OVERVIEW
Dawn Zier is an accomplished CEO and independent board director best known for engineering a remarkable turnaround of the iconic brand, Nutrisystem (Nasdaq: NTRI). Throughout her career, she has successfully led enterprise-wide transformations and seized high-impact opportunities to drive aggressive growth in fast-paced, dynamic consumer-facing industries. A marketer at heart with intuitive insights and a passion for data and analytics, she has architected product innovation and marketing breakthroughs that have created noteworthy industry firsts, competitive advantage, and enviable shareholder value.
Career History
During her six-year tenure as CEO of Nutrisystem, Zier doubled revenues and increased operating income 7-fold. With her finger on the pulse of the consumer, she pursued a multi-brand strategy focused on digital transformation and innovation, that drove dramatic customer growth and lifetime value. Foundational to her leadership and company success is her belief in the importance of company culture and the power of team to inspire high performance. Nutrisystem was recognized as one of Fortune’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in 2017 and 2018 and was acquired by Tivity Health in March of 2019.
Previously, Zier held C-suite roles as President of International and President of Global Consumer Marketing at Reader’s Digest Association, a $1.4B global, data marketing and media company. She created successful transformative business models, integrated strategic acquisitions, and drove profit growth across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Prior to Reader’s Digest, she was part of the credit card marketing team at Chase.
In addition to her work at The ExCo Group, Zier serves on multiple public company boards including The Hain Celestial Group (Nasdaq: HAIN), Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) and Prestige Consumer Healthcare (Nasdaq: PBH). She chairs Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, brings significant Compensation and Audit Committee experience to the table, and has helped navigate several activist situations. Her leadership and board experience afford her deep understanding and appreciation for best practices and strong governance, future-focused planning, and engaged leadership. As a sought after thought leader, she frequently speaks and keynotes on such topics.
PERSONAL
Over the course of her career, Zier has been the recipient of numerous awards including being recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of The Year®, a member of Institutional Investor’s All-America Executive Team, and a member of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. She also has been deeply involved in not-for-profit work, most recently chairing the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign in Philadelphia. She holds an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).