies has tapped Michael Smith to be its senior vice president, global information services and chief information officer.

Smith reports to executive vice president and chief financial officer Tracey Travis. He joined the company in late August.

“Consumer preferences, powered by new technologies, are rapidly changing the beauty industry. Michael’s forward-thinking approach to technology and commerce, combined with his deep expertise in building innovative digital and analytics capabilities, will further advance our brands’ growing technology needs and maximize our leadership potential in innovative technology,” Travis said in a release announcing the appointment that was released in late September.

Smith's background boasts a mix of information technology, commercial and functional experience. He joined Estee Lauder from Boma Technologies, a technology consulting company that he founded.

He previously spent four years as global head of digital and innovation and global business services at pharmaceutical company Mylan NV and 22 years at Nike, Inc. His varied roles at the sports apparel maker included senior director of brand product and marketplace solutions and senior director of enterprise solutions and technology.

At Estee Lauder, he is charged with advancing innovation in IT applications and infrastructure to effectively support and enable the company’s growth strategy and the evolving needs of its brands and business, the company said.

In addition to managing day-to-day technical operations, Smith will place a special focus on driving global technology solutions in retail, digital, social, analytics and other key strategic areas, the company said.

Smith fills a CIO post that's technically been open since the March retirement of Denise Clark. In the interim, the CIO duties were co-managed by chief technology officer Rhonda Vetere and senior vice president-IT Jay Anderson.