Avon eyes online with new chief digital officer, chief tech officer

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jul 31, 2018

As part of continued changes to its digital strategy, Avon announced on Monday the appointment of Benedetto Conversano to the newly-created role of SVP, Chief Digital & Information Technology Officer, and the appointment of Heather Payne as Chief Technology Officer.

Conversano will succeed Sue Liddie, GVP, Chief Information Officer who is retiring, as well as assume additional responsibilities for leading and developing Avon's digital strategy. His appointment is effective September 3. 
 
Most recently, he was the Chief Global Information Officer at food, health and beauty retailer Jeronimo Martins where he was responsible for their global strategy to "Grow efficient, digital and consumer relevant" B2C transformation.

Prior to that, he served on Ikea's e-commerce board, as well as worked for 15 years at the consumer packaged goods business, Procter & Gamble (P&G), where he built CRM, ERP and Sales Force Automation systems. 
 
"Avon is undergoing a period of significant change, and customer-friendly digital interfaces, supported by a much more efficient technology infrastructure and rich data analytics, are a key strategic driver of the organization's future progress," said Jan Zijderveld, Chief Executive Officer, in a news statement. 
 
"We are thrilled for the opportunity to benefit from Benedetto's proven, strong strategic, consumer-focused digital, technological and operational skillset, having played a pioneering role in helping some of the world's best-known brands deploy consumer-friendly digital platforms."
 
In addition to the appointment of Coversano, Heather Payne has also been appointed as Chief Technology Officer and will report into Coversano.
 
She previously served as Chief Technology Officer for DMG media (Daily Mail Group), and was Group Head of IT, Hotel Inventory & Complementary at Thomas Cook Group. 
 
Earlier this month, Avon also announced several changes to its senior global marketing leadership team.