Andrea NagelOn December 10, the Beauty of Giving Luncheon returns to 583 Park Avenue for a special celebration: Cancer and Careers’ 25th anniversary. Twenty-five years ago, CEW founded Cancer and Careers (CAC) on the belief that working after a cancer diagnosis is not only possible, but powerful. The beauty industry embraced that idea from the start. A quarter century later, the same community of brands, retailers and leaders that helped launch Cancer and Careers continues to fuel its growth and has inspired other industries to join the cause. CAC has become a national resource for working people with cancer, their employers and the healthcare professionals who support them.
This year’s luncheon honors leaders who have shaped that mission: people who build brands, build teams, and build workplaces where survivors can thrive.
This year’s Honorees are:
Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer at The Estée Lauder Companies, will receive the first Governors Award from the Cancer and Careers Board. A visionary brand-builder with over a 40-year tenure at ELC, Jane has led enterprise-wide strategy across skin care, makeup, fragrance, hair care, and couture, and she led the celebrated turnaround and modernization of the flagship Estée Lauder brand. In 2020, she became the first woman named Executive Group President at ELC. She co-founded ELC’s Women’s Leadership Network, now the company’s largest employee resource group with more than 2,200 members worldwide. Jane serves on the Advisory Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Board of the FIT Foundation. She is a recipient of the CEW Achiever Award and was named one of Fairchild Media Group’s “50 Most Powerful Women.”
Kim Seymour, Chief People Officer at SKIMS, will receive the 2026 Founders Award. A people and performance strategist, Kim brings nearly 30 years of global human resources leadership at companies including Etsy, WeightWatchers, American Express, and General Electric. Kim advises companies on talent, succession planning, culture, and evolving workplace policy. She has lent her expertise to Cancer and Careers’ conferences, speaking on how employees can engage HR after a diagnosis. That perspective lies at the heart of the organization’s work with employers. A frequent speaker and contributor whose insights have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, and Bloomberg, Kim also serves on the boards of RHR International and Fisk University.
The Vitamin Shoppe will receive the Beauty of Giving Award as this year’s corporate honoree. An omnichannel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle company, The Vitamin Shoppe’s mission is to provide customers with the most trusted products, guidance, and services to support health and performance in every stage of life. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, The Vitamin Shoppe serves customers through more than 640 stores nationwide and online. The company has a longstanding commitment to community health through partnerships with Vitamin Angels and Team Red, White & Blue. Cancer and Careers shares that same belief: health and wellbeing are built at every stage of life. The organization knows that wellness also means having the support to keep working, earning, and thriving through and after a cancer diagnosis. The award will be accepted by Chief Executive Officer Sharon Leite.
What began as a single idea 25 years ago has become a collective mission. Cancer and Careers believes that survivors bring unique value to the workforce, and that no one should face stigma or uncertainty at work because of a diagnosis. The need for that support has only grown since 2001. With more people living longer after a diagnosis, and many continuing to work through treatment and beyond, the question is no longer whether survivors can work, but whether their workplaces are ready for them.
Funds raised at the Beauty of Giving Luncheon directly support Cancer and Careers’ vital and free programs, including job search tools, resume reviews, access to technology, one-on-one expert guidance, educational events, a resource-rich website in English and Spanish, and more.
Join us to celebrate 25 years of impact, honor three extraordinary award recipients, and help build a future where every survivor is supported and every workplace is empowered. Thank you to our sponsors: P&G Beauty, Working with Cancer Initiative, Encore Consumer Capital, Pfizer, Shiseido Americas, Tweezerman, Unilever, Active Concepts, and Kaplow.
For more information, tickets, and tables: [www.cew.org/BOG]
