Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: APPL) has named Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon (NYSE: AVP), as the eigth member of its board of directors. Andrea Jung is the first woman and the first Asian to hold a seat on Apple’s board. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, stated that Jung will bring a “new dimension” to the company’s board. It’s actually hard to believe that a progressive company like Apple has taken so long to add a woman to its board of directors.
Andrea Jung was an executive vice president at Neiman-Marcus before she joined Avon in 1996. She became CEO of Avon in 1999, and in the past 9 years, she has helped to grow the company to achieve an annual revenue of $8.7 billion. Avon’s stock price was up 15% in 2007. Jung has been credited with turning the once ailing Avon around and has appeared on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for several years.Â
Andrea Jung should infuse some energy into the board which has been under fire for backdating company stock options. In fact, that’s how Jung got her position on the Apple board of directors. She’s taking over the seat formerly occupied by Apple’s former CFO, John Anderson, who resigned amidst a stock options backdating scandal.
Andrea Jung joins Steve Jobs, Al Gore, Intuit’s (NASDAQ: INTU) William Campbell, Genentech’s (NYSE: DNA) Arthur Levinson and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt on Apple’s board of directors.
What do you think of Apple’s choosing Andrea Jung for a seat on its board of directors? Are you surprised Apple hasn’t had a womon on its board before now?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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