Avon turns to team investment to help steady the ship
Scott Crum will take the reins as senior vice president of Human Resources and Chief People Officer, whilst Jeff Benjamin is brought in as senior vice president and General Counsel.
"Creating a productive work environment that continues to enhance our compliance culture is a priority," says Sheri McCoy, company CEO, who was only appointed earlier this year.
Manage and develop team
"As we work to return Avon to growth, it is essential that we effectively manage and develop talent while also enhancing a culture of accountability."
Both newbies will report directly to McCoy, who was full of praise following the announcements.
“[Scott’s] knowledge of the global workforce and experience building strong teams will be critical to our turnaround efforts," she says.
"Jeff's proven commitment to business ethics and law compliance and his credibility within and outside the legal profession will be a tremendous asset for Avon."
Experience at large firms
Crum has significant experience leading human resources teams having worked at several global companies. Most recently, he served in the same role at Motorola Mobility, one of two publicly traded companies created when Motorola split in 2010.
In this role, he established a new human resources team and led global human resources, security and real estate functions through Motorola Mobility's recent acquisition by Google.
Avon hopes he will bring this experience with him and help build a team capable of turning around its recent shortcomings.
Strong track record
In a career spanning more than forty years prior to his retirement from Novartis at the end of 2011, Benjamin developed expertise in litigation, corporate transactions, antitrust, environmental regulation, equal employment opportunity, product liability and ethics and compliance.
Having held many positions of responsibility and represented companies in potentially material litigation and government investigations, he built a solid track record of successful resolutions, and Avon hopes he can continue this work and also help to develop the team.
