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Thirteen members of Kent Kreh’s family are Mizzou
Tigers. Photo courtesy of the MU College of Arts and Science
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Alum
Spotlight: Weight Loss Guru
Kent Kreh, who earned a bachelor’s
degree in political science in 1957 at Mizzou, has been influencing
the weight-loss industry for more than 30 years. Since January
2002, Kreh has served as chairman of the board for Jenny
Craig, Inc. Before arriving at Jenny Craig, Kreh was president
and CEO of Weight
Watchers International, Inc.
“MU’s commitment to academic
and social excellence is what is most memorable about my college
experience there,” Kreh says. “Learning how to balance
activities with my educational studies helped prepare me for
future opportunities.”
While at Weight Watchers, an H.J.
Heinz affiliate, Kreh oversaw a system of company-owned,
franchised and licensed operations that had more than one million
members attending 29,000 Weight Watchers meetings in 29 countries.
Worldwide retail revenues of food, publications, meetings and
other licensed products exceeded $1 billion.
Until the mid-90s, Weight Watchers suffered
from a dated brand image and inefficient operations. Within
a three-year period, Kreh guided the company to become a strong
contributor to the Heinz family, breaking all previous profit,
revenue and attendance records.
Keys to this turnaround were the strategic
initiatives Kreh implemented. He skillfully refocused Weight
Watchers’ weight management program, recrafted the company’s
image around spokesperson Sarah, Duchess of York, and realigned
its costs structure and management team. This was pivotal in
positioning the company for sale to a European investor for
$735 million in 1999.
Kreh’s credentials also include his
time as president and CEO of U.S. skincare retailer and spa
operator Georgette
Klinger, and as executive vice president and publisher for
the Weight Watchers Publishing Group. Before joining Weight
Watchers in 1972, Kreh spent three years as a marketing director
for General
Mills.
MU awarded Kreh an honorary doctorate of
humane letters in 1998. He has served on numerous boards and
committees at the University, including the College
of Arts and Science Strategic Development Board and the
MU Alumni Association
Communications Committee. Kreh also is a board member of several
charitable organizations, including the American
Heart Association.
Mizzou is a tradition in Kreh’s family.
He met his wife of 44 years, Dorothy Burgess Kreh, on a blind
date there. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary
education in 1958. This fall, the 13th member of his family
will enter Mizzou as a student and Marching
Mizzou member. Kreh’s family has pursued degrees in
nursing, education, arts and science, agriculture and business.
“The variety of academic opportunities
that the University offers has made Mizzou a family tradition,”
Kreh says.
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Last Update:
March 12, 2007
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