Avon CEO emphasizes leadership, social responsibility

Jung, who was the fourth woman to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and has for several years been named one of the top 50 most powerful women in business by Forbes Magazine, listed the principles of passion, people, perseverance, personal humility, pride and purpose as critical to both successful business leadership and personal development.

Raising the example of individuals like Apple Inc., CEO Steve Jobs to underscore the importance of personal humility, Jung said that though he was a “genius,” Jobs was never shy about admitting his mistakes. This is important, because it allows people to do better, Jung said.

Jung attributed her success in the business world to performing tasks and seeking responsibilities not required of her. She added that as a manager, she sometimes challenges promising employees by promoting them before they feel ready.

Though she has faced tradeoffs in simultaneously raising two children — one of whom is a freshman at the University — and running a business, Jung said that it is by no means impossible. While she sometimes passed up attending volleyball games in favor of Avon meetings, or vice versa, Jung said she tried her best to go to all important events, both familial and corporate.

As a lower-level employee, Jung said that she would hide the fact that she sometimes had to leave work early to attend to her children, referring to trips to the pediatrician as “outside meetings.”

After advancing up the corporate ladder, however, Jung was able to be more direct about her family commitments, sending the message to her employees that raising a family is important as well.

Jung also discussed the importance of the Avon Foundation, a philanthropic auxiliary that aims to help women through initiatives such as ending domestic violence and combating breast cancer.

“Today’s companies are giving back less money [to the community] than they did 10 years ago,” Jung said. “Future leaders must once again take on a social responsibility.”

To date, Avon has raised $580 million to help women fund mammograms and breast cancer treatment, especially in impoverished areas, and intends to reach the $1 billion mark in the next three years, Jung said.

Jung admitted to having wrestled a bit as a student with her decision to major in English. She explained that, at the time, she could not see how her major would serve her in the long run. Jung said she enjoyed her studies immensely, though, and feels certain she made the right choice.

“[Jung] chose something with passion that eventually influenced her career path, which gave me insights on how to make decisions,” Dora Chua ’10 said.

In addition to being the CEO of Avon, Jung currently serves on the boards of several corporations, including General Electric and Apple Inc., and was a University Trustee from 1999 to 2003.