NEW YORK—Avon Products has appointed Cheryl Heinonen as group vice president, global corporate relations and chief communications officer. She will report to Sheri McCoy, Avon's chief executive and will be responsible for corporate and employee communications, public relations, corporate social responsibility and representative communications.

"As we work to stabilize, turn around and, ultimately, grow Avon, our ability to communicate effectively, both internally and externally, is critical,” says McCoy, who says Heinonen’s experience in women's economic issues “will bring a fresh perspective to this critical aspect of building our business."

Heinonen most recently served as a managing director at Burson-Marsteller in San Francisco, focusing on reputation management, CSR, organizational communications, consumer branding, and international public affairs.

Prior to joining Burson, Heinonen 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 communications programs for Visa International through its three-year corporate restructuring and IPO. She also established the company's internal and external digital communications strategy, global reputation management programs and integrated global CSR program.