UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549-1004


 

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

September 21, 2007

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

 

11-2408943

(State or other jurisdiction of

 

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

incorporation or organization)

 

 

 

767 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York

 

10153

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Commission File Number: 1-14064

212-572-4200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o             Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o             Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o             Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o             Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 




 

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Annual Bonus Opportunities for Fiscal 2008

On September 21, 2007, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Company”) granted bonus opportunities for the year ending June 30, 2008 (“fiscal 2008”) under the Company’s Executive Annual Incentive Plan to the Company’s executive officers.  For the Company’s named executive officers, aggregate target bonus opportunities were granted in the following amounts:

Named Executive Officer (title)*

 

 

 

Fiscal 2008 Aggregate
Target Bonus Opportunities

 

 

 

 

 

Leonard A. Lauder (Chairman of the Board)

 

$

1,800,000

 

 

 

 

 

William P. Lauder (President and Chief Executive Officer)

 

$

3,000,000

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel J. Brestle (Chief Operating Officer)

 

$

2,250,000

 

 

 

 

 

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne (Group President)

 

$

2,000,000

 

 

 

 

 

Philip Shearer (Group President)

 

$

2,000,000

 

 

 

 

 

Richard W. Kunes (Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer)

 

$

675,000

 


*       Due to a change in the disclosure rules since the 2006 proxy statement, Mr. Kunes, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will replace Mr. L. Lauder as a named executive officer in 2007.

The opportunities for bonuses for Leonard A. Lauder, William P. Lauder, Daniel J. Brestle and Richard W. Kunes are based on the levels of achievement of earnings per share, net sales and working capital relating to inventory targets for the Company in fiscal 2008.  The opportunities for Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne and Philip Shearer are based on the levels of achievement of the earnings per share and net sales target for the Company in fiscal 2008 and levels of achievement of full-year goals for their respective groups set at the start of fiscal 2008, including net sales for the group, operating margin, working capital relating to inventory and planning accuracy.  Each opportunity has a threshold that must be reached before any payout is made.  Certain opportunities provide for payout in excess of the target amount for performance that exceeds the target goal.  Payouts to Mr. L. Lauder are limited to 100% of the target opportunities.  Measurement of performance is subject to certain automatic adjustments, such as changes in accounting principles, the impact of discontinued operations

 

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and non-recurring income/expenses and the impact on net sales of unplanned changes in foreign currency rates.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan

On September 21, 2007, the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of Company’s Board of Directors (the “Subcommittee”) amended the Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Fiscal 2002 Plan”) and the forms of agreements for stock options, performance share units and restricted stock units granted thereunder.  The amendments to the Fiscal 2002 Plan were considered in view of the final regulations under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (“409A”).  The principal purpose of the amendments is to make sure that benefits provided under the Fiscal 2002 Plan are consistent with 409A.  Amendments were made to the triggers for a “change in control,” the adjustment of benefits when there is a change in the underlying stock or capital structure of the Company and to limit the exercise of stock options after death of an optionee to the earlier of one year after death or the tenth anniversary of the option grant date.

Options

Option grants were made to the following executive officers, who will be listed in the Summary Compensation Table in the Company’s 2007 proxy statement:

 

 

Shares of Class A Common

 

Named Executive Officer

 

 

 

Stock Underlying Options

 

 

 

 

 

William P. Lauder

 

150,000

 

Daniel J. Brestle

 

100,000

 

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne

 

62,500

 

Philip Shearer

 

62,500

 

Richard W. Kunes

 

50,000

 

 

Each option has an exercise price equal to $42.58 per share, which is the closing per share price of the Class A Common Stock on the grant date (i.e., September 21, 2007). The options are generally exercisable in three substantially equal annual tranches beginning on January 1, 2009. Options become exercisable earlier upon death, disability or retirement of the optionee or a change in control of the Company. All options expire on September 21, 2017, subject to earlier termination or forfeiture. Earlier termination or forfeiture can occur if the employee resigns other than by reason of retirement or is terminated. Post-termination exercises are subject to non-competition and good conduct requirements.  Aerin Lauder, Senior Vice President, Global Creative Directions for Estée Lauder and a Director of the Company, received an option grant in respect to 1,250 shares of Class A Common Stock.  The exercise price of her options and the terms and conditions are the same as those for the executive officers.  A copy of the Form of Stock Option Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit 10.3, provides additional information regarding the terms of each option and is incorporated by reference into this Form 8-K.

 

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Performance Share Unit Awards

Performance Share Unit Awards were granted to the following executive officers who will be listed in the Summary Compensation Table in the Company’s 2007 proxy statement:

 

 

Shares of Class A Common

 

 

 

Stock Underlying Target

 

Named Executive Officer

 

 

 

Performance Share Awards

 

 

 

 

 

William P. Lauder

 

25,998

 

Daniel J. Brestle

 

17,332

 

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne

 

10,833

 

Philip Shearer

 

10,833

 

Richard W. Kunes

 

8,666

 

 

Payout of the target amounts, which will be made in shares of Class A Common Stock, is generally subject to the achievement by the Company of its net sales and net earnings per share goals for the three years ending June 30, 2010.  Under ordinary circumstances, payouts will begin to be made pursuant to an opportunity if the threshold for such opportunity is achieved and additional shares shall be paid out if performance exceeds the targeted performance goals.  Except as provided below, full payout to any executive is subject to his continued employment through June 30, 2010 (the “Award Period”) or formal retirement under the Company’s pension plan during the Award Period. Pro rata payouts will be made to the executive or his estate if he dies or becomes permanently disabled during the Award Period or if he is terminated without cause in the second or third year of the Award Period.  Performance Share Units are forfeited upon voluntary resignation (which does not qualify as retirement), termination for cause and termination by the Company without cause in the first year of the Award Period. Full payouts based on target award amounts will be made in the case of a change in control of the Company. Upon payout, unless the executive officer provides the Company cash for statutory tax withholding, shares will be withheld to cover minimum statutory tax obligations.  Performance Share Units are accompanied by dividend equivalent rights that will be payable in cash at the time of payout of the related shares.

Performance Share Unit Awards are Stock Units and Performance-Based Awards under the Fiscal 2002 Plan.  Measurement of performance is subject to certain automatic adjustments, such as changes in accounting principles, the impact of discontinued operations and non-recurring income/expenses.

The form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.4 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Restricted Stock Units

Restricted Stock Units were granted to the following executive officers who will be listed in the Summary Compensation Table in the Company’s 2007 proxy statement:

 

 

Shares of Class A Common

 

 

 

Stock Underlying Target

 

Named Executive Officer

 

 

 

Restricted Stock Units

 

 

 

 

 

William P. Lauder

 

25,998

 

Daniel J. Brestle

 

17,332

 

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne

 

10,833

 

Philip Shearer

 

10,833

 

Richard W. Kunes

 

8,666

 

 

Restricted Stock Units vest ratably in thirds on October 31, 2008, November 2, 2009 and November 1, 2010 (or the first day thereafter that shares may be traded under the Company’s policy). Upon death, disability or involuntary termination without cause, shares will vest pro rata for full months employed during the vesting period. Payout upon death will be as soon as practicable thereafter.  Payout upon termination without cause shall be on the first vesting day after termination that shares may be sold under the Company’s policy.  Payout upon disability will be in accordance with the annual vesting schedule.  Upon retirement, unvested shares will vest and be paid out on the first day after retirement that such shares may be sold under the Company’s policy.  Payout of Restricted Stock Units after termination of employment without cause or due to retirement shall be subject to non-competition and good conduct requirements.   Restricted Stock Units will vest upon, and be paid out as soon as practicable after, a change in control of the Company.  Unvested Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited upon termination for cause and upon voluntary resignation that does not qualify as retirement.  Upon payout, unless the executive officer provides the Company cash for statutory tax withholding, shares will be withheld to cover minimum statutory tax obligations.  Restricted Stock Units are accompanied by dividend equivalent rights that will be payable in cash at the time of payout of the related shares.

The form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for executive officers is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.5 and incorporated herein by reference.

Aerin Lauder received a restricted stock unit grant in respect of 417 shares of Class A Common Stock.  The restricted stock units granted to Ms. Lauder have similar terms and conditions as those granted to executive officers, except that her agreement, which is in the form used for grants to employees who are not executive officers that is attached as Exhibit 10.6 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference, does not provide for dividend equivalent rights.

 

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Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

(a)                        Not applicable.

(b)                       Not applicable.

(c)                        Not applicable.

(d)                       Exhibits

The following exhibits are filed as part of this report:

10.1

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Executive Annual Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.7 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005) (SEC File No. 1-14064).*

 

 

 

10.2

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan.

 

 

 

10.3

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.4

 

Form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.5

 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan for Executive Officers (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.6

 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan for Employees other than Executive Officers (including Form of Notice of Grant).


*  Incorporated by reference.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

 

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date: September 25, 2007

 

By:

 

/s/ Spencer G. Smul

 

 

 

 

Spencer G. Smul
Vice President, Deputy General
Counsel and Secretary

 

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Exhibit Index

10.1

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Executive Annual Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.7 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005) (SEC File No. 1-14064).*

 

 

 

10.2

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan.

 

 

 

10.3

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.4

 

Form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.5

 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan for Executive Officers (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 

 

 

10.6

 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan for Employees other than Executive Officers (including Form of Notice of Grant).

 


*   Incorporated by reference.

 

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Exhibit 10.2

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED FISCAL 2002 SHARE INCENTIVE PLAN

1.     Purpose. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is intended to provide incentives which will attract, retain, motivate and reward highly competent people as officers and key employees of, and consultants to, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries and affiliates, by providing them opportunities to acquire shares of the Class A Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company (“Class A Common Stock”) or to receive monetary payments based on the value of such shares pursuant to the Benefits (as defined below) described herein. Additionally, the Plan is intended to assist in further aligning the interests of the Company’s officers, key employees and consultants to those of its other stockholders.

2.                Administration.

(a) The Plan will be administered by a committee (the “Committee”) appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company from among its members (which may be the Compensation Committee or the Stock Plan Subcommittee) and shall be comprised, unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors, solely of not less than two members who shall be (i) “Non-Employee Directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3(b)(3) (or any successor rule) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and (ii) “outside directors” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.162-27(e)(3) under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Committee is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Plan, to establish such rules and regulations as it deems necessary for the proper administration of the Plan and to make such determinations and interpretations and to take such action in connection with the Plan and any Benefits (as defined below) granted hereunder as it deems necessary or advisable, including the right to establish the terms and conditions of Benefits, to accelerate the vesting or exercisability of Benefits and to cancel Benefits. The Committee may determine the extent to which any Benefit under the Plan is required to comply, or not comply, with Section 409A of the Code. All determinations and interpretations made by the Committee shall be binding and conclusive on all participants and their legal representatives. No member of the Committee and no employee of the Company shall be liable for any act or failure to act hereunder, except in circumstances involving his or her bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct, or for any act or failure to act hereunder by any other member or employee or by any agent to whom duties in connection with the administration of the Plan have been delegated. The Company shall indemnify members of the Committee and any agent of the Committee who is an employee of the Company, a subsidiary or an affiliate against any and all liabilities or expenses to which they may be subjected by reason of any act or failure to act with respect to their duties on behalf of the Plan, except in circumstances involving such person’s bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct.

(b) The Committee may delegate to one or more of its members, or to one or more agents, such administrative duties as it may deem advisable, and the Committee, or any person to whom it has delegated duties as aforesaid, may employ one or more persons to render advice with respect to any responsibility the Committee or such person may have under the Plan. The Committee may employ such legal or other counsel, consultants and agents as it may deem desirable for the administration of the Plan and may rely upon any opinion or computation received from any such counsel, consultant or agent. Expenses incurred by the Committee in the engagement of such counsel, consultant or agent shall be paid by the Company, or the subsidiary or affiliate whose employees have benefited from the Plan, as determined by the Committee.

3.     Participants. Participants will consist of such officers and key employees of, and such consultants to, the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates as the Committee in its sole discretion determines to be significantly responsible for the success and future growth and profitability of the Company and whom the Committee may designate from time to time to receive Benefits under the Plan. Designation of a participant in any year shall not require the Committee to designate such person to receive a Benefit in any other year or, once designated, to receive the same type or amount of Benefit as granted to the participant in any other year. The Committee shall consider such factors as it deems pertinent in selecting participants and in determining the type and amount of their respective Benefits.




4.     Type of Benefits. Benefits under the Plan may be granted in any one or a combination of the following (collectively, “Benefits”): (a) Stock Options, (b) Stock Appreciation Rights, (c) Stock Awards, (d) Performance Awards and (e) Stock Units (each as described below). Stock Awards, Performance Awards, and Stock Units may, as determined by the Committee in its discretion, constitute Performance-Based Awards, as described in Section 11 hereof. Benefits shall be evidenced by agreements (which need not be identical) in such forms as the Committee may from time to time approve (each a “Benefit Agreement”); provided , however , that in the event of any conflict between the provisions of the Plan and any Benefit Agreement and subject to Section 12, the provisions of the Plan shall prevail.

5.                Common Stock Available Under the Plan.

(a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5 and any adjustments made in accordance with Section 13 hereof, the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered to participants (including permitted assignees) and their beneficiaries under this Plan shall be equal to the sum of: (i) 22,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, which may be authorized and unissued or treasury shares; and (ii) up to 10,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock that are represented by awards granted or to be granted under any prior plan of the Company or under any employment agreement with the Company, which are forfeited, expire or are cancelled without the delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock or which result in the forfeiture of shares of Class A Common Stock back to the Company. Any shares of Class A Common Stock covered by a Benefit (or portion of a Benefit) granted under the Plan, which is forfeited or canceled, expires or, in the case of a Benefit other than a Stock Option, is settled in cash, shall be deemed not to have been delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock available for delivery under the Plan. The preceding sentence shall apply only for purposes of determining the aggregate number of shares of Class A Common Stock subject to Benefits but shall not apply for purposes of determining the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock with respect to which Benefits (including the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock subject to Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights) may be granted to an individual participant under the Plan.

(b) If any Stock Option is exercised by tendering shares of Class A Common Stock, either actually or by attestation, to the Company as full or partial payment in connection with the exercise of a Stock Option under this Plan or any prior plan of the Company, only the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued net of the shares of Class A Common Stock tendered shall be deemed delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock available for delivery under the Plan. Further, shares of Class A Common Stock delivered under the Plan in settlement, assumption or substitution of outstanding awards (or obligations to grant future awards) under the plans or arrangements of another entity shall not reduce the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock available for delivery under the Plan, to the extent that such settlement, assumption or substitution is as a result of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates acquiring another entity (or an interest in another entity). This Section 5(b) shall apply only for purposes of determining the aggregate number of shares of Class A Common Stock subject to Benefits but shall not apply for purposes of determining (x) the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock with respect to which Benefits (including the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock subject to Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights) may be granted to an individual participant under the Plan or (y) the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered through Stock Options under the Plan.

(c) Subject to any adjustments made in accordance with Section 13 hereof, the following additional aggregate and individual maximums are imposed under the Plan. The aggregate number of shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered through Stock Options shall be the lesser of (i) 32,000,000 and (ii) the maximum number of shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered under the Plan, as specified in Section 5(a) hereof. The number of shares of Class A Common Stock with respect to which Benefits may be granted to an individual participant under the Plan in any fiscal year of the Company shall not exceed 2,000,000.

6.     Stock Options. Stock Options will consist of awards from the Company that will enable the holder to purchase a number of shares of Class A Common Stock at set terms. Stock Options may be “incentive stock options” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code (“Incentive Stock Options”), or Stock Options which do not constitute Incentive Stock Options (“Nonqualified Stock Options”). The Committee will have the authority to grant to any participant one or more Incentive Stock Options, Nonqualified Stock Options, or both types of Stock Options (in each case with or without Stock Appreciation Rights). Each Stock Option shall be subject to such terms and

2




conditions consistent with the Plan as the Committee may impose from time to time, subject to the following limitations:

(a) Exercise Price. Each Stock Option granted hereunder shall have such per-share exercise price as the Committee may determine at the date of grant; provided , however , subject to subsection (d) below, that the per-share exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value (as defined below) of the Class A Common Stock on the date the Stock Option is granted.

(b) Payment of Exercise Price. The exercise price may be paid in cash or, in the discretion of the Committee, by the delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company then owned by the participant, by the withholding of shares of Class A Common Stock for which a Stock Option is exercisable or by a combination of these methods. In the discretion of the Committee, payment also may be made by delivering a properly executed exercise notice to the Company together with a copy of irrevocable instructions to a broker to deliver promptly to the Company the amount of sale or loan proceeds to pay the exercise price. To facilitate the foregoing, the Company may enter into agreements for coordinated procedures with one or more brokerage firms. The Committee may prescribe any other method of paying the exercise price that it determines to be consistent with applicable law and the purposes of the Plan, including, without limitation, in lieu of the exercise of a Stock Option by delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company then owned by a participant, providing the Company with a notarized statement attesting to the number of shares owned, in which case upon verification by the Company, the Company would issue to the participant only the number of incremental shares to which the participant is entitled upon exercise of the Stock Option. In determining which methods a participant may utilize to pay the exercise price, the Committee may consider such factors as it determines are appropriate.

(c) Exercise Period. Stock Options granted under the Plan shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee; provided , however , that no Stock Option shall be exercisable later than ten years after the date it is granted except, for Stock Options granted before April 10, 2007, in the event of a participant’s death, the exercise period of such participant’s Stock Options may be extended beyond such period but no longer than one year after the participant’s death. All Stock Options shall terminate at such earlier times and upon such conditions or circumstances as the Committee shall in its discretion set forth in the Benefit Agreement relating to the option grant.

(d) Limitations on Incentive Stock Options. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to participants who are employees of the Company or one of its subsidiaries (within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code) at the date of grant. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the Stock Option is granted) of the Class A Common Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by a participant during any calendar year (under all option plans of the Company and of any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation (as defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively)) shall not exceed $100,000. For purposes of the preceding sentence, Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they are granted. The per-share exercise price of an Incentive Stock Option shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Class A Common Stock on the date of grant, and no Incentive Stock Option may be exercised later than ten years after the date it is granted; provided , however , that Incentive Stock Options may not be granted to any participant who, at the time of grant, owns stock possessing (after the application of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company, unless the exercise price is fixed at not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Class A Common Stock on the date of grant and the exercise of such option is prohibited by its terms after the expiration of five years from the date of grant of such option.

(e) Post-Employment Exercises. The exercise of any Stock Option after termination of employment shall be subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the participant neither (i) competes with, or takes employment with or renders services to a competitor of, the Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates without the  written consent of the Company, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

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7.                Stock Appreciation Rights.

(a) The Committee may, in its discretion, grant Stock Appreciation Rights to the holders of any Stock Options granted hereunder. In addition, Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted independently of, and without relation to, Stock Options. A Stock Appreciation Right is a right to receive a payment in cash, Class A Common Stock or a combination thereof, in an amount equal to the excess of (x) the Fair Market Value, or other specified valuation (which shall be no less than the Fair Market Value), of a specified number of shares of Class A Common Stock on the date the right is exercised over (y) the Fair Market Value, or other specified valuation (which shall be no less than the Fair Market Value) of such shares of Class A Common Stock on the date the right is granted, all as determined by the Committee; provided , however , that if a Stock Appreciation Right is granted in tandem with or in substitution for a Stock Option, the Fair Market Value designated in the Benefit Agreement may be the Fair Market Value on the date such Stock Option was granted. Each Stock Appreciation Right shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall impose from time to time.

(b) Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee; provided , however , that no Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercisable later than ten years after the date it is granted except, for Stock Appreciation Rights granted before April 10, 2007, in the event of a participant’s death, the exercise period of such participant’s Stock Appreciation Rights may be extended beyond such period but no longer than one year after the participant’s death. All Stock Appreciation Rights shall terminate at such earlier times and upon such conditions or circumstances as the Committee shall in its discretion set forth in such right.

(c) The exercise of any Stock Appreciation Right after termination of employment shall be subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the participant neither (i) competes with, or takes other employment with or renders services to a competitor of, the Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates without the written consent of the Company, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

8.     Stock Awards. The Committee may, in its discretion, grant Stock Awards (which may include mandatory payment of bonus incentive compensation in stock) consisting of Class A Common Stock issued or transferred to participants with or without payments therefor. Stock Awards may be subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee determines to be appropriate, including, without limitation, restrictions on the sale or other disposition of such shares and the right of the Company to reacquire such shares for no consideration upon termination of the participant’s employment within specified periods, and may constitute Performance-Based Awards, as described in Section 11 hereof. The Committee may require the participant to deliver a duly signed stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to the Class A Common Stock covered by a Stock Award. The Committee also may require that the stock certificates evidencing such shares be held in custody or bear restrictive legends until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed. The Stock Award shall specify whether the participant shall have, with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock subject to a Stock Award, all of the rights of a holder of shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, including the right to receive dividends and to vote the shares.

9.                Performance Awards.

(a) Performance Awards may be granted to participants at any time and from time to time, as shall be determined by the Committee. Performance Awards may constitute Performance-Based Awards, as described in Section 11 hereof. The Committee shall have complete discretion in determining the number, amount and timing of awards granted to each participant; provided, that for Performance Awards subject to Section 409A of the Code, these determinations must be made on or before the date of grant of the Performance Award. Such Performance Awards may be in the form of shares of Class A Common Stock or Stock Units. Performance Awards may be awarded as short-term or long-term incentives. Performance targets may be based upon Company-wide, divisional and/or individual performance, or other factors as determined by the Committee.

(b) With respect to those Performance Awards that are not intended to constitute Performance-Based Awards, the Committee shall have the authority at any time to make adjustments to performance targets for any outstanding Performance Awards which the Committee deems necessary or desirable unless at the time of establishment of such targets the Committee shall have precluded its authority to make such adjustments, provided that, for Performance Awards that are subject to Section 409A of the Code, the adjustments are compliant with Section 409A of the Code and the regulations thereunder.

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(c) Payment of earned Performance Awards shall be made in accordance with terms and conditions prescribed or authorized by the Committee. The participant may elect to defer, or the Committee may require or permit the deferral of, the receipt of Performance Awards upon such terms as the Committee deems appropriate, provided that, for Performance Awards that vest on or after January 1, 2005, any election and deferral is compliant with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations thereunder.

10.          Stock Units.

(a) The Committee may, in its discretion, grant Stock Units to participants hereunder. A “Stock Unit” means a notional account representing one share of Class A Common Stock. The Committee shall determine the criteria for the vesting of Stock Units. Stock Units may constitute Performance-Based Awards, as described in Section 11 hereof. A Stock Unit granted by the Committee shall provide for payment in shares of Class A Common Stock at such time as the Benefit Agreement shall specify. Shares of Class A Common Stock issued pursuant to this Section 10 may be issued with or without payments or other consideration therefor, as may be required by applicable law or as may be determined by the Committee. On or before the grant date, the Committee shall determine whether a participant granted a Stock Unit shall be entitled to a Dividend Equivalent Right. A “Dividend Equivalent Right” means the right to receive the amount of any dividend paid on the share of Class A Common Stock underlying a Stock Unit, which shall be payable in cash or in the form of additional Stock Units.

(b) Upon vesting of a Stock Unit, unless the Committee has determined to defer payment with respect to such unit or a participant has elected to defer payment under subsection (c) below, Class A Common Stock shall be distributed to the participant in respect of the Stock Units unless, for Stock Units that vested before January 1, 2005, the Committee, with the consent of the participant, provides for the payment of the Stock Unit in cash or partly in cash and partly in shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the value of the shares of Class A Common Stock which would otherwise be distributed to the participant.

(c) The Committee may permit a participant to elect not to receive Class A Common Stock upon the vesting of such Stock Unit and for the Company to continue to maintain the Stock Unit on its books of account. In such event, the value of a Stock Unit shall be payable in shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the agreement of deferral.  For Stock Units that vest on or after January 1, 2005, any such election must comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations thereunder.

11.   Performance-Based Awards. Certain Benefits granted under the Plan may be granted in a manner such that the Benefits qualify for the performance-based compensation exception to Section 162(m) of the Code (“Performance-Based Awards”). As determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, either the granting or vesting of such Performance-Based Awards shall be based on achievement of hurdle rates and/or growth rates in one or more business criteria that apply to the individual participant, one or more business units or the Company as a whole. The business criteria shall be as follows, individually or in combination: (i) net earnings; (ii) earnings per share; (iii) net sales; (iv) market share; (v) net operating profit; (vi) expense targets; (vii) working capital targets relating to inventory and/or accounts receivable; (viii) operating margin; (ix) return on equity; (x) return on assets; (xi) planning accuracy (as measured by comparing planned results to actual results); (xii) market price per share; (xiii) gross margin; and (xiv) total return to stockholders.  In addition, Performance-Based Awards may include comparisons to the performance of other companies, such performance to be measured by one or more of the foregoing business criteria. Furthermore, the measurement of performance against goals may exclude or adjust for the impact of certain events or occurrences that were not budgeted or planned for in setting the goals, including, among other things, restructurings, discontinued operations, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, extraordinary items and other unusual or non-recurring items, and the cumulative effects of accounting changes.  With respect to Performance-Based Awards, (i) the Committee shall establish in writing (x) the performance goals applicable to a given period specifying in terms of an objective formula or standard the method for computing the amount of compensation payable to the participant if such performance goals are achieved and (y) the individual employees or class of employees to which such performance goals apply no later than 90 days after the commencement of such period (but in no event after one-quarter of such period has elapsed) and (ii) no Performance-Based Awards shall be payable to or vest with respect to any participant for a given period until the Committee certifies in writing that the objective performance goals (and any other material terms) applicable to such period have been satisfied. With respect to any Benefits intended to qualify as Performance-Based Awards, after

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establishment of a performance goal, the Committee shall not revise such performance goal or increase the amount of compensation payable thereunder (as determined in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Code) upon the attainment of such performance goal.  Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, and unless restricted by the applicable Benefit Agreement, the Committee may reduce or eliminate the number of shares of Class A Common Stock or cash granted or the number of shares of Class A Common Stock vested upon the attainment of such performance goal.

12.   Foreign Laws. The Committee may grant Benefits to individual participants who are subject to the tax laws of nations other than the United States, which Benefits may have terms and conditions which the Committee determines to be necessary to comply with applicable foreign laws. The Committee may take any action which it deems advisable to obtain approval of such Benefits by the appropriate foreign governmental entity; provided , however , that no Benefits may be granted pursuant to this Section 12 and no action may be taken which would result in a violation of the Exchange Act, the Code or any other applicable law.

13.          Adjustment Provisions; Change in Control.

(a) If there is any change in the Class A Common Stock of the Company, through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split up, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares, dividend in kind or other like change in capital structure or distribution (other than normal cash dividends) to stockholders of the Company, the Committee will adjust, in a fair and equitable manner, the Plan and each outstanding Benefit under the Plan to prevent dilution or enlargement of participants’ rights under the Plan.  The Committee will make this adjustment each time one of the changes identified above occurs by either (i) adjusting the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or kind of shares of common stock of the Company or other securities that may be issued under the Plan, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or kind of shares of common stock of the Company or other securities that are subject to outstanding Benefits, and/or where applicable, the exercise price or purchase price applicable to outstanding Benefits, (ii) granting a right to receive one or more payments of securities, cash and/or property (which right may be evidenced as an additional Benefit under this Plan) in respect of any outstanding Benefit, or (iii) providing for the settlement of any outstanding Benefit (other than a Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right) in such securities, cash and/or property as would have been received had the Benefit been settled in full immediately prior to the change.  However, any adjustment or change or other action under this Section 13 shall comply with or otherwise ensure exemption from Section 409A of the Code, as applicable. Appropriate adjustments also may be made by the Committee to the terms of any Benefits under the Plan to reflect such changes or distributions (and any extraordinary dividend or distribution of cash or other assets) and to modify any other terms of outstanding Benefits on an equitable basis, including modifications of performance targets and changes in the length of performance periods (except that Benefits intended to constitute Performance-Based Awards shall only be adjusted to the extent permitted under Section 11 hereof, and all Benefits will only be adjusted to ensure compliance with, or exemption from, Section 409A of the Code).  In addition, other than with respect to Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, and other awards intended to constitute Performance-Based Awards, the Committee is authorized to make adjustments to the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Benefits in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company or the financial statements of the Company, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, in the event of a Change in Control (as defined below), the Committee, in its discretion, may take such actions as it deems appropriate with respect to outstanding Benefits, including, without limitation, accelerating the exercisability or vesting of such Benefits, or such other actions provided in an agreement approved by the Board in connection with a Change in Control and such Benefits shall be subject to the terms of such agreement as the Committee, in its discretion, shall determine, provided that all such actions ensure Benefits are compliant with, or otherwise exempt from, Section 409A of the Code.  The Committee, in its discretion, may determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each Stock Option and Stock Appreciation Right outstanding hereunder shall terminate within a specified number of days after notice to the holder, and such holder shall receive, with respect to each share of Common Stock subject to such Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right, an amount equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of such shares of Common Stock immediately prior to the occurrence of such Change in Control over the exercise price per share of such Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right; such amount to be payable in cash, in one or more kinds of property (including the property, if any, payable in the transaction) or in a combination thereof, as the Committee, in its discretion, shall

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determine. For purposes of this Section 13(b), a “Change in Control” of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred upon any of the following events:

(i) On or after the date there are no shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company outstanding, any person as such term is used in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act or person(s) acting together which would constitute a “group” for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any subsidiary, any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any member of the Lauder family or any family-controlled entities) acquires (or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person(s)) and “beneficially owns” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, at least 30% of the total voting power of all classes of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of the Board; or

(ii) During any period of twelve consecutive months, either (A) the individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Company’s Board of Directors or any individuals who would be “Continuing Directors” (as defined below) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority thereof (B) at any meeting of the shareholders of the Company called for the purpose of electing directors, a majority of the persons nominated by the Board for election as directors fail to be elected; or

(iii) Consummation of a sale or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or

(iv) Consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company (A) in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation (other than a consolidation or merger with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company in which all shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately before the effectiveness of that consolidation or merger are changed into or exchanged for common stock of the subsidiary) or (B) in which all shares of the Company’s common stock are converted into cash, securities or other property, except in either case, a consolidation or merger of the Company in which the holders of the shares of Common Stock immediately prior to the consolidation or merger have, directly or indirectly, at least a majority of the shares of Common Stock of the continuing or surviving corporation immediately after such consolidation or merger or in which the Board immediately prior to the merger or consolidation would, immediately after the merger or consolidation, constitute a majority of the board of directors of the continuing or surviving corporation.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the following shall constitute a Change in Control:  (A) changes in the relative beneficial ownership among members of the Lauder family and family-controlled entities, without other changes that would constitute a Change in Control; or (B) any spin-off of a division or subsidiary of the Company to its stockholders.

For purposes of this Section 13(b), “Continuing Directors” shall mean (x) the directors of the Company in office on the Effective Date (as defined below) and (y) any successor to any such director and any additional director who after the Effective Date whose appointment or election is endorsed by a majority of the Continuing Directors at the time of his or her nomination or election.

14.   Nontransferability. Each Benefit granted under the Plan to a participant shall not be transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and shall be exercisable, during the participant’s lifetime, only by the participant. In the event of the death of a participant, each Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right theretofore granted to him or her shall be exercisable during such period after his or her death as the Committee shall in its discretion set forth in such option or right at the date of grant and then only by the executor or administrator of the estate of the deceased participant or the person or persons to whom the deceased participant’s rights under the Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall pass by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the discretion of the Committee, an award of a Benefit other than an Incentive Stock Option may permit the transferability of a Benefit by a participant solely to the participant’s spouse, siblings, parents, children and grandchildren or trusts for the benefit of such persons or partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other entities owned solely by such persons, including trusts for such persons, subject to any restriction included in the award of the Benefit.

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15.   Other Provisions . The award of any Benefit under the Plan also may be subject to such other provisions (whether or not applicable to a Benefit awarded to any other participant) as the Committee determines appropriate, including, without limitation, for the installment purchase of Class A Common Stock under Stock Options, for the installment exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights, for the forfeiture of, or restrictions on resale or other disposition of, Class A Common Stock acquired under any form of Benefit, for the acceleration of exercisability or vesting of Benefits that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code in the event of a change of control (whether or not a Change in Control) of the Company, for the payment of the value of Benefits that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code to participants in the event of a change of control (whether or not a Change in Control) of the Company, or to comply with federal and state securities laws, or understandings or conditions as to the participant’s employment in addition to those specifically provided for under the Plan. The award of any Benefit under the Plan shall be subject to the receipt of the Company of consideration required under applicable state law.

16.   Fair Market Value . For purposes of this Plan and any Benefits awarded hereunder, Fair Market Value shall be the closing price of the Class A Common Stock on the date of calculation (or on the last preceding trading date if Class A Common Stock was not traded on such date) if the Class A Common Stock is readily tradeable on a national securities exchange or other market system.  If the Class A Common Stock is not readily tradeable, Fair Market Value shall mean the amount determined in good faith by the Committee as the fair market value of the Class A Common Stock; provided that, for Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights that vested on and after January 1, 2005, Fair Market Value will be determined in accordance with the requirements of Section 409A and the regulations thereunder.

17.   Withholding . All payments or distributions of Benefits made pursuant to the Plan shall be net of any amounts required to be withheld pursuant to applicable federal, state and local tax-withholding requirements at the minimum statutory withholding rates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company proposes or is required to distribute Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Plan, it may require the recipient to remit to it or to the corporation that employs such recipient an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax-withholding requirements prior to the delivery of any certificates for such Class A Common Stock. In lieu thereof, the Company or the employing corporation shall have the right to withhold the amount of such taxes from any other sums due or to become due from such corporation to the recipient as the Committee shall prescribe. The Committee may, in its discretion and subject to such rules as it may adopt (including any as may be required to satisfy applicable tax and/or non-tax regulatory requirements), permit an optionee or award or right holder to pay all or a portion of the federal, state and local withholding taxes arising in connection with any Benefit consisting of shares of Class A Common Stock by electing to have the Company withhold shares of Class A Common Stock having a fair market value, determined based on the average of the high and low trading prices of Class A Common Stock on the date of vesting (or if the date of vesting does not fall on a trading day, such average price on the next trading day after the date of vesting), equal to the amount of tax to be withheld at the minimum statutory withholding rates.

18.   Tenure . A participant’s right, if any, to continued employment with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates as an officer, employee, or otherwise, shall not be enlarged or otherwise affected by his or her designation as a participant under the Plan.

19.   Unfunded Plan . Participants shall have no right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company may make to aid it in meeting its obligations under the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any participant, beneficiary, legal representative or any other person. To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company. All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts except as expressly set forth in the Plan.

20.   No Fractional Shares . No fractional shares of Class A Common Stock shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Benefit.  On or before the date of grant of any Benefit under the Plan that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Committee shall determine whether cash, or Benefits, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated with respect to that Benefit.

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21.   Duration, Amendment and Termination . No Benefit shall be granted more than ten years after the Effective Date. The Committee may amend the Plan from time to time or suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. No amendment of the Plan may be made without approval of the stockholders of the Company if the amendment will: (a) disqualify any Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan; (b) increase the aggregate number of shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered through Stock Options under the Plan; (c) increase the maximum amount which can be paid to an individual participant under the Plan as set forth in the third sentence of Section 5(c) hereof; (d) change the types of business criteria on which Performance-Based Awards are to be based under the Plan; (e) modify the requirements as to eligibility for participation in the Plan or (f) allow for the repricing of Stock Options or Stock Appreciation Rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Committee may amend the terms of any outstanding Benefit or any provision of the Plan as the Committee deems necessary to ensure compliance with Section 409A of the Code.

22.   Governing Law . This Plan, Benefits granted hereunder and actions taken in connection herewith shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York (regardless of the law that might otherwise govern under applicable New York principles of conflict of laws).

23.   Effective Date . The Plan shall be effective on the date it is approved by the stockholders of the Company at an annual meeting or any special meeting of stockholders of the Company (the “Effective Date”).

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Exhibit 10.3

DOMESTIC

Stock Option Agreement

Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)

This STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) provides for the granting of options by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), to the participant, an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries (the “Employee” or the “Participant”), to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 (the “Shares”), subject to the terms below (the “Stock Options” or “Options”).  The name of the “Participant,” the “Grant Date,” the aggregate number of Shares that may be purchased pursuant to this Agreement, and the “Exercise Price” per Shares are stated in the attached “Notice of Grant,” and are incorporated by reference.  The other terms of the Options are stated in this Agreement and in the Plan.  Terms not defined in this Agreement are defined in the Plan, as amended.

The Stock Options described in this Agreement are granted pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan, as may be amended from time to time (the “Plan”), and are subject in all respects to the provisions of the Plan.  The Stock Options granted under this Agreement are not Incentive Stock Options (as defined in Section 422(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)).

1.     Payment of Exercise Price.  The Company will provide and communicate to the Employee various methods of exercise.  In all cases, upon exercise, the Employee must deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company (or its agent designated for the purpose) upon settlement of the exercise sufficient cash or sufficient number of Shares with value equal to or exceeding the Exercise Price per Share.  The Employee also is required to deliver or cause to be delivered sufficient cash to cover the applicable tax withholding in accordance with Section 5 of this Agreement and fees in connection with the exercise.  To facilitate exercise, the Company may enter into agreements for coordinated procedures with one or more brokerage firms or financial institutions.

2.     Exercise Period.

a.     General .  Subject to other provisions contained in this Agreement and in the Plan, Stock Options granted under this Agreement will be exercisable in installments as specified under “Exercise Period” in the attached “Notice of Grant”.

Stock Options awarded under this Agreement are exercisable until the close of business on the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date; after this date, the Stock Options expire.

b.     Death or Disability .  If the Employee dies or becomes totally and permanently disabled (as determined under the Company’s long term disability program), each Stock Option awarded but not yet exercisable as of the Employee’s date of death or disability determination will become immediately exercisable.  The period during which the Stock Option may be exercised will commence on the day after the Employee’s date of death or disability determination and end on the earlier of the close of business on the date of (i) the first anniversary of the Employee’s death or disability determination or (ii) the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.

c.     Retirement .  Subject to Section 3, if the Employee formally retires under the terms of the Estée Lauder Inc. Retirement Growth Account Plan (or an affiliate or a successor plan or program of similar purpose), each Stock Option awarded but not yet exercisable as of the date of retirement will become immediately exercisable. Each Stock Option awarded may thereafter be exercised until the close of business on the date of the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.




d.     Termination of Employment Without Cause .

(1) Subject to Section 3, if the Employee is terminated at the instance of the Employee (e.g., resigns voluntarily), each Stock Option exercisable but unexercised as of the effective date of such termination may be exercised until the close of business on the date first to occur of (i) ninety (90) days after the effective date of such termination and (ii) the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.  Each Stock Option awarded but unexercisable as of the date of such termination will be forfeited.

(2) Subject to Section 3, if the Employee is terminated at the instance of the Company or relevant subsidiary without Cause (as defined below), each Stock Option awarded but unexercisable as of the date of termination will become immediately exercisable.  Each Stock Option awarded may be exercised until the close of business on the date first to occur of (i) ninety (90) days after the effective date of such termination and (ii) the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.  For this purpose, “Cause” is defined in the employment agreement in effect between the Employee and the Company or any subsidiary, including an employment agreement entered into after the Grant Date.  In the absence of an employment agreement, “Cause” means any breach by the Employee of any of his or her material obligations under any Company policy or procedure, including, without limitation, the Code of Corporate Conduct and the Policy on Avoidance of Insider Trading.

3.     Post-Employment Exercises.   No Stock Option represented by this Agreement may be exercised after termination of the Employee’s employment with the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) unless as provided for in Section 2b, 2c or 2d hereof.  The exercise of any Stock Option after termination of the Employee’s employment by reason of retirement in accordance with Section 2c, or due to termination by the Employee or termination by the Company or relevant subsidiary without Cause in accordance with Section 2d, is subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the Employee neither (i) competes with, takes other employment with, or renders services to a competitor of the Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates without the Company’s written consent, nor (ii) conducts herself or himself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.  All Stock Options that cannot be exercised after termination of the Employee’s employment will be forfeited.

4.     Adjustment Provisions; Change in Control.

a.     If there shall be any change in the Class A Common Stock of the Company, through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split up, spin-off, combination of Shares, exchange of Shares, dividend in kind or other like change in capital structure or distribution (other than normal cash dividends) to stockholders of the Company, the Company shall adjust, in a fair and equitable manner, the Plan and each outstanding Stock Option to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participant’s rights under the Plan.  The Company will make this adjustment each time one of the changes identified above occurs by either adjusting the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or kind of shares of common stock of the Company or other securities that may be issued with respect to any Stock Option under the Plan, adjusting the number of Class A Common Stock and/or kind of shares of common stock of the Company or other securities that are subject to outstanding Stock Options, and/or where applicable, adjusting the exercise price or purchase price applicable to outstanding Stock Options.  Appropriate adjustments may also be made by the Company to the terms of any Stock Options to reflect such changes or distributions (and any extraordinary dividend or distribution of cash or other assets) and to modify any other terms of outstanding Stock Options on an equitable basis.  In addition, the Company is authorized to make adjustments to the terms and conditions of Stock Options, in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company or the financial statements of the Company, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles.  However, no adjustment or change can be made to the terms of a Stock Option that will cause that Stock Option to fail to be exempt from Code Section 409A.  For purposes of this Section 4, the Market Value of the Shares shall be equal to 100% of the closing price of the Class A Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange (or, if not traded thereon, then on any other national securities exchange or other market system on which the Class A Common Stock is then traded) as reported by the Wall Street Journal for the date on which such Market Value is being fixed, or, if there shall be no trading on such date, the date next preceding on which trading occurred.

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b.     Notwithstanding any other provision hereunder, in the event of a Change in Control (as defined below), the Committee, in its discretion, may take such actions as it deems appropriate with respect to outstanding Benefits, including, without limitation, accelerating the exercisability or vesting of such Benefits, or such other actions provided in an agreement approved by the Board in connection with a Change in Control and such Benefits shall be subject to the terms of such agreement as the Committee, in its discretion, shall determine.  The Committee, in its discretion, may determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control of the Company each Stock Option outstanding hereunder shall terminate within a specified number of days after notice to the holder, and such holder shall receive, with respect to each share of Common Stock subject to such Stock Option an amount equal to the excess of the Market Value of such shares of Common Stock immediately prior to the occurrence of such Change in Control over the exercise price per share of such Stock Option such amount to be payable in cash, in one or more kinds of property (including the property, if any, payable in the transaction) or in a combination thereof, as the Committee, in its discretion, shall determine.  For purposes of this Section 4b, a “Change in Control” of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred upon any of the following events:

(i)            On or after the date there are no shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company outstanding, any person as such term is used in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act or person(s) acting together which would constitute a “group” for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any subsidiary, any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any member of the Lauder family or any family-controlled entities (collectively, the “Lauder Family”)) shall acquire (or shall have acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person(s)) and shall “beneficially own” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, at least 30% of the total voting power of all classes of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of the Board; or

(ii)           During any period of twelve consecutive months, either (A) the individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board of Directors or any individuals who would be “Continuing Directors” (as hereinafter defined) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority thereof (B) at any meeting of the shareholders of the Company called for the purpose of electing directors, a majority of the persons nominated by the Board for election as directors shall fail to be elected; or

(iii)             Consummation of a sale or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or

(iv)          Consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company (A) in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation (other than a consolidation or merger with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company in which all shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness thereof are changed into or exchanged for common stock of the subsidiary) or (B) pursuant to which all shares of the Company’s common stock are converted into cash, securities or other property, except in either case, a consolidation or merger of the Company in which the holders of the shares of Common Stock immediately prior to the consolidation or merger have, directly or indirectly, at least a majority of the shares of Common Stock of the continuing or surviving corporation immediately after such consolidation or merger or in which the Board immediately prior to the merger or consolidation would, immediately after the merger or consolidation, constitute a majority of the board of directors of the continuing or surviving corporation.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the following shall constitute a Change in Control of the Company: (A) changes in the relative beneficial ownership among members of the Lauder Family, without other changes that would constitute a Change in Control; or (B) any spin-off of a division or subsidiary of the Company to its stockholders.

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For purposes of this Section 4(b), “Continuing Directors” shall mean (x) the directors of the Company in office on November 10, 2005 and (y) any successor to any such director and any additional director who after the Effective Date whose appointment or election is endorsed by a majority of the Continuing Directors at the time of his or her nomination or election.

5.     Withholding.   Regardless of any action the Company or the Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social security, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains his or her responsibility.  Furthermore, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Stock Options, including the grant of the Stock Options, the exercise of the Stock Options, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan and the receipt of any dividends; and (ii) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant of the Stock Options or any aspect of Participant’s participation in the Plan to reduce or eliminate his or her liability for Tax-Related Items.

Prior to the relevant taxable event, Participant shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Employer to satisfy all withholding obligations of the Company and/or the Employer.  In this regard, Participant authorizes the Company and/or the Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items legally payable by Participant from his or her wages or other cash compensation paid by the Company and/or the Employer or from proceeds of the sale of the Shares acquired under the Plan.  Alternatively, or in addition, the Company may (i) sell or arrange for the sale of Shares that Participant acquires under the Plan to meet the withholding obligation for the Tax-Related Items, and/or (ii) withhold in Shares, provided that the Company only withholds the amount of Shares necessary to satisfy the minimum withholding amount.  If the Company satisfies the Tax-Related Item withholding obligation by withholding a number of Shares as described herein, Participant will be deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares due to Participant at exercise, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares is held back solely for purposes of such Tax-Related Items.

Finally, Participant shall pay to the Company or the Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Employer may be required to withhold as a result of his or her participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described.  The Company may refuse to issue Shares under the Plan and refuse to deliver the Shares if Participant fails to comply with his or her obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this Section.

6.     Transferability. Stock Options granted under this Agreement may be transferred under laws of descent and distribution or, during Employee’s lifetime, solely to the Employee’s spouse, siblings, parents, children and grandchildren or trusts for the benefits of such persons, or partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies, or other entities owned solely by such persons, including trusts for such persons.  Any transfer of Stock Options will have no effect until written notice (providing sufficient details relating to the proposed transfer, as required by the Company at that time) is received and confirmed by the Company.  The Employee will remain liable for all obligations of Employee and his or her transferee or transferees.  Each transferee will also be subject the Employee’s obligations under this Agreement relating to the Stock Options transferred to him or her.

7.     Limitations.  The Employee’s right to continue to serve the Company or any of its subsidiaries as an officer, employee, or otherwise, is not enlarged or otherwise affected by an award under this Agreement.  Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan gives the Employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or to interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any subsidiary to terminate his or her employment at any time.  Stock Options are not secured by a trust, insurance contract or other funding medium, and the Employee does not have any interest in any fund or specific asset of the Company by reason of this award or the account established on his or her behalf.  A Stock Option award confers no rights as a shareholder of the Company until Shares are actually delivered to the Employee.

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8.     Specific Restrictions Upon Option Shares.  The Employee and the Company agree to each of the following:

a.     The Employee will acquire Shares hereunder for investment purposes only and not with a view to reselling or otherwise distributing  the Shares to the public in violation of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and will not dispose of any such Shares in transactions which, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, violate the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, or any applicable state or national securities or “blue sky” laws.

b.     If any Shares are registered under the 1933 Act, no public offering (other than on a national securities exchange, as defined in the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of any Shares acquired under this Agreement will be made by the Employee (or any other person) under circumstances where he or she (or such person) may be deemed an underwriter, as defined in the 1933 Act.

c.     The Employee agrees that the Company has the authority to endorse upon the certificate or certificates representing the Shares acquired under this Agreement any legends referring to the restrictions described under this Section 8 and any other application restrictions, as the Company may deem appropriate.

9.     Notices.   Any notice required or permitted under this Agreement is deemed to have been duly given if delivered, telecopied, mailed (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) or sent by internationally-recognized courier guaranteeing next day delivery (a) to the Employee at the address on file in the Company’s (or relevant subsidiary’s) personnel records, or (b) to the Company, attention Stock Plan Administration at its principal executive offices, which are currently located at 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153.

10.   Disclosure and Use of Information .

a.     By signing and returning the attached Notice of Grant, and as a condition of the grant of the Stock Options, the Employee hereby expressly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use, and transfer of personal data as described in this Section by and among, as necessary and applicable, the Employer, the Company and its subsidiaries and by any agent of the Company or its subsidiaries for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Employee’s participation in the Plan.

b.     The Employee understands that the Employer, the Company and/or its other  subsidiaries holds, by means of an automated data file or otherwise, certain personal information about the Employee, including, but not limited to, name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Stock Options or other entitlement to shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in the Employee’s favor, for purposes of managing and administering the Plan (“Data”).

c.     The Employee also understands that part or all of his or her Data may be held by the Company or its subsidiaries in connection with managing and administering previous award or incentive plans or for other purposes, pursuant to a prior transfer made with the Employee’s consent in respect of any previous grant of stock options or other awards.

d.     The Employee further understands that the Employer may transfer Data to the Company or its subsidiaries as necessary to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan.  The Company and its subsidiaries may transfer data among themselves, and each, in turn, may further transfer Data to any third parties assisting the Company in the implementation, administration, and management of the Plan (“Data Recipients”).

e.     The Employee understands that the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients are or may be located in his or her country of residence or elsewhere. The Employee authorizes the Employer, the Company, its subsidiaries, and Data Recipients to receive, possess, use, retain, and transfer Data in electronic or other form, to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in

5




the Plan, including any transfer of Data that the Administrator deems appropriate for the administration of the Plan and any transfer of Shares on his or her behalf to a broker or third party with whom the Shares may be deposited.

f.      The Employee understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative.

g.     The Employee understands that Data will be held as long as is reasonably necessary to implement, administer and manage his or her participation in the Plan and he or she may oppose the processing and transfer of his or her Data and may, at any time, review the Data, request that any necessary amendments be made to it, or withdraw his or her consent by notifying the Company in writing. The Employee further understands that withdrawing consent may affect his or her ability to participate in the Plan.

11.   Disc retionary Nature and Acceptance of Award .  By accepting this Award, the Employee agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and acknowledges that:

a.     The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and it may be modified, amended, suspended, or terminated by the Company at any time, unless otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement.

b.     The award of the Stock Options is voluntary and occasional, and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Stock Options, or benefits in lieu of Stock Options, even if Stock Options have been granted repeatedly in the past;

c.     All decisions with respect to future Stock Option grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

d.     Employee’s participation in the Plan is voluntary;

e.     Employee’s participation in the Plan shall not create a right to further employment with the Employer and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company or the Employer to terminate Employee’s employment at any time;

f.      The Stock Option is an extraordinary item that does not constitute compensation of any kind for services of any kind rendered to the Company or any subsidiary, and which is outside the scope of Participant’s employment or service contract, if any;

g.     The Stock Option is not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or any subsidiary;

h.     In the event the Participant is not an Employee of the Company, the Stock Option and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract or relationship with the Company; and furthermore, the Stock Option and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract with any subsidiary of the Company;

i.      The future value of the Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty;

j.      If the Shares decrease in value, the Stock Option will have no value;

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k.     If Participant exercises the Stock Option and obtains Shares, the value of the Shares obtained upon exercise may increase or decrease in value, even below the Exercise Price;

l.      In consideration of the award of the Stock Option, no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from termination of the Stock Option or diminution in value of the Stock Option, or Shares purchased through exercise of the Stock Option, resulting from termination of Participant’s employment by the Company or any subsidiary (for any reason whatsoever and whether or not in breach of local labor laws) and in consideration of the grant of the Stock Option, Participant irrevocably releases the Company and any subsidiary from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen, then, by signing the Notice of Grant, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have waived his or her right to pursue or seek remedy for any such claim or entitlement;

m.    In the event of termination of Participant’s employment (whether or not in breach of local labor laws), Participant’s right to receive Stock Options under the Plan and to vest in such Stock Options, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that Participant is no longer actively employed and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local law ( e.g., active employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to local law); furthermore, in the event of termination of  Participant’s employment (whether or not in breach of local labor laws), Participant’s right to exercise the Stock Options after termination of employment, if any, will be measured by the date of termination of active employment and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local law; the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively employed for purposes of this Agreement;

n.     The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares; and

o.     Participant is hereby advised to consult with Participant’s own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

12.   Failure to Enforce Not a Waiver.   The Company’s failure to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of any other provision of this Agreement.

13.   Governing Law.   This Agreement is governed by and is to be construed according to the laws of the State of New York that apply to agreements made and performed in that state, without regard to its choice of law provisions.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Stock Option or this Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of New York, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of New York County, New York, or the federal courts for the United States for the Southern District of New York, and no other courts, where this Stock Option is made and/or to be performed.

14.   Partial Invalidity.   The invalidity or illegality of any provision of this Agreement will be deemed not to affect the validity of any other provision.

15.   Section 409A.   The Stock Options are intended to be exempt from Code Section 409A.  The Company reserves the unilateral right to amend this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant to prevent taxation under Code Section 409A.

16.   Electronic Delivery.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Stock Options awarded under the Plan or future Stock Options that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Employee’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Employee hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to

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participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Amy DiGeso

 

Executive Vice President,

 

Global Human Resources

 

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Options Domestic

Notice of Grant
Under
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (The “Plan”)

This is to confirm that, upon the recommendation of your management, you were awarded options to purchase shares of Class A Common Stock of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Shares”) at the most recent meeting of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.  This award was made in recognition of the significant contributions you have made as a key employee of the Company, and to motivate you to achieve future successes by aligning your interests more closely with those of our stockholders.  These options are granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Stock Option Agreement (the “Agreement”) made part hereof.  The Agreement and Summary Plan Description are being sent to you in a separate email.   Please read these documents and keep them for future reference.  The specific terms of your award are as follows:

Participant:     (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME)

SSN or Tax ID    (*)

Employee Identification Number:   (*)

Grant Date:    (*)

Type of Award:   Non-Qualified Stock Options

Exercise Price per Share:     (*)  (Closing trading price on NYSE of the Class A Common Stock on the date of grant)

Aggregate number of Shares subject to your options:    (*)

Exercise Period: Your options shall become exercisable on the following dates (or upon death, disability, retirement, or involuntary termination of employment if these occurrences are earlier), but are subject to termination or forfeiture as per Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Agreement:

Number of Shares

 

Date Exercisable

 

Expiration Date

(*)

 

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

Questions regarding the stock option program can be directed to  (*)

If you wish to accept this grant, please sign this Notice of Grant and return immediately to:

Compensation Department
767 Fifth Avenue, 43rd Floor
New York, New York 10153
Attention:  (*)

The undersigned hereby accepts, and agrees to, all terms and provisions of the Agreement, including those contained in this Notice of Grant.

By

 

 

Date

 

 

 

Enclosures:
Stock Option Q&A



Exhibit 10.4

Each of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. reserves the right to change provisions of this Agreement to comply with the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.

Performance Share Unit Award Agreement

Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)

This PERFORMANCE SHARE UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) provides for the granting of performance share unit awards by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), to the participant, an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries (the “Participant”), representing a notional account equal to a corresponding number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 (the “Shares”), subject to the terms below (the “Performance Share Units”).  The name of the “Participant,” the “Grant Date,” the aggregate number of Shares representing the Target Award, and the Plan Achievement (as defined below) goals are stated in the attached “Notice of Grant,” and are incorporated by reference.  The other terms of this Performance Share Unit Award are stated in this Agreement and in the Plan. Terms not defined in this Agreement are defined in the Plan, as amended.

1.     Award Grant . The Company hereby awards to the Participant a target award of Performance Share Units in respect of the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Target Award”), representing a Stock Unit and Performance-Based Award under the terms of the Plan.

2.     Right to Payment of Performance Share Units . It is understood that the percentage of the Target Award earned and paid will be established by the Committee based on the plan achievement (the “Plan Achievement”) during the period specified in the Notice of Grant (the “Award Period”).  The Plan Achievement comprises, and is measured separately with respect to, the following two components:

(a)                             Net Sales Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (which shall represent 50% of the Target Award); and

(b)                            Earnings Per Share Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (which shall represent 50% of the Target Award).

For purposes of this Performance Share Unit Award Agreement, “Net Sales” has the meaning utilized by the Company in its consolidated financials in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as in effect on the first day of the Award Period,




excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and “Earnings Per Share” means “diluted earnings per share” as utilized by the Company in its consolidated financials. Actual payment of the Performance Share Units awarded will be determined for each component in accordance with the table attached hereto as Schedule “A.”

3.     Payment of Awards . Payments under this Agreement will be made in the number of Shares that is equivalent to the number of Performance Share Units earned and payable to the Participant pursuant to paragraph 2 above. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph 4 below, payments will be made as soon as practicable after the Award Period ends, but in no event later than 2 and 1/2 months following the last day of the calendar year in which the Award Period ends. The form of payout will be in Shares.  In addition, each Performance Share Unit that becomes earned and payable pursuant to paragraph 2 above carries a Dividend Equivalent Right, payable in cash at the same time as the payment of Shares in accordance with this paragraph 3 and paragraph 4.

Upon a Change in Control, each Performance Share Unit will become payable to the Participant with the total number of Shares to be paid equal to the Target Award.  Payments upon a Change in Control will be made within two weeks following the Change in Control.  If the Shares cease to be outstanding immediately after the Change in Control (e.g., due to a merger with and into another entity), then the consideration to be received per Share will equal the consideration paid to each stockholder per Share generally upon the Change in Control.

4.     Termination of Employment . If the Participant’s employment terminates during the Award Period, payouts will be as follows:

(a)                       Death.  If the Participant dies, the Performance Share Units will be paid as a pro rata Target Award for the number of full months employed during the Award Period (i.e., the proration of the Target Award equals a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full calendar months of service completed during the Award Period through the Participant’s death and the denominator of which is the number of full calendar months in the Award Period).  Payment will occur as soon as practicable following the Participant’s death and in accordance with any applicable laws or Company procedures regarding the payments.

(b)                      Retirement.  If the Participant formally retires under the terms of The Estée Lauder Companies Retirement Growth Account Plan (or an affiliate or a successor plan or program of similar purpose), the Performance Share Unit Award will continue through the Award Period and the Participant will be paid based on actual Plan Achievement, at the same time the awards are paid to active employees.

(c)                       Disability.  If the Participant becomes totally and permanently disabled (as determined under the Company’s long-term disability program), the Performance Share Unit Award will continue through the Award Period and

2




the Participant will be paid a pro rata amount for the number of full months employed during the Award Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)) based on actual Plan Achievement.  Payment will occur at the same time the awards are paid to active employees.

(d)                      Termination of Employment Without Cause.  If the Participant’s employment is terminated at the instance of the Company or relevant subsidiary without Cause (as defined below) on or prior to the end of the first year of the Award Period, the Performance Share Unit Award will be forfeited.  If such termination occurs after the end of the first year of the Award Period, the Performance Share Unit Award will continue through the Award Period and the Participant will be paid a pro rata amount for the number of full months employed during the Award Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)) based on actual Plan Achievement.  Payment will occur at the same time the awards are paid to active employees.

(e)                       Termination of Employment By Employee.  If the Participant terminates his or her employment ( e.g. , by voluntary resigning) other than by retirement, which is subject to paragraph 4(b) above, the Performance Share Unit Award will be forfeited.

(f)                      Termination of Employment With Cause.  If the Participant is terminated for Cause, the Performance Share Unit Award will be forfeited.  For this purpose, “Cause” is defined in the employment agreement in effect between the Participant and the Company or any subsidiary, including any employment agreement entered into after the Grant Date.  In the absence of an employment agreement, “Cause” means any breach by the Participant of any of his or her material obligations under any Company policy or procedure, including, without limitation, the Code of Conduct.

(g)                      Post Employment Conduct.  Payout of any Performance Share Unit Award after termination of employment is subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the Participant neither (i) competes with, takes employment with, or renders services to a competitor of the Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates without the Company’s written consent, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

If the Participant’s employment terminates after the expiration of the Award Period but prior to payout, payout will be subject to the above.

5.     No Rights of Stock Ownership . This grant of Performance Share Units does not entitle the Participant to any interest in or to any voting or other rights normally attributable to Share ownership other than the Dividend Equivalent Rights granted under paragraph 3 above.

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6.     Withholding . Regardless of any action the Company or the Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social security, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains his or her responsibility.  Furthermore, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Performance Share Units, including the grant of the Performance Share Units, the vesting of the Performance Share Units, the delivery of Shares, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan and the receipt of any dividends; and (ii) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant of the Performance Share Units or any aspect of Participant’s participation in the Plan to reduce or eliminate his or her liability for Tax-Related Items.

Prior to the relevant taxable event, Participant shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Employer to satisfy all withholding obligations of the Company and/or the Employer.  In this regard, Participant authorizes the Company and/or the Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items legally payable by Participant from his or her wages or other cash compensation paid by the Company and/or the Employer or from proceeds of the sale of the Shares acquired under the Plan.  Alternatively, or in addition, the Company may (i) sell or arrange for the sale of Shares that Participant acquires under the Plan to meet the withholding obligation for the Tax-Related Items, and/or (ii) withhold in Shares, provided that the Company only withholds the amount of Shares necessary to satisfy the minimum withholding amount.  If the Company satisfies the Tax-Related Item withholding obligation by withholding a number of Shares as described herein, Participant will be deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares due to Participant at vesting, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares is held back solely for purposes of such Tax-Related Items.

Finally, Participant shall pay to the Company or the Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Employer may be required to withhold as a result of his or her participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described.  The Company may refuse to issue Shares under the Plan and refuse to deliver the Shares if Participant fails to comply with his or her obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this paragraph.

7.     Nonassignability . This award may not be assigned, pledged, or transferred except, if the Participant dies, to a designated beneficiary or by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The foregoing restrictions do not apply to transfers under a court order, including, but not limited to, any domestic relations order.

8.     Effect Upon Employment . The Participant’s right to continue to serve the Company or any of its subsidiaries as an officer, employee, or otherwise, is not enlarged or otherwise affected by an award under this Agreement.   Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan gives the Participant any right to continue in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or to interfere in any way with any right the Company or any subsidiary

4




may have to terminate his or her employment at any time.  Payment of Shares is not secured by a trust, insurance contract or other funding medium, and the Participant does not have any interest in any fund or specific asset of the Company by reason of this Award or the account established on his or her behalf.  A Performance Share Unit confers no rights as a shareholder of the Company until Shares are actually delivered to the Participant.

9.     Notices.   Any notice required or permitted under this Performance Share Unit Award Agreement is deemed to have been duly given if delivered, telecopied, mailed (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested), or sent by internationally-recognized courier guaranteeing next day delivery (a) to the Participant at the address on file in the Company’s (or relevant subsidiary’s) personnel records or (b) to the Company, attention Stock Plan Administration at its principal executive offices, which are currently located at 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153.

10.  Disclosure and Use of Information.

a.     By signing and returning the attached Notice of Grant, and as a condition of the grant of the Performance Share Units, the Participant hereby expressly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use, and transfer of personal data as described in this paragraph by and among, as necessary and applicable, the Employer, the Company and its subsidiaries and by any agent of the Company or its subsidiaries for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

b.     The Participant understands that the Employer, the Company and/or its other  subsidiaries holds, by means of an automated data file or otherwise, certain personal information about the Participant, including, but not limited to, name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Performance Share Units or other entitlement to shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in the Participant’s favor, for purposes of managing and administering the Plan (“Data”).

c.     The Participant also understands that part or all of his or her Data may be held by the Company or its subsidiaries in connection with managing and administering previous award or incentive plans or for other purposes, pursuant to a prior  transfer made with the Participant’s consent in respect of any previous grant of performance share units or other awards.

d.     The Participant further understands that the Employer may transfer Data to the Company or its subsidiaries as necessary to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan.  The Company and its subsidiaries may transfer data among themselves, and each, in turn, may further transfer Data to any third parties assisting the Company in the implementation, administration, and management of the Plan (“Data Recipients”).

5




e.     The Participant understands that the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients are or may be located in his or her country of residence or elsewhere. The Participant authorizes the Employer, the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients to receive, possess, use, retain, and transfer Data in electronic or other form to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan, including any transfer of Data that the Administrator deems appropriate for the administration of the Plan and any transfer of Shares on his or her behalf to a broker or third party with whom the Shares may be deposited.

f.      The Participant understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative.

g.     The Participant understands that Data will be held as long as is reasonably necessary to implement, administer and manage his or her participation in the Plan and he or she may oppose the processing and transfer of his or her Data and may, at any time, review the Data, request that any necessary amendments be made to it, or withdraw his or her consent by notifying the Company in writing. The Participant further understands that withdrawing consent may affect his or her ability to participate in the Plan.

11.  Disc retionary Nature and Acceptance of Award .  By accepting this Award, the

Participant agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and acknowledges that:

a.     The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, unless otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement;

b.     The award of Performance Share Units is voluntary and occasional, and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future awards of Performance Share Units, or benefits in lieu of Performance Share Units, even if Performance Share Units have been awarded repeatedly in the past.

c.     All decisions with respect to future awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

d.     Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary;

e.     Participant’s participation in the Plan shall not create a right to further employment with the Employer and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company or the Employer to terminate Participant’s employment at any time;

f.      Performance Share Units are an extraordinary item that does not constitute compensation of any kind for services of any kind rendered to the Company or any subsidiary, and which is outside the scope of Participant’s employment or service contract, if any;

6




g.     The Performance Share Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or any subsidiary;

h.     In the event the Participant is not an employee of the Company, the Performance Share Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract or relationship with the Company; and furthermore, the Performance Share Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract with any subsidiary of the Company;

i.      The future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty;

j.      In consideration of the award of the Performance Share Units, no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from termination of the Performance Share Units or diminution in value of the Performance Share Units, or Shares acquired upon vesting of the Performance Share Units, resulting from termination of Participant’s employment by the Company or any subsidiary (for any reason whatsoever and whether or not in breach of local labor laws) and in consideration of the award of the Performance Share Units, Participant irrevocably releases the Company and any subsidiary from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen, then, by signing the Notice of Grant, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have waived his or her right to pursue or seek remedy for any such claim or entitlement;

k.     In the event of termination of Participant’s employment (whether or not in breach of local labor laws), Participant’s right to receive Performance Share Units under the Plan and to vest in such Performance Share Units, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that Participant is no longer actively employed and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local law ( e.g., active employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to local law); the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively employed for purposes of this Agreement;

l.      The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares; and

m.    Participant is hereby advised to consult with Participant’s own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

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12.  Failure to Enforce Not a Waiver.   The Company’s failure to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of any other provision of this Agreement.

13.  Governing Law.   The Performance Share Unit Award Agreement is governed by and is to be construed according to the laws of the State of New York that apply to agreements made and performed in that state, without regard to its choice of law provisions.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under the Performance Share Units or this Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of New York, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of New York County, New York, or the federal courts for the United States for the Southern District of New York, and no other courts, where the Performance Share Units are made and/or to be performed.

14.  Partial Invalidity.   The invalidity or illegality of any provision of the Agreement will be deemed not to affect the validity of any other provision.

15.  Section 409A Compliance.   This Agreement is intended to comply with section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and any regulations, rulings, or guidance provided thereunder.  The Company reserves the unilateral right to amend this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant to prevent taxation under Code section 409A.

16.  Electronic Delivery.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Performance Share Units awarded under the Plan or future Performance Share Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Amy DiGeso

 

Executive Vice President,

 

Global Human Resources

8




Schedule “A”

For Net Sales Cumulative Annual Growth Rate:

 

 

Component Plan Achievement

 

Component Payout (Percentage of Target Award)

 

 

 

 

 

High

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

 

 

 

 

Low

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

For Net Earnings Per Share Cumulative Annual Growth Rate:

 

 

Component Plan Achievement

 

Component Payout (Percentage of Target Award)

 

 

 

 

 

High

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

 

 

 

 

Low

 

(*)

 

(*)

 

Payout amount for levels of Plan Achievement between the high and low achievement shall be interpolated on a straight line basis (rounded up to the nearest integer).  In no event shall the Participant receive a payout in excess of 150% of the Target Award for any component.  No payout shall be made in the event of component Plan Achievement less than low achievement.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated above, the Committee may reduce the payment based on other factors at the discretion of the Committee unless a Change of Control has occurred.

In measuring Plan Achievement, financial performance measures (e.g., “Earnings Per Share” and “Net Sales”) will be calculated without regard to the following:

·                   Changes in accounting principles (i.e., cumulative effect of GAAP changes)

·                   Extraordinary items as defined in accordance with US GAAP or which are the result of a change in the law or the Company’s response thereto

·                   Income/loss from discontinued operations and income/loss on sale of discontinued operations

9




·                   Non-recurring operating income/expenses (separately stated and disclosed in the financial statements — e.g., restructuring charges, legal settlement charges, goodwill write-off)

·                   Impairment of intangibles

In calculating net sales during the Award Period, net sales in currencies other than U.S. dollars shall be translated into U.S. dollars at the Company’s budget exchange rate at the beginning of the Award Period.

Earnings Per Share will be calculated based on the weighted average number of Shares outstanding as of the measurement date and will be adjusted to eliminate the effect of material changes in the number or type of outstanding Shares due to events such as:

·                   Stock splits

·                   Stock dividends

·                   Recapitalizations

·                   Acquisitions involving stock of the Company

No adjustment will be made for the impact of stock repurchases under any plans approved by the Board.

10




Notice of Grant

Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (The “Plan”)

This is to confirm that you were awarded a grant of Performance Share Units at the most recent meeting of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors representing the right to receive shares of Class A Common Stock of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Shares”), subject to the terms of the Plan and the Performance Share Unit Award Agreement.  This award was made in recognition of the significant contributions you have made as a key employee of the Company, and to motivate you to achieve future successes by aligning your interests more closely with those of our stockholders.  This Performance Share Unit Award is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Performance Share Unit Award Agreement (the “Agreement”) made part hereof.  The Agreement and Summary Plan Description are being sent to you in a separate email.   Please read these documents and keep them for future reference.  The specific terms of your award are as follows:

Participant:     (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME)

SSN or Tax ID:    (*)

Employee Idtenification Number:  (*)

Grant Date:             (*)

Award Period:       (*)

Type of Award:  Stock Unit and Performance-Based Award (referred to herein as a “Performance Share Unit”)

Target Award:                       shares of Class A Common Stock.  See Schedule “A” to the Agreement for actual payouts depending upon level of performance.

Plan Achievement goal at 100% for Award Period:

Net Sales Cumulative Annual Growth Rate

(*)

Earnings Per Share Cumulative Annual Growth Rate

(*)

Questions regarding the award can be directed to  (*).

If you wish to accept this grant, please sign this Notice of Grant and return immediately to :

Compensation Department

767 Fifth Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10153

Attention:   (*)




The undersigned hereby accepts, and agrees to, all terms and provisions of the Agreement, including those contained in this Notice of Grant.

By

 

Date

 

 



Exhibit 10.5

Each of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. reserves the right to change provisions of this Agreement to comply with the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.

Restricted Stock Unit Agreement Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)

This RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT (“ Agreement ”) provides for the granting by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), to the participant, an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries (the “ Participant ”), of Stock Units under the Plan representing a notional account equal to a corresponding number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 (the “ Shares ”), subject to the terms below (the “ Restricted Stock Units ”).  The name of the “Participant,” the “Grant Date,” the “Number of Restricted Stock Units,” the “Vesting Commencement Date,” the “Vesting Schedule,” and the “Vesting Period” are stated in the attached “Notice of Grant” and are incorporated by reference.  The other terms of this award are stated in this Agreement and in the Plan. Terms not defined in this Agreement are defined in the Plan, as amended.

1.     Award Grant . The Company hereby awards to the Participant an award of Restricted Stock Units in respect of the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant.

2.     Vesting .   The Restricted Stock Units granted to the Participant will vest and become payable in accordance with the Vesting Schedule in the Notice of Grant.  This schedule indicates the vesting date upon which the Participant will be entitled to receive Shares.  Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any Restricted Stock Units that are unvested when the Participant terminates employment with the Company will be forfeited.

3.     Payment of Awards .  Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive one Share when the Restricted Stock Unit vests.

In addition, each Restricted Stock Unit carries a Dividend Equivalent Right, payable in cash at the same time as payment of Restricted Stock Units in Shares in accordance with this paragraph 3 and paragraph 4.  Dividend Equivalent Rights are deemed part of the related Restricted Stock Units under this Agreement.

Upon a Change in Control, each Restricted Stock Unit will vest and become payable to the Participant.  Payments upon a Change in Control will be made within two weeks following the Change in Control.  If the Shares cease to be outstanding immediately after the Change in Control (e.g., due to a merger with and into another entity), then the consideration to be received per Share will equal the consideration paid to each stockholder per Share generally upon the Change in Control.




4.     Termination of Employment . If the Participant’s employment terminates during the Vesting Period, all Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited except as follows:

(a)                       Death .  If the Participant dies, the Restricted Stock Units will vest pro rata for the number of full months the Participant was employed during the Vesting Period (i.e., the proration equals a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full calendar months of service completed during the Vesting Period through the Participant’s death and the denominator of which is the number of full calendar months in the Vesting Period).  Payment of the Restricted Stock Units will occur as soon as practicable following the Participant’s death and in accordance with any applicable laws or Company procedures regarding the payments.

(b)                      Retirement .  If the Participant formally retires under the terms of The Estée Lauder Companies Retirement Growth Account Plan (or an affiliate or a successor plan or program of similar purpose), the unvested Restricted Stock Units will continue to vest and be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule.

(c)                       Disability .  If the Participant becomes totally and permanently disabled (as determined under the Company’s long-term disability program), the Restricted Stock Units will vest pro rata for full months employed during the Vesting Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)).  The Restricted Stock Units will be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule.

(d)                      Termination of Employment Without Cause .  If the Participant’s employment is terminated at the instance of the Company or relevant subsidiary without Cause (as defined below), any unvested Restricted Stock Units will vest pro rata for full months employed during the Vesting Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)) on the next vesting date during the Vesting Period. Restricted Stock Units will be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule.

(e)                       Termination of Employment By Employee .  If the Participant voluntarily terminates his or her employment (e.g . , by voluntary resigning) other than by retirement, which is subject to paragraph 4(b) above, all Restricted Stock Units that are not vested as of the effective date of resignation will be forfeited.

(f)                      Termination of Employment With Cause .  If the Participant is terminated for Cause, all Restricted Stock Units that are not vested as of the effective date of termination will be forfeited.  For this purpose, “Cause” is defined in the employment agreement in effect between the Participant and the Company or any subsidiary, including an employment agreement entered into after the Grant Date. In the absence of an employment agreement, “Cause” means any breach by the Participant of any of his or her material obligations under any Company policy or procedure, including, without limitation, the Code of Corporate Conduct.

(g)                      Post Employment Conduct .  Payment in respect of any Restricted Stock Unit after termination of employment is subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the Participant neither (i) competes with, takes employment with, or renders services to a competitor of the Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates without the Company’s written consent, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

2




5.     No Rights of Stock Ownership . This grant of Restricted Stock Units does not entitle the Participant to any interest in or to any voting or other rights normally attributable to Share ownership other than the Dividend Equivalent Rights granted under paragraph 3 above.

6.     Withholding . Regardless of any action the Company or the Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social security, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains his or her responsibility.  Furthermore, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units, including the grant of the Restricted Stock Units, the vesting of the Restricted Stock Units, the delivery of Shares, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan and the receipt of any dividends; and (ii) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant of the Restricted Stock Units or any aspect of Participant’s participation in the Plan to reduce or eliminate his or her liability for Tax-Related Items.

Prior to the relevant taxable event, Participant shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Employer to satisfy all withholding obligations of the Company and/or the Employer.  In this regard, Participant authorizes the Company and/or the Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items legally payable by Participant from his or her wages or other cash compensation paid by the Company and/or the Employer or from proceeds of the sale of the Shares acquired under the Plan.  Alternatively, or in addition, the Company may (i) sell or arrange for the sale of Shares that Participant acquires under the Plan to meet the withholding obligation for the Tax-Related Items, and/or (ii) withhold in Shares, provided that the Company only withholds the amount of Shares necessary to satisfy the minimum withholding amount.  If the Company satisfies the Tax-Related Item withholding obligation by withholding a number of Shares as described herein, Participant will be deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares due to Participant at vesting, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares is held back solely for purposes of such Tax-Related Items.

Finally, Participant shall pay to the Company or the Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Employer may be required to withhold as a result of his or her participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described.  The Company may refuse to issue Shares under the Plan and refuse to deliver the Shares if Participant fails to comply with his or her obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this paragraph.

7.     Nonassignability . This award may not be assigned, pledged, or transferred, except, if the Participant dies, to a designated beneficiary or by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The foregoing restrictions do not apply to transfers under a court order, including, but not limited to, any domestic relations order.

8.     Effect Upon Employment . The Participant’s right to continue to serve the Company or any of its subsidiaries as an officer, employee, or otherwise, is not enlarged or otherwise affected by an award under this Agreement.  Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan gives the Participant any right to continue in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or to interfere in any way with any right the Company or any subsidiary may have to terminate his or her employment at any time.  Payment of

Shares is not secured by a trust, insurance contract or other funding medium, and the Participant does not have any interest in any fund or specific asset of the Company by reason of this Award or the

3




account established on his or her behalf.  A Restricted Stock Unit award confers no rights as a shareholder of the Company until Shares are actually delivered to the Participant.

9.     Notices. Any notice required or permitted under this Agreement is deemed to have been duly given if delivered, telecopied, or mailed (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested), or sent by internationally-recognized courier guaranteeing next day delivery (a) to the Participant at the address on file in the Company’s (or relevant subsidiary’s) personnel records, or (b) to the Company, attention Stock Plan Administration at its principal executive offices, which are currently located at 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153.

10.  Disclosure and Use of Information.

a.     By signing and returning the attached Notice of Grant, and as a condition of the grant of the Restricted Stock Units, the Participant hereby expressly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use, and transfer of personal data as described in this paragraph by and among, as necessary and applicable, the Employer, the Company and its subsidiaries and by any agent of the Company or its subsidiaries for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

b.     The Participant understands that the Employer, the Company and/or its other  subsidiaries holds, by means of an automated data file or otherwise, certain personal information about the Participant, including, but not limited to, name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Restricted Stock Units or other entitlement to shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in the Participant’s favor, for purposes of managing and administering the Plan (“Data”).

c.     The Participant also understands that part or all of his or her Data may be held by the Company or its subsidiaries in connection with managing and administering previous award or incentive plans or for other purposes, pursuant to a prior  transfer made with the Participant’s consent in respect of any previous grant of restricted stock units or other awards.

d.     The Participant further understands that the Employer may transfer Data to the Company or its subsidiaries as necessary to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan.  The Company and its subsidiaries may transfer data among themselves, and each, in turn, may further transfer Data to any third parties assisting the Company in the implementation, administration, and management of the Plan (“Data Recipients”).

e.     The Participant understands that the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients are or may be located in his or her country of residence or elsewhere. The Participant authorizes the Employer, the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients to receive, possess, use, retain, and transfer Data in electronic or other form to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan, including any transfer of Data that the Administrator deems appropriate for the administration of the Plan and any transfer of Shares on his or her behalf to a broker or third party with whom the Shares may be deposited.

f.      The Participant understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative.

4




g.     The Participant understands that Data will be held as long as is reasonably necessary to implement, administer and manage his or her participation in the Plan and he or she may oppose the processing and transfer of his or her Data and may, at any time, review the Data, request that any necessary amendments be made to it, or withdraw his or her consent by notifying the Company in writing. The Participant further understands that withdrawing consent may affect his or her ability to participate in the Plan.

11.  Disc retionary Nature and Acceptance of Award .  By accepting this Award, the Participant agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and acknowledges that:

a.     The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, unless otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement;

b.     The award of Restricted Stock Units is voluntary and occasional, and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future awards of Restricted Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of Restricted Stock Units, even if Restricted Stock Units have been awarded repeatedly in the past.

c.     All decisions with respect to future awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

d.     Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary;

e.     Participant’s participation in the Plan shall not create a right to further employment with the Employer and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company or the Employer to terminate Participant’s employment at any time;

f.      Restricted Stock Units are an extraordinary item that does not constitute compensation of any kind for services of any kind rendered to the Company or any subsidiary, and which is outside the scope of Participant’s employment or service contract, if any;

g.     The Restricted Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or any subsidiary;

h.     In the event the Participant is not an employee of the Company, the Restricted Stock Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract or relationship with the Company; and furthermore, the Restricted Stock Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract with any subsidiary of the Company;

i.      The future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty;

j.      In consideration of the award of the Restricted Stock Units, no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from termination of the Restricted Stock Units or diminution in

5




value of the Restricted Stock Units, or Shares acquired upon vesting of the Restricted Stock Units, resulting from termination of Participant’s employment by the Company or any subsidiary (for any reason whatsoever and whether or not in breach of local labor laws) and in consideration of the award of the Restricted Stock Units, Participant irrevocably releases the Company and any subsidiary from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen, then, by signing the Notice of Grant, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have waived his or her right to pursue or seek remedy for any such claim or entitlement;

k.     In the event of termination of Participant’s employment (whether or not in breach of local labor laws), Participant’s right to receive Restricted Stock Units under the Plan and to vest in such Restricted Stock Units, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that Participant is no longer actively employed and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local law ( e.g., active employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to local law); the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively employed for purposes of this Agreement;

l.      The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares; and

m.    Participant is hereby advised to consult with Participant’s own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan

12.  Failure to Enforce Not a Waiver.   The Company’s failure to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of any other provision of this Agreement.

13.  Governing Law.   This Agreement is governed by and is to be construed according to the laws of the State of New York that apply to agreements made and performed in that state, without regard to its choice of law provisions.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under the Restricted Stock Units or this Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of New York, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of New York County, New York, or the federal courts for the United States for the Southern District of New York, and no other courts, where the Restricted Stock Units are made and/or to be performed.

14.  Partial Invalidity.   The invalidity or illegality of any provision of this Agreement will be deemed not to affect the validity of any other provision.

15.  Section 409A Compliance . This Agreement is intended to comply with section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and any regulations, rulings, or guidance provided thereunder. The Company reserves the unilateral right to amend this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant to prevent taxation under Code section 409A.

16.  Electronic Delivery.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Restricted Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and

6




agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

 

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Executive Vice President,

 

Global Human Resources

 

7




Notice of Grant Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (The “Plan”)

This is to confirm that you were awarded a grant of Restricted Stock Units at the most recent meeting of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors representing the right upon vesting of such units to receive shares of Class A Common Stock of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Shares”), subject to the terms of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement.  This award was made in recognition of the significant contributions you have made as a key employee of the Company, and to motivate you to achieve future successes by aligning your interests more closely with those of our stockholders.  This Restricted Stock Unit award is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (the “Agreement”) made part hereof.  The Agreement and Summary Plan Description are being sent to you in a separate email.  Please read these documents and keep them for future reference.  The specific terms of your award are as follows:

Participant:     (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME)

SSN or Global Identification Number:    (*)

Employee Identification Number: (*)

Number of Restricted Stock Units:  (*)

Grant Date:                                            (*)

Vesting Commencement Date:           (*)

Vesting Schedule:

 

Subject to Participant’s continuous employment, this

 

 

Restricted Stock Unit grant shall vest as to the number of Shares set forth below:

 

Shares

 

Vesting Date

 

 

 

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

 

Vesting Period:    The Vesting Commencement Date through and including the applicable date set forth in the Vesting Schedule

Questions regarding the award can be directed to (*)

 If you wish to accept this grant, please sign this Notice of Grant and return immediately to:

Compensation Department

767 Fifth Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10153

Attention: (*)

The undersigned hereby accepts, and agrees to, all terms and provisions of the Agreement, including those contained in this Notice of Grant.

By

 

 

Date

 

 



Exhibit 10.6

Domestic

Each of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. reserves the right to change provisions of this Agreement to comply with the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.

Restricted Stock Unit Agreement Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)

This RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT (“ Agreement ”) provides for the granting by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), to the participant, an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries (the “ Participant ”), of Stock Units under the Plan representing a notional account equal to a corresponding number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 (the “ Shares ”), subject to the terms below (the “ Restricted Stock Units ”).  The name of the “Participant,” the “Grant Date,” the “Number of Restricted Stock Units,” the “Vesting Commencement Date,” the “Vesting Schedule,” and the “Vesting Period” are stated in the attached “Notice of Grant” and are incorporated by reference.  The other terms of this award are stated in this Agreement and in the Plan. Terms not defined in this Agreement are defined in the Plan, as amended.

1.     Award Grant . The Company hereby awards to the Participant an award of Restricted Stock Units in respect of the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant.

2.     Vesting .   The Restricted Stock Units granted to the Participant will vest and become payable in accordance with the Vesting Schedule in the Notice of Grant.  This schedule indicates the vesting date upon which the Participant will be entitled to receive Shares.  Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any Restricted Stock Units that are unvested when the Participant terminates employment with the Company will be forfeited.

3.     Payment of Awards .  Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive one Share when the Restricted Stock Unit vests.

Upon a Change in Control, (a) each unvested Restricted Stock Unit will vest and become payable to the Participant in accordance with the Plan and this paragraph and (b) each vested Restricted Stock Unit not paid will become payable to the Participant in accordance with the Plan and this paragraph. Payments upon a Change in Control will be made within two weeks following the Change in Control.  If the Shares cease to be outstanding immediately after the Change in Control (e.g., due to a merger with and into another entity), then the consideration to be received per Share will equal the consideration paid to each stockholder per Share generally upon the Change in Control.  If the Participant dies before the Change in Control, vested Restricted Stock Units will become payable in accordance with this paragraph.  If the Participant becomes disabled or is terminated without Cause before the Change in Control, the Restricted Stock Units that were to vest pro rata due to disability or termination without Cause will vest and become payable in accordance with this paragraph.  All other unvested Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited.




4.     Termination of Employment . If the Participant’s employment terminates during the Vesting Period, all unvested Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited except as follows, subject to Paragraph 3:

(a)                       Death .  If the Participant dies, unvested Restricted Stock Units will vest on the date of death pro rata based on the number of full months the Participant was employed during the Vesting Period after the last vesting date (i.e., the proration equals a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full calendar months of service completed during the Vesting Period after the last vesting date through the Participant’s death and the denominator of which is the number of full calendar months after the last vesting date that are remaining in the Vesting Period).  For this purpose, “last vesting date” is the grant date if the first vesting date has not yet occurred.  As an example, assume a grant to Participant X of Restricted Stock Units for 300 shares with a three-year Vesting Period and one-third of the units vesting at the end of each twelve-month period.  If Participant X dies 18 months after the grant date and six months after the last vesting date, then the estate or beneficiary of Participant X would be entitled to payment of 50 Shares (before withholding).  Participant X would have already received 100 Shares (before withholding) on the first anniversary of the grant date. Payment of the vested Restricted Stock Units will occur as soon as practicable following the Participant’s death and in accordance with any applicable laws or Company procedures regarding the payments.

(b)                      Retirement .  If the Participant formally retires under the terms of The Estée Lauder Companies Retirement Growth Account Plan (or an affiliate or a successor plan or program of similar purpose), the unvested Restricted Stock Units will continue to vest and be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule.   Vesting and payment in respect of any unvested Restricted Stock Unit after retirement will be subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the Participant neither (i) competes with, takes employment with, or renders services to a competitor of the Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates without the Company’s written consent, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

(c)                       Disability .  If the Participant becomes totally and permanently disabled (as determined under the Company’s long-term disability program), the unvested Restricted Stock Units will vest pro rata for full months employed during the Vesting Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)) on the next vesting date during the Vesting Period.  The vested Restricted Stock Units will be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule (i.e., on the next vesting date during the Vesting Period).

(d)                      Termination of Employment Without Cause .  If the Participant’s employment is terminated at the instance of the Company or relevant subsidiary without Cause (as defined below), any unvested Restricted Stock Units will vest pro rata for full months employed during the Vesting Period (determined under the proration methodology in paragraph 4(a)) on the next vesting date during the Vesting Period. Restricted Stock Units will be paid in accordance with the Vesting Schedule and payment in respect of any unvested Restricted Stock Unit after last day of active employment will be subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent that the Participant neither (i) competes with, takes employment with, or renders services to a competitor of the Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates without the Company’s written consent, nor (ii) conducts himself or herself in a manner adversely affecting the Company.

2




(e)                       Termination of Employment By Employee .  If the Participant voluntarily terminates his or her employment (e.g., by voluntarily resigning) other than due to retirement or disability, which are subject to paragraphs 4(b) and 4(c) above, respectively, all Restricted Stock Units that are not vested as of the effective date of resignation will be forfeited.

(f)                      Termination of Employment With Cause .  If the Participant is terminated for Cause, all Restricted Stock Units that are not vested as of the effective date of resignation will be forfeited.  For this purpose, “Cause” is defined in the employment agreement in effect between the Participant and the Company or any subsidiary, including an employment agreement entered into after the Grant Date.  In the absence of an employment agreement, “Cause” means any breach by the Participant of any of his or her material obligations under any Company policy or procedure, including, without limitation, the Code of Corporate Conduct.

5.     No Rights of Stock Ownership . This grant of Restricted Stock Units does not entitle the Participant to any interest in or to any voting or other rights normally attributable to Share ownership.

6.     Withholding . Regardless of any action the Company or the Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social security, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains his or her responsibility.  Furthermore, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units, including the grant of the Restricted Stock Units, the vesting of the Restricted Stock Units, the delivery of Shares, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan and the receipt of any dividends; and (ii) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant of the Restricted Stock Units or any aspect of Participant’s participation in the Plan to reduce or eliminate his or her liability for Tax-Related Items.

Prior to the relevant taxable event, Participant shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Employer to satisfy all withholding obligations of the Company and/or the Employer.  In this regard, Participant authorizes the Company and/or the Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items legally payable by Participant from his or her wages or other cash compensation paid by the Company and/or the Employer or from proceeds of the sale of the Shares acquired under the Plan.  Alternatively, or in addition, the Company may (i) sell or arrange for the sale of Shares that Participant acquires under the Plan to meet the withholding obligation for the Tax-Related Items, and/or (ii) withhold in Shares, provided that the Company only withholds the amount of Shares necessary to satisfy the minimum withholding amount.  If the Company satisfies the Tax-Related Item withholding obligation by withholding a number of Shares as described herein, Participant will be deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares due to Participant at vesting, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares is held back solely for purposes of such Tax-Related Items.

Finally, Participant shall pay to the Company or the Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Employer may be required to withhold as a result of his or her participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described.  The Company may refuse to issue Shares under the Plan and refuse to deliver the Shares if Participant fails to comply with his or her obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this paragraph.

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7.     Nonassignability . This award may not be assigned, pledged, or transferred, except, if the Participant dies, to a designated beneficiary or by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The foregoing restrictions do not apply to transfers under a court order, including, but not limited to, any domestic relations order.

8.     Effect Upon Employment . The Participant’s right to continue to serve the Company or any of its subsidiaries as an officer, employee, or otherwise, is not enlarged or otherwise affected by an award hereunder.   Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan gives the Participant any right to continue in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or to interfere in any way with any right the Company or any subsidiary may have to terminate his or her employment at any time.  Payment of Shares is not secured by a trust, insurance contract or other funding medium, and the Participant does not have any interest in any fund or specific asset of the Company by reason of this Award or the account established on his or her behalf.  A Restricted Stock Unit award confers no rights as a shareholder of the Company until Shares are actually delivered to the Participant.

9.     Notices.   Any notice required or permitted under this Agreement is deemed to have been duly given if delivered, telecopied, or mailed (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) or sent by internationally-recognized courier guaranteeing next day delivery (a) to the Participant at the address on file in the Company’s (or relevant subsidiary’s) personnel records or (b) to the Company, attention Stock Plan Administration at its principal executive offices, which are currently located at 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153.

10.  Disclosure and Use of Information.

a.     By signing and returning the attached Notice of Grant, and as a condition of the grant of the Restricted Stock Units, the Participant hereby expressly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use, and transfer of personal data as described in this paragraph by and among, as necessary and applicable, the Employer, the Company and its subsidiaries and by any agent of the Company or its subsidiaries for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

b.     The Participant understands that the Employer, the Company and/or its other  subsidiaries holds, by means of an automated data file or otherwise, certain personal information about the Participant, including, but not limited to, name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Restricted Stock Units or other entitlement to shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested, or outstanding in the Participant’s favor, for purposes of managing and administering the Plan (“Data”).

c.     The Participant also understands that part or all of his or her Data may be held by the Company or its subsidiaries in connection with managing and administering previous award or incentive plans or for other purposes, pursuant to a prior  transfer made with the Participant’s consent in respect of any previous grant of restricted stock units or other awards.

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d.     The Participant further understands that the Employer may transfer Data to the Company or its subsidiaries as necessary to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan.  The Company and its subsidiaries may transfer data among themselves, and each, in turn, may further transfer Data to any third parties assisting the Company in the implementation, administration, and management of the Plan (“Data Recipients”).

e.     The Participant understands that the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients are or may be located in his or her country of residence or elsewhere. The Participant authorizes the Employer, the Company, its subsidiaries, and the Data Recipients to receive, possess, use, retain, and transfer Data in electronic or other form to implement, administer, and manage his or her participation in the Plan, including any transfer of Data that the Administrator deems appropriate for the administration of the Plan and any transfer of Shares on his or her behalf to a broker or third party with whom the Shares may be deposited.

f.      The Participant understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative.

g.     The Participant understands that Data will be held as long as is reasonably necessary to implement, administer and manage his or her participation in the Plan and he or she may oppose the processing and transfer of his or her Data and may, at any time, review the Data, request that any necessary amendments be made to it, or withdraw his or her consent by notifying the Company in writing. The Participant further understands that withdrawing consent may affect his or her ability to participate in the Plan.

11.  Disc retionary Nature and Acceptance of Award .  By accepting this Award, the Participant agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and acknowledges that:

a.     The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, unless otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement;

b.     The award of Restricted Stock Units is voluntary and occasional, and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future awards of Restricted Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of Restricted Stock Units, even if Restricted Stock Units have been awarded repeatedly in the past.

c.     All decisions with respect to future awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

d.     Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary;

e.     Participant’s participation in the Plan shall not create a right to further employment with the Employer and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company or the Employer to terminate Participant’s employment at any time;

f.      Restricted Stock Units are an extraordinary item that does not constitute compensation of any kind for services of any kind rendered to the Company or any subsidiary, and which is outside the scope of Participant’s employment or service contract, if any;

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g.     The Restricted Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or any subsidiary;

h.     In the event the Participant is not an employee of the Company, the Restricted Stock Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract or relationship with the Company; and furthermore, the Restricted Stock Units and Participant’s participation in the Plan will not be interpreted to form an employment or service contract with any subsidiary of the Company;

i.      The future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty;

j.      In consideration of the award of the Restricted Stock Units, no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from termination of the Restricted Stock Units or diminution in value of the Restricted Stock Units, or Shares acquired upon vesting of the Restricted Stock Units, resulting from termination of Participant’s employment by the Company or any subsidiary (for any reason whatsoever and whether or not in breach of local labor laws) and in consideration of the award of the Restricted Stock Units, Participant irrevocably releases the Company and any subsidiary from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen, then, by signing the Notice of Grant, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have waived his or her right to pursue or seek remedy for any such claim or entitlement;

k.     In the event of termination of Participant’s employment (whether or not in breach of local labor laws), Participant’s right to receive Restricted Stock Units under the Plan and to vest in such Restricted Stock Units, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that Participant is no longer actively employed and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local law ( e.g., active employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to local law); the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively employed for purposes of this Agreement;

l.      The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares; and

m.    Participant is hereby advised to consult with Participant’s own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

12.  Failure to Enforce Not a Waiver.   The Company’s failure to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of any other provision of this Agreement.

13.  Governing Law.   This Agreement is governed by and is to be construed according to the laws of the State of New York, that apply to agreements made and performed in that state, without regard to its choice of law provisions.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under the Restricted Stock Units or this Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of New York, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of New York County, New York, or

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the federal courts for the United States for the Southern District of New York, and no other courts, where the Restricted Stock Units are made and/or to be performed.

14.  Partial Invalidity.   The invalidity or illegality of any provision of this Agreement will be deemed not to affect the validity of any other provision.

15.  Section 409A Compliance . This Agreement is intended to comply with section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and any regulations, rulings, or guidance provided thereunder.  The Company reserves the unilateral right to amend this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant in order to prevent taxation under Code section 409A.

16.  Electronic Delivery.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Restricted Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Amy DiGeso

 

Executive Vice President,

 

Global Human Resources

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Notice of Grant Under

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Amended and Restated Fiscal 2002 Share Incentive Plan (The “Plan”)

This is to confirm that you were awarded a grant of Restricted Stock Units at the most recent meeting of the Stock Plan Subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors representing the right upon vesting of such units to receive shares of Class A Common Stock of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (the “Shares”), subject to the terms of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement.  This award was made in recognition of the significant contributions you have made as a key employee of the Company, and to motivate you to achieve future successes by aligning your interests more closely with those of our stockholders.  This Restricted Stock Unit award is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (the “Agreement”) made part hereof. The Agreement and Summary Plan Description are being sent to you in a separate email.  Please read these documents and keep them for future reference.  The specific terms of your award are as follows:

Participant:                             (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME)

SSN or Global Identification Number:

 

(*)

 

 

 

Employee Identification Number:

 

(*)

 

 

 

Number of Restricted Stock Units:

 

(*)

 

 

 

Grant Date:

 

(*)

 

 

 

Vesting Commencement Date

 

(*)

 

Vesting Schedule:  Subject to Participant’s continuous employment, this Restricted Stock Unit grant shall vest as to the number of Shares set forth below:

Shares

 

Vesting Date

 

 

 

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

(*)

 

(*)

 

Vesting Period:  The Vesting Commencement Date through and including the applicable date set forth in the Vesting Schedule.

Questions regarding the award can be directed to (*)

If you wish to accept this grant, please sign this Notice of Grant and return immediately to:

Compensation Department

767 Fifth Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10153

Attention:  (*)

Any dividends earned on vested Shares, after applicable withholding, that are held in an account for Participant at Mellon Investor Services LLC (or its successor) engaged by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. for the purposes of holding the Shares for Participant upon vesting (the “Agent”), will be automatically reinvested in accordance with Agent’s applicable procedures in additional whole and fractional shares Company Class A Common Stock  unless you notify Thomas Fellenbaum or Patricia Zakrzewski in writing prior to the Vesting Date set forth above that you do not wish to have your dividends reinvested.

The undersigned hereby accepts, and agrees to, all terms and provisions of the Agreement, including those contained in this Notice of Grant.

By

 

 

Date

 

 

Enclosure: Restricted Stock Unit Q&A

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