Founder Weight Watchers International, Inc. (Deceased) – New York, New York
Jean Nidetch, Founder of Weight Watchers International, Inc. has helped to change the shape of millions of overweight men and women throughout the world. Her story began in 1961 when she found a diet that she could live with and began to share it with others. She knew she had succeeded beyond her dreams when 17,000 Weight Watchers’ members from around the world gathered in New York’s Madison Square Gardens to celebrate the organization’s tenth anniversary. She resigned as President of the company to continue as a consultant to Weight Watchers everywhere. In 1978, Weight Watchers was acquired by the H. J. Heinz Company and today is the world’s largest company in the field of personal weight control. Ms. Nidetch has appeared on countless radio and television programs and is a vivacious speaker lecturing to large groups throughout the nation. She is responsible for many best-selling books expressing the unique qualities of the Weight Watchers program. Articles about her life have appeared in numerous publications and she has been the recipient of hundreds of awards and accolades. A few years ago LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL honored her as one of “The Most Important Women in the U.S.” In 1989 she was honored by the Horatio Alger Association. “There will always be new opportunities for those of us who set no limit in our quest to accomplish our goals, and so we will realize our wildest dreams.”
