Amway has selected one of its Asia Pacific executives to serve as the brand’s new Chief Marketing Officer. South Korea native Su Jung (SJ) Bae is transitioning from the role of Asia Pacific CMO to oversee Amway’s global brand, corporate social responsibility and public relations efforts. Former CMO Candace Matthews vacated the position to serve as Amway’s Regional President for the Americas.
Bae’s Amway career began in Korea, where a recent independent survey found that 58 percent of households own at least one Amway product. She came on board at Amway Korea in 1995 to market the company’s Nutrilite supplements.
As Asia Pacific CMO, Bae led the Artistry brand sponsorship of the Busan International Film Festival and helped establish Amway’s Asia Beauty Innovation Center. Her team also worked with local companies to launch new technologies and product ideas across Amway’s global networks. Amway has built a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, where direct selling is experiencing rapid growth. China, Japan and Korea trailed only the U.S. in 2013 retail sales, according to a World Federation of Direct Selling Associations report.
Heading up Amway’s global marketing efforts, Bae will oversee strategy and execution of category marketing for the company’s nutrition, beauty and home brands. In a statement on Amway’s blog, she expressed her intent to create “an environment where global marketing teams embrace the creative friction and trial and error needed for true innovation.”
In other company news, Amway announced Wednesday that 2014 sales dipped to $10.8 billion, down 8 percent from the company’s record in 2013. Though it does not release sales figures by country, Amway cited foreign currency fluctuations and lower revenue in China. The company noted strong growth in neighboring South Korea and Taiwan, as well as several of its South American markets.
“Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, we are optimistic and feel we are well positioned for growth,” Amway President Doug DeVos shared in a statement. “We will be opening five new manufacturing facilities and many new Amway Experience Centers to support our ABOs, and improving virtual experiences online. Additionally, attitudes toward, and interest in, entrepreneurship remain at all-time highs.”
