Orman to be Special Personal Finance Advisor to Avon Representatives NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products, Inc. announced today a special partnership with Suze Orman, renowned personal finance expert, award winning television host and best-selling author. Ms. Orman will work with Avon to advance their shared missions to provide financial empowerment to women around the world. In this capacity, she will serve as a Special Personal Finance Advisor to the Avon Representatives to offer money management advice and strategies for success. A first of its kind in the direct selling industry, the program will launch this month to the company's nearly 500,000 Avon Representatives in the U.S., with plans to expand globally in the future. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080103/NYTH021 ) "At Avon, we truly believe that the single most effective way to create positive change in the world is by helping to improve the lives of women everywhere," said Andrea Jung, Avon's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "For over a century -- thirty-four years before women won the right to vote -- Avon has been providing women the opportunity to earn money and achieve economic independence. Suze shares our deep commitment to empower women, and working together, we can form a powerful partnership to continue to advance this important agenda." Ms. Jung noted that Avon had conducted a worldwide opinion poll of women in 16 countries in early 2007, and the findings overwhelmingly showed that worries about money were at the top of the list of women's concerns. "Having enough money to live right and pay the bills" was cited by women as the number-one factor that would change their lives for the better. "No company is more committed than Avon to helping women achieve economic independence," says Suze Orman, "and this is certainly what my life and work are all about. The partnership with Avon is a logical and natural extension of everything I believe in. We both want to motivate women to be more, so that they can have more, for themselves and their families. I am confident we can make a huge difference toward the goal of empowering women and helping them achieve their financial hopes and dreams." As part of the partnership, Avon Representatives and employees will be provided with unprecedented access to Ms. Orman. An "Ask Suze" mailbox feature on the YourAvon.com intranet site has been created so Avon Representatives and employees can submit personal questions to Ms. Orman for individualized advice and guidance. Critical financial management tools will also be provided to determine FICO scores, create a will and trust, evaluate insurance and guard against identity theft. Ms. Orman will also be featured at key events, webinars and taped webcasts. "We know that financial security is the path to well being, self confidence and self esteem, and there simply is no one better than Suze -- the world's most sought after personal financial advisor -- to inspire and educate the Avon Representatives to create more personally fulfilled lives for themselves," says Liz Smith, President, Avon Products, Inc. "For over 120 years, Avon has given women unique earnings opportunities, and with Suze's valuable guidance, Representatives will have the tools they need to make the most of these earnings. Together, we want to change the way the world thinks, feels and acts about money." The long-term partnership with Suze will begin in January 2008. About Avon Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with almost $9 billion in annual revenues. As the world's largest direct seller, Avon markets to women in well over 100 countries through over five million independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon's product line includes beauty products, fashion, jewelry and apparel, and features such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Avon Solutions, Advance Techniques, Avon Naturals, Mark, and Avon Wellness. To find an Avon Representative, call 1-800-FOR-AVON or visit us online at http://www.avon.com/. About Suze Suze Orman has been called a "force in the world of personal finance" and a "one-woman financial advice powerhouse" by USA Today. She is a two-time award winning television host, New York Times bestselling author of six consecutive books, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and according to Business Week Magazine (2007), the number one female motivational speaker in the United States. Since its inception, Suze has been the contributing finance editor to O, The Oprah Magazine in the United States as well as in South Africa and to O at Home. She has a bi-weekly column, Money Matters, on Yahoo! Finance, a bi-monthly column for the Costco Connection and for Lowe's Moneyworks. Suze has written, co-produced, and hosted six PBS specials based on her New York Times bestselling books, and to date, is the single most successful fundraiser in the history of PBS. In 2007, Suze was honored with her record breaking fourth American Women in Radio and Television award for her work on the Suze Orman show which airs every Saturday night on CNBC. Suze appears regularly on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, The View and the Today Show and can be heard lecturing not only throughout America but in South Africa, China, India and Canada to crowds of thousands. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080103/NYTH021 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Avon Products, Inc. CONTACT: Debbie Coffey, +1-212-282-8187, , or Jennifer Iino-Harvey, +1-212-282-8193, , both of Avon Products, Inc. Web site: http://www.avon.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/079575.html

Copyright