Obesity expert joins Slimming World team
Slimming World is pleased to welcome Dr Paul Sacher to the role of Chief Research and Development Officer for Slimming World USA.
Paul joins the company to lead a project to adapt Slimming World’s hugely successful UK-based weight management programme for the USA and other international markets.
Slimming World is currently conducting in-depth research into the USA market to determine how best to translate its highly successful UK and Ireland plan for the American market.
“I’m looking forward to working with Slimming World to help bring this highly successful and effective weight management programme to the US market,” says Paul. “This is a fantastic opportunity to use the knowledge and skills that I’ve gained over the last two decades developing, implementing and evaluating behaviour change programmes focused on overweight and obese children and their families. I’m relishing the opportunity to take on this new challenge to spearhead the adaptation and implementation of Slimming World’s model in the USA and beyond. It’s an enormously exciting time for me and for Slimming World.”
As well as founding MEND, Paul is Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London Institute of Child Health and an Honorary Principal Dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust. Paul was the driving force behind the development, adaptation and evaluation of MEND’s programmes (community-based and online) in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada and Saudi Arabia. He also founded the MEND International Research Group, which has members predominantly from the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. Members consist of highly respected and prestigious academics and clinicians from the fields of weight management, nutrition, physical activity, behaviour change, health economics and systems dynamics.
Caryl Richards, Slimming World’s Managing Director, says: “We’re delighted to be working with Paul. He is hugely respected as a child obesity expert, having founded MEND, the largest international child weight management programme, and he has an excellent knowledge and deep understanding of the obesity landscape. As the UK’s leading weight management provider, we are keen to take our unique brand of support into the USA, where the obesity crisis is as severe as in the UK, and help is so very badly needed. Paul’s expertise and experience in adapting weight management programmes for international markets will help us ensure that we comprehensively adapt our approach to suit the USA’s different cultural needs, while staying true to the fundamental principles that are key to our effectiveness.”
