New Avon Adds CIO

New Avon hired Helene F. Rutledge  as the company's chief innovation officer In this newly-created position, Rutledge will report directly to  Scott White,chief executive officer for New Avon.

“Helene brings nearly three decades of operational and innovation experience to New Avon. She has strong experience running product innovation for world-class consumer and pharmaceutical companies – expertise which will be invaluable to our product innovation efforts at New Avon,” said White. “Helene will be an outstanding addition to the Leadership Team, and she will build upon our legacy of offering women first-to-market breakthrough beauty technologies, including our highly successful Anew anti-aging skincare line and Avon Color cosmetics.”

As chief innovation officer for New Avon, Rutledge will be responsible for designing the innovation strategy and our new product development processes, involving both internal and external capabilities. Rutledge will work closely and collaborate with the marketing, product development, manufacturing and sourcing teams, as well as Avon Products, Inc. research and development and external partners to enhance our new product portfolio.

“I am thrilled to be joining New Avon at this pivotal time in the company's growth journey. I have always respected  Avon  as an iconic, purpose-driven brand, empowering women to run their own business selling innovative beauty products,” said Rutledge. “I look forward to shaping the vision for research and development for New Avon to ensure we continue to deliver leading edge, award-winning innovations to our Avon  representatives and their customers.” 

Prior to joining New Avon, Rutledge was VP-R&D for Nature's Bounty, Inc.,  where she led product and partner development across NBTY's diverse brands and geographies, including solid dose, liquid, powder, food and cosmetic form products. As an expert on innovation, Rutledge is currently an invited member of Henry Chesbrough's OI Forum, and previously served as the head of global open innovation for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and SVP-technology at AeroDesigns. During her time at AeroDesigns, Rutledge collaborated with David Edwards, inventor of inhaled insulin, at his incubator Le Laboratoire in Paris. She also held operations and product development roles with Pfizer, GoSMILE and Warner-Lambert where she led development of innovation award-winning Listerine PocketPaks. Additionally, she is the founder of the full-service NYC-based consultancy firm Caliper Innovation, which designs, develops and delivers products and innovation solutions. Earlier in her career, Rutledge worked at Avon Products, Inc., leading process development for fragrance, children's and bath products. 

New Avon LLC calls itself the leading social selling beauty company in North America. The company generated over $1 billion  in revenues during 2015, and has nearly 400,000 independent sales Representatives in  the United States, Puerto Rico  and  Canada. New Avon's product portfolio includes award-winning skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance and personal care products, featuring iconic brands such as Anew, Avon Color, Mark, and Skin So Soft, as well as fashion and accessories. Avon has a 130-year history of empowering women through economic opportunity, and the company also proudly supports the Avon Foundation for Women in its efforts to end breast cancer and domestic violence.