SINGAPORE 8 October 2008 – Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products, Inc., ranked one of the ‘world’s most powerful women’ vows to champion the economic empowerment of women in the direct selling industry worldwide over the next three years, to help them achieve financial independence.

Jung made this commitment to 500 delegates including CEOs and senior executives from 50 countries at their three-day 13th global congress of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), that opened in Singapore today.

Her ‘bold global goal’ will kick off her tenure as the new chair of the WFDSA. Jung said, “I believe that during this time of economic crisis, direct selling can provide financial independence and bring important economic renewal when the world needs us most. In fact, direct selling today is probably one of the best examples of micro enterprise in action on a global scale. Micro-enterprise is now being recognized on the world stage as perhaps the single best solution to dramatically improve living standards and lift women, families and societies out of poverty.”

There is no glass ceiling in the direct selling industry with reward directly related to effort, with women earning dollar for dollar with men for the same work.

Jung said, “My personal mission is to tell the world about the transformative impact of direct selling, about how it changes women’s lives, helps them feed, clothe and educate their children, and about how in the process we help improve social conditions and change the world. Today, more than 85 percent of direct selling micro entrepreneurs are women. That’s 50 million women with 50 million stories to tell!”

Jung is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and is fluent in Mandarin. In 2008, she was ranked #19 on the Forbes list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.” In 2008, she was ranked #6 on Fortune magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list. She has been ranked on The Wall Street Journal’s "50 Women to Watch” since 2004, and was one of 18 executives included in U.S News & World Report’s “America’s Best Leaders 2007.”

The outgoing chair of WFDSA, Truman Hunt, President and CEO of Nu Skin Enterprises said that the direct selling industry drew more than US$114 billion (SGD166 billion) in global sales in 2007, through more than 62 million salespeople worldwide. In Asia alone, there are 30 million direct selling salespeople, 25 million of them, women.

In global direct selling, Asia leads with USD37 billion in product sales, followed by North America at USD32 billion (16 million salespeople), Europe, Africa and the Middle East at USD27 billion (nine million salespeople), Central America, South America and the Caribbean USD 17 billion (7 million salespeople) and Australia, Pacific USD1.4 billion (700,000 salespeople)

The direct selling industry dates back thousands of years to the days of Phoenicians, Marco Polo and the Middle Ages. The US Direct Selling Association will be 100 years old in 2010.

Hunt described direct selling sales leaders as the ‘world’s most remarkable people – entrepreneurs, optimists and inspiring people.’ He said, “In many parts of the world, direct selling is growing at a faster pace than traditional retail channels around the world and generates a significant economic impact.”

During his tenure as chair of WFDSA from 2005-2008, three new Direct Selling Associations representing Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and Kazakhstan, were opened. A new Chinese DSA is being formed after breakthrough in 2006 when direct selling was approved to resume in China. This resulted in 23 companies being licensed to direct sell in China. An estimated 36 billion RMB in sales were generated in China through nearly 2 million sales people.

Hunt said, “The recent developments in China represent a tremendous milestone for the direct selling industry. For the very first time, the WFDSA will welcome several China representatives to its Congress and will continue to work closely with the Chinese DSA to support the direct selling industry in China.”

In addition to empowering people’s quality of their lives and financial security, the direct selling industries worldwide of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), generous donors to charity, giving away USD332 million in 2005. Between 2002 and 2006, their donations rose by 85 percent.

The one big challenge before the industry continues to be the battle for credibility and trust. Hunt said, “I look forward to the day when we can enjoy the reputation we deserve and when consumers look to direct selling as a benchmark of integrity. I believe that through our collective effort through WFDSA and our unified global membership, that day is not far off.”

Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director of Grameen Bank will speak on the closing day of WFDSA congress on 10 October. Direct selling is seen as similar in many ways to micro financing except there is no investment needed to join most direct selling companies, said the WFDSA.

This is the second time that the WFDSA congress has been held in Singapore after a break of 21 years. Singapore is the only country to have the honor to twice host the global congress. The Minister of State Mr Lee Yi Shyan will be the guest of honor at WFDSA gala dinner.