Operating Group

Chairman and CEO

Roger Barnett (Chairman)

 Mr. Barnett has been the Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation since leading an acquisition of the company 20 years ago. Founded in 1956, Shaklee is a leading natural nutrition company in the U.S., with more than 2 million members and ambassadors in North America and Asia. In 2000, Shaklee was the first company in the world to become certified to fully offset its carbon emissions.

Mr. Barnett is also the Chairman of The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), overseeing the 102 million representatives and $180 billion in revenue of the industry.

Mr. Barnett began his career at the investment banking firm Lazard Freres & Co. He then organized an investment group to acquire control of Arcade, Inc., which he transformed into the largest sampling company in the world. He was also the founder and CEO of Beauty.com, which was one of the first internet retailers in the cosmetics industry.

Mr. Barnett received his undergraduate degree from Yale College (Summa Cum Laude), his law degree from Yale Law School (Senior Editor, Yale Law Journal), and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Barnett has been selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum (Davos) and has also been selected as a Young Leader Fellow of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Additionally, Mr. Barnett serves as a member of the Harvard and Yale Schools of Public Health Leadership Councils, the Yale University President’s Council on International Activities, the Board of Directors of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity (until 2021), and the Advisory Board of 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai’s The Green Belt Movement.

Shaila Manyam (Executive Director)

Shaila Manyam is a strategic policy communications expert and former U.S. diplomat.   As the Executive Director of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), a global trade association based in Washington, D.C. that represents the direct selling industry.  Shaila leads an organization working with over 60 national Direct Selling Associations and numerous prominent multinational companies, whose combined sales exceed $167 billion, to support the industry, collaborate with key stakeholders in the public, private and civil society sectors and serve as a trusted source of information for and about the industry. 

Shaila joined WFDSA in April 2025, following a seven-year career as Executive Vice-President and Managing Director at Burson, formerly Burson-Marsteller, a global strategic communications firm.   She led global client teams for multinational corporations facing challenges in public affairs, reputation management, crisis communications and stakeholder strategy in industries including healthcare, agriculture, space and defense, consumer goods and technology.  Shaila also counseled C-level executives and world leaders on media, thought leadership, speaking opportunities and high-level engagements at global fora including the U.S. – Africa Leaders’ Summit, the UN General Assembly, the Munich Security Conference, the Milken Global Conference and the World Economic Forum.

Prior to joining Burson, Shaila was a Foreign Service Officer, serving as a senior national security official and spokesperson in Haiti, Israel, France and Iraq as well as Washington, D.C. as the spokesperson for the Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan/Pakistan Affairs and as a senior policy advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on UN, G7 and G20 issues. She is the recipient of multiple awards for her service, including five Superior Honor Awards from the U.S. Department of State, and recognition from the Smithsonian Institution for disaster recovery efforts in Haiti.

Shaila graduated with honors from Smith College, and received a Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics. She speaks six languages, including French, Arabic and Spanish. Shaila serves on the Board of Directors for NGO PartnersGlobal, the advisory board for Concordia, and is an adjunct faculty member for the Meridian International Center’s Corporate Diplomacy program. A frequent speaker on strategic communications and foreign policy, her media appearances include Bloomberg TV, Politico and Foreign Policy.

Chief Executive Officer

Lam Yu (Vice Chairman)

Lam Yu graduated from the Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University of China in 1987. He served as an Associate Professor in Southern Medical University in 1996. Lam joined joined LKK Health Products Group in 1993 and currently serves as the Groups Senior Vice President. Lam Yu has been serving as the head of infintus global and as the the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Infinitus (China) Company Ltd. since 2017. Lam is the Chairman of Si Li Ji Ren Foundation since 2017.

Founder, Co-Chairman, Global CEO

Dr. Dora Hoan (Secretary)

Dr. Dora Hoan is the founder of Best World International Ltd. and serves as its Co-Chairman, and Group Chief Executive Officer. In 2004, Best World Group became the first direct selling company to be publicly listed on the Singapore exchange. She served as the President Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) from 2001 to 2002 in Singapore. She initiated the Singapore Prestige Brand Award (SPBA). This pioneering effort has successfully contributed to increased awareness of Singapore society on the value of corporate branding for business success. She currently is an active member of ASME as a Past President. Dr. Dora Hoan has been recognized among the most outstanding entrepreneurs in the Asia Pacific region. Among her numerous awards, she received the distinction of being selected as the ASEAN’s Most Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur in 2007 and 2015. She also won the most inspiring woman award by Singapore Women’s Weekly in 2014. Dr. Dora Hoan serves as the Chairman of the Singapore Direct Selling Association. She served as the WFDSA Association Services Committee Chairman from 2011 – 2014. She is currently the WFDSA Secretary.

Industry Relations

Josephine Mills (Assistant Treasurer)

Josephine began her Avon career in 1987 and has extensive knowledge of Avon’s directselling business. She has held several positions within Avon in both Finance andGovernment Affairs, during which time – on two separate occasions – she became theproud recipient of the Avon Chairman’s Award.

As Executive Director – Government Affairs, Josephine oversees the daily government /legislative affairs department at Avon – North America, where she has been successful inprotecting Avon from onerous legislative / regulatory proposals and has also proactivelydrafted and worked to pass legislation in various states to relax restrictions furtherprotecting the Avon business.

Having provided financial support to various aspects of the Avon operations, includinginformation services, distribution, sales and supply chain, Josephine was able to effectivelyleverage both her financial skills and Avon knowledge with her political background.

Prior to joining Avon Products, Inc., Josephine served as Director of Budgets, City ofWaterbury, CT where she was most noted by the local media as “Deputy Mayor”. Shereceived the greater Waterbury area – Woman in Leadership Award for her manycontributions.

Josephine is currently WFDSA Assistant Treasurer and a member of the WFDSA Financeand Governance Committee as well as the Government Regulatory Affairs Committee.She is the recipient of the 2011 WFDSA Global Services Award.

Josephine is a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX) where shehas served as Vice Commander and is a founding member of the U.S. Homeland Securitydepartment. She is a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Volunteer “Gold” Service Award.

Josephine earned a BS in Accounting from Post College and an MBA in Finance from theUniversity of New Haven (UNH), and is currently an Advisory Board Member of the UNH –School of Business.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Ryan Napierski (Advocacy Chairman)

Ryan Napierski currently serves as Nu Skin’s president and member of Nu Skin’s executive committee. Prior to his current appointment, he served as president of global sales and operations, president of Nu Skin’s North Asia region and president of Nu Skin Japan. Since joining the company in 1995, Ryan has fulfilled multiple positions for Nu Skin including vice president of global business development, general manager for the United Kingdom, vice president of European business development, key account manager for United States executives, vice president of business development and chief operating officer for the North Asia region. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in business, a master’s degree in business administration from Duke University and a master’s degree in international business from Goethe Universität in Germany. He also holds positions on the Direct Selling Board of Directors, Direct Selling Education Foundation, Direct Selling Association, and The World Federation of Direct Selling Association. In his free time, Ryan loves to spend time with his family, including his three kids. He also loves traveling, skiing, and surfing.

Chief Executive Officer

Joao Paulo Ferreira (Treasurer / Ethics Chairman)

Joao Paulo Ferreira is CEO of Natura &Co Latin America, encompassing responsibility for Natura, Avon and The Body Shop in the region and Aesop in Brazil. In this role, he is also responsible for innovation and global stewardship of Natura’s brand. Ferreira joined Natura in 2009 as Vice President of Operations and Logistics. Other roles at Natura included leading the International Operations and Sustainability areas. Since 2013, he worked as Commercial Vice President, overseeing Sales, Activation Marketing, CRM, New Channels and Commercial Innovation in the company’s Brazilian operation. In October 2016, he took over as CEO of Natura. Previously, he worked at Unilever for 20 years, where the last position he occupied was Vice President of Supply Chain.João Paulo graduated in Electrical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP) and has an executive MBA from the University of Michigan, in the United States.

Director, Global Government Affairs & Public Policy

Mr. Cary Justice (Global Regulatory Affairs Chairman)

Cary G. Justice serves as Vice President – International Legal, Global Public Policy & Government / Industry Affairs at Amway. In this role, Mr. Justice leads the company’s global public policy and government affairs portfolio, overseeing a team of specialists dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Amway business at the international, federal, and state levels.

Mr. Justice is responsible for the development and execution of public policy strategies in collaboration with Amway’s General Counsel, regional leadership, and the Chief Executive Officer, supporting the company’s enterprise-wide business plans. He also serves as the lead Legal Division representative and subject matter expert on the Direct Selling business model for the Greater China Region. Additionally, he leads the company’s global Industry Affairs initiatives.

Prior to joining Amway in 2008, Mr. Justice was appointed by President George W. Bush as Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (2006–2008), where he oversaw legislative strategy to support the administration’s drug policy initiatives.

From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Justice served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. There, he advised the Secretary of Commerce and senior leadership on trade policy, foreign market barriers, and global competitiveness issues impacting U.S. businesses in the service, tourism, and finance sectors.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Justice worked as a government affairs specialist at the law firm Collier Shannon Scott, LLC, and served on the staff of Congressman Tom Bliley, then Chairman of the House Commerce Committee.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Mr. Justice holds a Bachelor of Arts from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and four sons.

Executive Director / Association Advisory Council Asia Pacific

Mr. Lawrence Cheah (Association Services Chairman)

Lawrence Cheah has made significant contributions to the Direct Selling industry in Malaysia through his role as the Executive Director of the Direct Selling Association of Malaysia (DSAM) since 2008. His extensive experience and established relationships with industry regulators and stakeholders enable him to effectively support and guide over 150 member companies. Under his management, DSAM has consistently achieved the Platinum ranking from the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), recognizing its excellence in association management and contributions to the Direct Selling sector. Additionally, Lawrence serves on the WFDSA Association Advisory Council for the Asia Pacific region and is a member of the WFDSA Ethics Committee, further underscoring his commitment to ethical practices in the industry.

Shaila Manyam (Executive Director)

Shaila Manyam is a strategic policy communications expert and former U.S. diplomat.   As the Executive Director of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), a global trade association based in Washington, D.C. that represents the direct selling industry.  Shaila leads an organization working with over 60 national Direct Selling Associations and numerous prominent multinational companies, whose combined sales exceed $167 billion, to support the industry, collaborate with key stakeholders in the public, private and civil society sectors and serve as a trusted source of information for and about the industry. 

Shaila joined WFDSA in April 2025, following a seven-year career as Executive Vice-President and Managing Director at Burson, formerly Burson-Marsteller, a global strategic communications firm.   She led global client teams for multinational corporations facing challenges in public affairs, reputation management, crisis communications and stakeholder strategy in industries including healthcare, agriculture, space and defense, consumer goods and technology.  Shaila also counseled C-level executives and world leaders on media, thought leadership, speaking opportunities and high-level engagements at global fora including the U.S. – Africa Leaders’ Summit, the UN General Assembly, the Munich Security Conference, the Milken Global Conference and the World Economic Forum.

Prior to joining Burson, Shaila was a Foreign Service Officer, serving as a senior national security official and spokesperson in Haiti, Israel, France and Iraq as well as Washington, D.C. as the spokesperson for the Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan/Pakistan Affairs and as a senior policy advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on UN, G7 and G20 issues. She is the recipient of multiple awards for her service, including five Superior Honor Awards from the U.S. Department of State, and recognition from the Smithsonian Institution for disaster recovery efforts in Haiti.

Shaila graduated with honors from Smith College, and received a Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics. She speaks six languages, including French, Arabic and Spanish. Shaila serves on the Board of Directors for NGO PartnersGlobal, the advisory board for Concordia, and is an adjunct faculty member for the Meridian International Center’s Corporate Diplomacy program. A frequent speaker on strategic communications and foreign policy, her media appearances include Bloomberg TV, Politico and Foreign Policy.

Director International Affairs

Ms. Maureen Paniagua

Maureen serves as the Director of International Affairs of WFDSA. In her capacity, she oversees the development, planning and execution of WFDSA initiatives that focus on advocating direct selling industry’s position with external stakeholders, promoting women’s economic empowerment initiatives, fostering ethical conduct in the marketplace and enhancing local association management. Maureen holds a BA degree in Political Science and History from the University of Maryland.