The longtime general counsel at The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. has been promoted to the newly created role of vice chairman in the latest example of companies elevating their top lawyers to nonlegal business positions. 

Sara Moss will continue in her GC role, which she has held since 2003, until a successor is named later, according to a news release from the cosmetics giant. In her new “strategic” capacity, Moss will: advise executive management, the board of directors and the Lauder family on critical business issues; help enable the company’s long-term, sustainable success as a family-controlled, public company; and work on Estée Lauder’s global programs, focusing on developing women as leaders and women’s-focused initiatives, according to the statement.