Weight Watchers has appointed Stephen Bye President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of its board, with the appointment expected to become effective this fall.
Bye most recently served as President and CEO of Ookla, whose brands include Speedtest, Downdetector, RootMetrics and Ekahau. Weight Watchers said he significantly expanded subscription revenue, improved profitability and operating efficiency, and led the integration of multiple acquisitions during his tenure.
The appointment comes as Weight Watchers continues building an integrated weight health platform for the GLP-1 era, combining its behavioral weight-management model with clinical care, access to GLP-1 medications, technology and data-driven services.
Bye brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across subscription, technology and telecommunications businesses. Before Ookla, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of DISH Network’s wireless business, CEO of Connectivity Wireless, President of C Spire and CTO of Sprint.
Earlier in his career, Bye held positions at Cox Communications, AT&T, BellSouth International, Optus Communications and Telstra.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to welcome Stephen as the CEO of Weight Watchers,” said Gene Davis, Chairman of the Weight Watchers Board of Directors. “He is a proven chief executive and operations expert with a track record of growing subscription businesses, strengthening consumer offerings and creating significant shareholder value. At Ookla, he redesigned and rebuilt the subscription business, sharpened the company’s product line and go-to-market strategy and drove meaningful growth, significantly increasing the company’s enterprise value during his tenure. That combination of consumer focus, operational discipline and technological expertise makes him exceptionally well suited to lead Weight Watchers through its next phase of growth.”
Gene Davis, Chairman of the Weight Watchers Board of Directors
“Weight Watchers is at an important moment, with the strength of an iconic brand, a growing clinical business and significant potential to reshape how it serves consumers. What excites me most is the opportunity to bring together Weight Watchers’ proven behavioral approach, clinical care and access to GLP-1 medications with technology and an increased focus on data-driven results to create a truly integrated and personalized weight health experience,” said Bye. “I look forward to working with the Board and the entire Weight Watchers team to build on the progress underway, strengthen the business and help more people live healthier, longer lives.”
Stephen Bye, Incoming President and Chief Executive Officer of Weight Watchers
