Cheryl's responsibilities will include PR, representative comms, corporate social responsibility and corporate and employee comms. She will report to Avon CEO Sheri McCoy.

Sheri said: "As we work to stabilise, turn around and, ultimately, grow Avon, our ability to communicate effectively, both internally and externally, is critical. Cheryl's strong leadership is a welcome addition to my management team.

"Her experience in women's economic issues in our key markets will also bring a fresh perspective to this critical aspect of building our business."

Cheryl was MD at Burson-Marsteller, working as an advisor on comms and reputation management to some of the world's top consumer brands. Her areas of focus include reputation management, CSR, organizational comms, consumer branding and international public affairs.

Before Burson-Marsteller, she spent the majority of her career at Visa, where she worked from 1997 to 2008. In her final role as senior vice president of global corporate relations, she managed all comms programs for Visa International through its three-year corporate restructuring and IPO.

She also has extensive involvement with the global women's economic development agenda, having worked with corporations, foundations, and NGOs in this field since 2004.