The CHRO Of A 70,000-Person Company On Its Loneliest Job
Michael Bowes runs people for one of the most iconic companies on earth. And he says the job he does is the loneliest seat in the C-suite. Michael Bowes is the Chief People Officer at Estée Lauder, the 80-year-old beauty company behind Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Aveda, The Ordinary and Dr. Jart, with 70,000 employees across more than 70 countries. He was promoted into the role in April 2025, almost exactly 10 years after he joined the company, and stepped in during a restructuring program of over a billion dollars. Before Estée Lauder he built his career across iconic American b…