Herbalife Ltd. announced that Stephan Gratziani will transition away from his role as Chief Executive Officer at the end of October. John DeSimone, Herbalife Chief Financial Officer, will serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer while the Board of Directors is actively overseeing the succession process.

The company stated that Gratziani will now move into a consultant role and provide insight on strategy and business development, and will also return to focusing on his independent distributorship of nearly 700,000 distributors and preferred members.

“Over the past several years, we have established a clear strategy and strengthened the company’s focus on our distributors and the markets they serve,” Gratziani said. “With the business now having returned to growth and a strong foundation in place, this is the right time for the company to enter its next phase, with an increased focus on execution and operations across our complex global company. I remain deeply committed to Herbalife and look forward to supporting the company as a consultant and returning to my roots as a distributor, while devoting more time to my family.”

Gratziani joined Herbalife in 2023 as Chief Strategy Officer and played a key role in helping the company navigate the challenging post-pandemic period and reestablish its vision and strategy for stabilizing the business. Under Gratziani’s leadership, the company stated that it has returned to growth and established a stronger foundation for the future.

“Stephan provided us with a vision for our Herbalife community and a path toward becoming the leader in health and wellness and in the personal business opportunity we provide,” said Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board. “I am personally grateful, as is the entire Board, for the incredible investment of time, energy and passion he has made on behalf of Herbalife and all our stakeholders. I look forward to Stephan’s ongoing contributions as we continue advancing the strategy he helped establish, with an increasing emphasis on execution and operating performance.”