Avon Products, Inc. announced a series of changes to the company’s management structure

Avon Products, Inc.: announced a series of changes to the company’s management structure designed to support its multi-year turnaround plan. Latin America management responsibilities will be divided between two Avon executives who will each oversee a defined set of markets within the region.

David Legher, currently senior vice president and president of Avon Brazil, will assume additional responsibility for the South Market Group (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay).

Legher will report directly to McCoy and join Avon’s executive committee. Fernando Acosta, currently senior vice president and president, Latin America, will retain responsibility for North Latin America (Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Dominican Republic) and the Andean Cluster (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela).

Legher is a 13-year veteran of Avon having held positions of increasing responsibility throughout Avon Latin America, leading up to management of the company’s largest market, Avon Brazil. Legher will maintain his responsibility for the Brazilian market.  This change will not impact Avon’s financial reporting structure.

To accelerate the pace of improvement in its two core processes of commercial marketing and field management, Avon also announced changes in the marketing organization and increased support of the sales organizations in its key markets.

Acosta, in addition to his management responsibilities in North Latin America and the Andean Cluster, will take on additional responsibility as Avon’s head of global brand marketing. In this role, he will lead all global marketing activities, including brand, product category strategy, and research & development. He continues to report to McCoy and serve on the company’s executive committee.

Acosta has led Avon’s Latin America region for more than three years. Prior to joining Avon, he spent 19 years at Unilever where he advanced through a series of senior marketing and operating positions for some of Unilever’s most prominent brands.

Ayala, currently, senior vice president, chief marketing officer, and global brand and category president, will leave Avon effective Jan. 2, 2015. John Higson, currently senior vice president and president, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), will take on an expanded role as head of global field operations. In this capacity, he will provide assessment and advisory support to the sales teams in Avon’s top 12 markets, aiming to accelerate the onboarding for sales heads new to their role and improve the Avon pipeline to ensure more “ready now” successors for key field management assignments. Higson will maintain responsibility for the Avon EMEA business unit. He continues to report to McCoy and serve on the company’s executive committee. During his 29-year career at Avon, Higson has held a variety of sales, strategy and general management assignments. The company also announced additional actions relating to its previously disclosed $400 million cost savings initiative.