Avon Board Said to Debate Firing Jung Before Keeping as Chairman

Avon Products Inc. directors debated for three weeks whether to fire Andrea Jung before deciding to remove her as chief executive officer and retain her as chairman, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Avon’s nine independent directors decided Jung, 53, should stay on because she’s the well-known face of the company and a role model for its 6.5 million mostly female sales representatives, said the two people, who declined to be named because the matter is private.