In a significant shift within the legal departments of major corporations, Rashida La Lande has transitioned from her role as chief legal officer at Kraft Heinz Co. to become the new general counsel at Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. La Lande will succeed Deirdre Stanley, who stepped down recently after joining Estée Lauder in 2019.
La Lande’s departure from Kraft Heinz, effective August 5, comes after nearly seven years with the company, where she managed various aspects of its legal, corporate affairs, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) portfolios. Estée Lauder announced that La Lande will start her new role on August 19, with the company’s executive chairman William Lauder citing her extensive experience and strategic insight as key reasons for her selection.
During her tenure at Kraft Heinz, La Lande was recognized for her substantial earnings, positioning her among the higher echelon of legal executives in the United States. According to a company proxy statement, she received nearly $5.2 million in total compensation last year, with previous years also seeing significant remuneration.
As part of the transition, Prasanth “Prash” Akkapeddi, who has served as the international general counsel for Kraft Heinz, will take over as interim global general counsel. Akkapeddi brings over six years of experience within the company and a background as a former associate at Gibson Dunn.
La Lande is joining Estée Lauder at a pivotal time, as the cosmetics giant strives to enhance operational efficiency following recent restructuring efforts, including a reduction of approximately 3,000 jobs to stabilize its financial performance.
Estée Lauder has made strides in improving workforce diversity in recent years, creating a new division led by former labor lawyer Nicole Monson to oversee diversity initiatives. These efforts align with the broader goals of the Black General Counsel 2025 Initiative, a project in which both La Lande and Stanley have been active participants. This initiative seeks to increase the representation of Black legal leaders within Fortune 1000 companies, highlighting the importance of diversity in corporate leadership.
To read more about this transition and the roles involved, you can view the full article here.