Andrea Jung is President and Chief Executive Officer of Grameen America, the fastest-growing microfinance organization in the United States. Ms. Jung, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Avon Products, Inc. and longtime champion of women’s issues, was appointed by Grameen’s Chairman Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus to the position in April 2014 “ to bring her unique qualifications and able leadership to accelerate our mission.” Founded in 2008, Grameen America is dedicated to helping women who live in poverty build small businesses to create better lives for their families. In a record achievement over the last five years, Grameen America has proved that microlending to poor women increases their income, creates assets and builds communities. In just 6 years Grameen America has invested more than $140 million in women’s microbusinesses.
Ms. Jung, the longest serving female chief executive in the Fortune 500, is respected as a trailblazer for women’s empowerment. She served as CEO of Avon from 1999 through April 2012, and as Chairman from 2001 through December 2012. As Avon’s first woman CEO and Chairman, Ms. Jung was also the first woman to serve as Chairman of the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association, and Chairman of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations.
During her tenure at Avon, she was responsible for developing and expanding economic earnings opportunities to over six million women in over one hundred countries. Ms. Jung has been lauded globally for her dedication to empowering women through her pursuit of public-private partnerships to end violence against women and to stem the breast cancer epidemic. Under her leadership, the Avon Foundation for Women raised and awarded nearly $1 billion to support health and empowerment causes, becoming the largest women-focused corporate philanthropy around the world. Ms. Jung’s efforts were recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative, which in 2010 honored her with the Clinton Global Citizen Award for her visionary leadership in solving pressing global challenges.
Throughout her corporate tenure, Ms. Jung ranked consistently among the top leaders on lists including Fortune magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Business,” Forbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in the World” and Financial Times’ “Top Women in World Business.”
Andrea Jung currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the General Electric Company, Apple Inc., and Daimler AG. She also serves on the Committee for Economic Development, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan American think tank. She is a graduate of Princeton University.
