Avon Products Inc. said Charles Cramb, vice chairman of itsdeveloped market group, has left the world's biggest door-to-doorcosmetics seller amid the company's internal investigation intobribery.

Cramb, who had previously been chief financial officer, departedin a “personnel action” taken Jan. 29, Avon said in a regulatoryfiling yesterday. No “final determinations” have been made in theinvestigation, nor have Cramb's separation terms been decided, theNew York-based company said.

Chief Executive Officer Andrea Jung is stepping down as thecompany investigates potential violations of the Foreign CorruptPractices Act, which led to the firing of four executives overbribes to officials in China. Avon also said in October that theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began a probe into itsforeign operations and its dealings with analysts.

Avon rose 1.7 percent to $18.29 at 9:50 a.m. in New York. Theshares dropped 40 percent last year.

Jennifer Vargas, a spokeswoman for Avon, didn't immediatelyreturn a phone call seeking comment. Cramb couldn't immediately bereached for comment.

Jung, 53, who had run Avon since 1999, will remain chairman andwork with the board to recruit a replacement, the company said Dec.13.

Avon is shaking up the executive suite amid slowing sales andprofit growth as consumers cope with unemployment and an economicexpansion that has trailed forecasts. With its door-to-door salesmodel, Avon also vies with larger rivals such as Procter &Gamble Co. and Estee Lauder Cos. that can spend more on researchand marketing and have a strong retail presence in fast-growingemerging markets such as China.

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Jung recommended splitting the CEO and chairman roles “to betteraddress the company's scale and opportunities,” Vargas said in aninterview in December.

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