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The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Announces New Board Members

By BCRF | December 16, 2014

William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, A&E Chairman Abbe Raven and Tracy Anderson Mind & Body CEO Maria Baum Join Board of Directors

BCRF is proud to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors. William P. Lauder, Abbe Raven and Maria Baum will join the foundation’s esteemed board, which is chaired by Leonard A. Lauder and Kinga Lampert. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have such accomplished international leaders join BCRF in its mission to eradicate breast cancer,” said Leonard A. Lauder. “I have a personal joy in having William join the board and carrying on Evelyn’s legacy. Abbe Raven and Maria Baum will bring hugely valuable expertise and insight to BCRF, helping the foundation to become even more of a global force in the fight against breast cancer.”

William P. Lauder is Executive Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and the son of BCRF’s founder Evelyn H. Lauder. Since joining the company in 1986, William Lauder has been instrumental in expanding the company’s brand portfolio, distribution channels and international presence. He pioneered The Estée Lauder Companies’ online business and oversaw the development of several successful new brands such as Origins and acquisitions such as Aveda, Bobbi Brown, M∙A∙C, and Smashbox. William is a longtime supporter and thought-leader for The Estée Lauder Companies Corporate Responsibiliy initiatives. William is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and The Trinity School in New York City, his alma maters. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for the Fresh Air Fund. Additional board memberships include the Jarden Corporation, the 92nd Street Y and Zelnick Media.

Abbe Raven is Chairman of A+E Networks, the award-winning global media company, encompassing A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, H2, FYI and LMN. Prior to this position, Raven led A+E Networks as President and Chief Executive Officer, tripling its earnings and expanding its global portfolio since April 2005. She also oversaw the company’s strategic merger with Lifetime Television in 2009. Under Raven’s leadership, A+E Networks’ channels and branded programming have grown to reach more than 330 million households in over 180 territories. During her tenure at A+E Networks, Raven has been honored for building some of the most prominent and highly valued cable networks and for standing at the forefront of numerous industry-wide initiatives. Ms. Raven began her career 32 years ago as a production assistant and rose through the ranks to head A+E Networks and become the second CEO in the company’s history. Ms. Raven has been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list, which cited her as one of the Top 5 most Powerful Women in Entertainment. In September 2012, she was again named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune.

Maria Baum is the Chief Executive Officer of Tracy Anderson Mind & Body LLC, Tracy Anderson’s fitness and lifestyle brand that counts Gwyneth Paltrow as a co-owner. Prior to being appointed chief executive, Baum launched her career on Wall Street as an OTC Index Derivative trader at Bankers Trust Co., followed by positions as Global Macro Proprietary trader, focused on directional strategies in indexes, currencies and commodities for Commerzbank and Lehman Brothers. On the buy side, Baum led directional macro strategies as a Portfolio Manager at hedge fund NWI Management and later served as the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Black Tower Capital. She is also the creator of BCRF’s Hamptons Paddle and Party for Pink, which has raised more than $3.5 million to support the foundation’s 223 grantees around the world.