Lezlee Westine Appointed New President & CEO of the Personal Care Products Council
Dan Brestle, Vice Chairman and President, The Estee Lauder Companies, North America and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Personal Care Products Council, announced today that Lezlee Westine will be the new President and CEO of the Personal Care Products Council, the Washington, D.C.-based leading national trade association representing the global cosmetic, fragrance and personal care products industry.
Lezlee Westine will assume her new leadership role at the Council in May, succeeding former President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey, who left the Council in December to head the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Westine is currently President and CEO of TechNet, a bipartisan political network of CEOs and senior executives of leading U.S. technology companies that promotes the growth of the innovation economy by building long-term relationships between technology leaders and policymakers. As TechNet President and CEO, Westine directs and oversees day-to-day operations, strategic planning, and development and implementation of TechNet’s public policy and political agenda.
“Lezlee Westine is an extraordinary leader and without a doubt one of America’s most prominent champions of innovation,” said Council Board Chairman Dan Brestle in announcing the selection of Lezlee Westine. “Her association and bipartisan political experience position her as the ideal leader and a natural fit for the cosmetic and personal care products industry, an industry committed to product safety and quality and well known for innovation.”
Prior to serving as TechNet CEO and President, Westine served as the White House Director of Public Liaison from 2001 to 2005. In that capacity, Westine served as White House chief liaison to all constituency groups, national trade associations and non-profit organizations and developed relationships with advocacy groups from both sides of the aisle to find areas of common ground. She also directed the Administration’s women’s outreach programs, organized a successful initiative to draw needed attention to the plight of Afghan women, and garnered support for the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the presidential fast-track negotiating authority for U.S. trade agreements.
The Council launched its search for a new leader earlier this year. Along with Brestle, the other Council Board members on the Search Committee included: Scott Beattie, Chairman and CEO of Elizabeth Arden, Marc Pritchard, Global Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble, and Stephen Sadove, Chairman and CEO of SAKS Inc.
“On behalf of the Council’s Board of Directors, I want to thank Mark Pollak who has served as Interim President and CEO of the Council for the last several months,” Brestle said. “Mark is a veteran member of the Council senior staff who possesses incomparable knowledge of our industry, and his strong leadership has proven invaluable.”
Mark Pollak, who will return to his former position as Executive Vice President and Assistant Secretary of the Council, added, “We’re confident that Lezlee Westine will bring her tremendous passion for innovation and creative vision to our dynamic industry, and we look forward to working with her.”
Pete Metzger, Vice Chairman of CTPartners, led the national search leading to today’s announcement.