Women hold many senior leadership roles at Avon - including that of CEO.
Angela Cretu is CEO of Avon, a proud mum to her young son, and a friend of many people that she has met during her international journey with Avon. She is also a keen fitness fan.
“I am passionate about connecting and enabling people to create meaningful value under our strong purpose of empowering women through beauty," says Angela.
Responsible for the Avon brand globally
Angela is responsible for the Avon business outside of Latin America and for the oversight of the Avon brand globally.
Prior to her CEO appointment, Angela was General Manager of Avon Central Europe, where she led a mix of 19 mature and emerging countries, and was responsible for growing Avon's share in Central Europe through a competitive representative, customer and employee value proposition, while retaining the highest profitability.
She joined Avon following several sales roles in the FMCG industry, and built up a strong career from Sales Manager and Country Lead, to Vice President of Global Business Model Innovation at the New York headquarters. Angela has also held positions as General Manager of three out of six Avon clusters: Eastern Europe, Turkey, Middle East and Africa and Central Europe. Angela graduated from The Academy of Economic Studies, Economic Cybernetics, Statistics and Informatics in Bucharest. She also completed an executive education programme at the London Business School.
Meet further women in leadership roles at Avon
Kay Nemoto, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and HR Officer
A seasoned turnaround specialist, Kay played an integral role in Avon's transformation while on secondment from strategic partners Cerberus Operations & Advisory Company (COAC).
Kay focuses on enabling Avon to be simpler and leaner, to drive accountability and to accelerate execution of Avon’s turnaround through its people. She leads the cultural change management needed to underpin our transformation, building an organisation that is effective and high performing.
As Operating Executive at COAC, Kay successfully led teams supporting turnarounds at multiple companies, always working closely with the management and HR teams. She brings over 23 years' experience in consultancy and advisory roles including with Ernst & Young and AlixPartners.
“Since working with Avon I’ve been astounded by the power of the iconic brand, the potential of the business model and the fantastic opportunity we have to leverage Avon’s associates across the world to deliver change and future success," says Kay.
Magdalena Ferreira-Lamas, Group Vice President and General Manager, North Latin America
Magdalena oversees Avon's business in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Prior to her current role, she worked as Vice President of Sales and previously as Head of Marketing for Avon in North Latin America. Before that, she was Fashion & Home Regional Director in Latin America, Commercial Sales Director in Peru, Country Manager in Bolivia and Strategic Planning Director in Argentina.
Before joining Avon, Magdalena was Sales Manager and Trade Marketing Manager for Ambev (Cervecería & Maltería Quilmes – Brewing Company) and Brand Manager for Pepsi and 7Up at PepsiCo.
Magdalena holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management from Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales (UCES) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a keen reader, but also likes to keep active through golf, tennis, horse riding and skiing.
Magdalena’s favourite Avon products include the lipsticks in the Avon True range and the Glow Bronzing Pearls.
“What drives me is the purpose of the company, and the opportunity that Avon has to fulfill the dreams of thousands of women," she says.
Louise Scott, Group Vice President, Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer
Louise leads a team of scientists, engineers and specialists who are passionate about keeping representatives and consumers at the forefront of beauty by creating high-quality products that they trust, talk about and are proud to recommend.
Prior to Avon, she worked for 25 years in Research & Development at Procter & Gamble. She has specialised in generating unique consumer and market insights, understanding new opportunities and creating winning innovation strategies. Louise has broad experience in fast-moving consumer goods product innovation, including luxury products, skincare, cosmetics, beauty devices and hair care and on all parts of the product life-cycle, from original concept through product development and manufacturing.
Louise earned a PhD from Cambridge University in the UK.
“I’m proud to work with a world class team that delivers the latest product and trend innovations to our representatives and customers every day," says Louise.
Ania Jakubowski, General Manager Poland
Ania is a seasoned executive who brings over 20 years of experience from global businesses in established and emerging markets across Europe, North America and Africa. She has a strong track record in business development across a wide range of strategic, commercial, operational and developmental roles.
She joined Avon from Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits, where she held the role of General Manager for Poland and the Baltic states. She has a strong general management background, including working with the Coca-Cola Company where she was also General Manager for Poland and the Baltic states.
Starting her career at P&G in Canada as a Sales Representative, she continued to hold many roles in international sales, marketing and business development across several product categories and channels.
Ania graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She has dual nationality (Poland and Canada) and speaks fluent English and French, in addition to her native Polish. Her formative years started in India, where she lived with her family before moving back to Canada where she grew up and studied.
She also serves as a member of the Supervisory Board for Bank Millennium SA, Poland and Vice President / Management Board Member for the International Advertising Association (IAA) in Poland.
“I wake up each day with the mindset to have an impact - making a little, positive difference in someone's life each day," explains Ania.
Amy Greene, Chief Communications Officer and Head of Investor Relations
Amy joined Avon to lead investor relations, taking on expanded responsibilities for global communications and as Chair of the Avon Foundation for Women.
Amy has decades of experience as an industry analyst and in-house investor relations executive. Prior to joining Avon, she built an award-winning investor relations programme at Herbalife Ltd. during her tenure as Senior Vice President of Global Engagement and Senior Vice President of Investor, Government & Community Relations, as the company grew from a small to mid-cap business.
Amy also served as Vice President of Investor Relations & Government Relations at GNC Holdings Inc., a global vitamin and supplements retailer, where she led the external engagement with investors, analysts and various Congressional offices and industry groups, to change the narrative around topics such as wellness and care.
Earlier in her career Amy spent more than 10 years as an equity analyst at Avondale Partners LLC and First Union Securities, covering the direct selling, personal care and restaurant and beverage sectors. Most recently, she founded and served as Chief Strategy Officer of LAILA Strategic Consulting, an independent consulting company that assists corporate executives in designing and implementing investor and public affairs strategies.
Amy received a BS in Politics from Randolph-Macon Women’s College.
Ginny Edwards, Deputy General Counsel and Interim Lead General Counsel
Ginny graduated from Cornell Law School and started her career with Fried Frank law firm. She has worked for Avon in roles of increasing responsibility, including two years as the General Counsel for Asia Pacific.
Join ambitious women in senior leadership at Avon
Avon's CEO Angela wants to empower women through beauty - but the company also wants to empower its employees to be ambitious in their careers. Avon's leadership philosophy sees every associate - whatever his or her role - as a potential leader. Avon helps employees develop confidence and skills necessary to challenge the status quo, be accountable for your actions, and inspire and support others. Along the way, employees also gain the courage to express their ideas without fear, celebrate their uniqueness and individuality, and turn their thoughts into actions.
If you want to pursue a leadership role, apply for a job at Avon today.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.