Every year Fortune magazine publishes its list of the top 500 U.S. companies ranked by reported gross revenue. In the highly competitive world of business, the CEOs of these companies are responsible for making decisions that allow a company to enter this elite group and remain on the list year after year. Avon Products Inc. first appeared on the Fortune 500 list in the inaugural year of 1955, ranking at number 455. Over the years, Avon has moved up and down the 500 list and has managed to stay there since its first appearance as a top-grossing company. By the mid-1990s the company was on the verge of returning to the rankings of 1955. Hired as Avon's first female CEO in 1999, Ms. Andrea Jung, one of only 10 female CEOs listed on the 2006 Fortune 500 list; led the overhaul of Avon Products Inc. and took the company from number 308 in 1999 to number 281 on the recently released list in 2006. Born in Toronto, Canada to first-generation Chinese immigrants in 1959, Andrea Jung credits some of the his success in family education. Raised with traditional Chinese values ​​and with parents who emphasized education, Ms. Jung excelled in most of her endeavors. Raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Ms. Jung thrived by earning top grades in academics, excelling at piano and becoming fluent in Mandarin Chinese. Her formal education was completed in 1979 after graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English Literature from Princeton University. Mrs. Jung has two children. She adopted a nine-year-old son with ex-husband Michael Gould and a 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. When her busy schedule allows, Ms. Jung often plays the piano to relax. Her favorite piece of jewelry, a white pearl choker, has become one of her fashion trademarks. Amusingly, Ms. Jung was given a custom-made Barbie by Mattel in recognition of her efforts in a cross-promotional project between Avon and the toy maker. The Barbie features the likeness of Mrs. Jung complete with long black hair, dark pantsuit and, of course, a pearl choker. After graduation, Ms. Jung entered the management training program at Bloomingdale's and quickly rose through the ranks to become vice president and chief merchandising officer. the age of 26.