• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 28, 2024

WW International says chief executive officer Sima Sistani is leaving and it has replaced her with board member Tara Comonte as interim CEO. Comonte, a former chief financial officer of ShakeShack, most recently had been CEO of TMRW Life Sciences, a biotech company innovating storage in the in-vitro fertilization field.

Sistani’s departure follows a turbulent two years, as she tried to steer the legacy weight-loss brand in new directions in the age of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. That included an unprecedented apology to millions of past customers and body positivity advocates, for the company’s participation in what she described as a “toxic diet culture.” And as she ushered in the use of weight loss drugs through WeightWatchers Clinic, she also steered the company to a greater digital presence and cut back on in-person meetings. That alienated some of Weight Watcher’s most devoted followers.

In the announcement, WW says that the brand is “focused on improving its operational and financial performance while continuing to build on its product innovation and solutions for members.”

Sistani’s exit is a surprise. Just weeks ago, the company announced the appointment of new team members, including Scott Honken as chief commercial officer and Phillip Picardi as chief impact officer. In that announcement, Sistani said the two new hires would work with her to continue “engaging communities and accelerating growth.”

Current ads focus on personalization and WW's new offering of prescription medication, as well as its more traditional features, including points-based weightloss methods.

Comonte steps into the role as the company’s stock price has cratered, falling to below $1 a share. At its height in July of 2018, shares fetched more than $102.

Much of the company’s recent rise and fall is due to Oprah Winfrey, who joined the board in 2015 and acquired a 10% share. After losing weight thanks to GLP-1 drugs, she left the board earlier this year, donating the remainder of her shares to charity. Dhe shared extensively about her experience in an ABC special, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution." 

That revolution continues to roil WW. In August, the company released quarterly results, revealing a 5.7% decrease in revenues to $200 million, a 54% drop in net income to $23.3 million, and a 6.1% drop in digital subscribers, to 3.8 million subscribers.

It added 81,000 clinical subscribers as it rolled out prescription offers.