NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products,
Inc. (NYSE: AVP) announced today the appointment of Nilesh Patel as Senior Vice President and
President, Asia Pacific Region, effective February 3, 2014. Mr. Patel will report to
Sheri McCoy, Avon's Chief Executive Officer, and will join
the company's Executive Committee.
Mr. Patel will oversee all of Avon's Asia
Pacific business. In this role, he will be responsible for
stabilizing the market, and strengthening and growing the
Avon business throughout the
region.
"As part of our commitment to growing the Avon business, I am pleased to announce that
Nilesh Patel is joining us to lead
our efforts in the Asia Pacific
region," said McCoy. "During his successful career, Nilesh has a
strong track record of strategic and operational excellence, which
will be critical as we work to rebuild our Asia Pacific business. He knows how to build a
brand and bring together a strong team to drive results. Nilesh's
experience, expertise and insights are critical assets as we work
to strengthen our position in the Asia
Pacific region and globally."
Mr. Patel joins Avon following
a 26-year career with the Heinz Company, where he served in various
roles. Throughout his tenure, he acquired deep experience across
multiple functions from supply chain management to marketing, and
built a solid record of success, most notably in emerging Asian
markets such as Indonesia and
India.
Most recently, Mr. Patel served as President, Director and
Regional CEO of the Heinz ASEAN Region, where he oversaw business
in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the
Philippines, Vietnam and
Thailand. The position was an
expansion of his role as head of Heinz ABC Business in Indonesia, where Mr. Patel has been credited
with turning around the business and more than doubling revenues
over a five-year period.
From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Patel served as Managing Director and
Chairman of the Board of Directors for Heinz India, where he
spearheaded a brand repositioning, organizational restructuring,
and other changes resulting in a near doubling of revenues. Other
roles at Heinz include Senior Manager/Director of Supply Chain and
Foodservice Sales in China and
Manager/Senior Manager in various roles for the Middle-East/Africa and Europe regions.
Prior to joining Heinz, Mr. Patel was a Project Development
Engineer for Grand Metropolitan in the food retailer's Research and
Development department. He spent his early professional career at a
pharmaceutical company.
Mr. Patel holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from
the University of Glamorgan in
South Wales (now the University of
South Wales).
About Avon
Avon, the company for women, is
a leading global beauty company, with nearly $11 billion in annual revenue. As one of the
world's largest direct sellers, Avon is sold through more than 6 million
active independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon products are available in over 100
countries, and the product line includes color cosmetics, skincare,
fragrance, fashion and home products, featuring such
well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, ANEW, Skin-So-Soft,
Advance Techniques, and mark. Learn more about Avon and its products at
www.avoncompany.com.
SOURCE Avon Products, Inc.