Noom Names Geoff Cook CEO as it Enters Weight Loss Meds Sector
The new CEO says the opportunities to expand Noom Med and Noom for Work are “massive”
Noom, a digital health platform that blends personalized psychology with medicine, has hired Geoff Cook as its new CEO.
Cook will also join Noom’s board of directors, while Noom’s co-founder, Saeju Jeong, will continue as the wellness company’s executive chairman of the board. Jeong previously served as CEO for 16 years.
Crediting Noom with a laudable vision of designing technology to foster human flourishing and longevity, Cook is gearing up to lead the digital health company to new heights.
“The team’s passion and hard work has built a powerful brand for human behavior change,” Cook said. “Having spent the last 18 years driving innovation to promote social connection and well-being, I’m thrilled to bring that spirit of transformative innovation to additional health and wellness dimensions. I believe Noom can build on its strong and compelling foundation to reach everyone everywhere on their wellness journey.”
Cook has extensive executive experience building and leading global teams. He was co-founder and CEO of The Meet Group, which provides live-streaming video and creator economy solutions for social apps, before being named co-CEO of The Meet Group’s parent company, ParshipMeet Group, which owns eHarmony. He also serves as a trustee of The Franklin Institute, a science and technology center.
Jeong commented that Cook is a transformative leader who will lead the digital health company through the next phase of its evolution.
“With his lengthy track record building and scaling businesses and revenue streams, I know Geoff is ideally positioned to accelerate Noom’s growth and profitability,” said Jeong, adding that serving as Noom’s CEO has been an amazing gift. “I look forward to continuing to make an impact on the lives of our customers in my role as executive chairman,” he continued.
Noom Enters Medically Assisted Weight Loss
Cook will also build upon Noom’s new medically assisted weight loss program and its B2B offerings.
In May, Noom launched Noom Med, an obesity care program it says is powered by biology and psychology. Dedicated to fighting obesity with long-lasting success, Noom Med combines telehealth services with the personalized psychological approach for which Noom has become known.
Like competitors WeightWatchers and Found, Noom Med pairs patients with clinicians who may prescribe weight loss medication for qualified consumers. Noom then delivers a complete plan through its mobile app.
“We are still very early in realizing our full vision of behavior change in healthcare, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Geoff to make it a reality,” said Noom’s co-founder and president, Artem Petakov.
The weight loss drug market could be worth $100 billion in a few short years and possibly $200 billion within the next decade, according to a Barclays analyst.
Instead of fully pivoting from health and diet offerings to prescription medications, companies like Noom are instead blending the two and teaching healthy habits, believing that combining both approaches leads to greater long-term success for consumers.
Cook Eyes B2B & Noom for Work
In light of his new leadership role, Cook penned an essay explaining why he’s excited to lead Noom. In the piece, he explained that after consumers achieve “scale victories,” it’s crucial to provide tech and tools to deepen engagement and community, writing that social support is a form of wellness.
“After all, when Noom extends the lifetime of its customers, it can extend their lifetimes,” Cook wrote.
He added that the opportunities to expand Noom Med and Noom for Work (which can make Noom Weight, Noom Med, Noom Mood and Noom’s Diabetes Prevention Program available commercially for employers and health plans) are massive.
“The US continues to struggle with population-wide metabolic health issues,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, health systems, healthcare providers, employers, and payers are in dire need of programs and tools that can better our health and productivity.”
Cook believes the enterprise opportunity for Noom is large and shared that he’d like to see Noom continue to push into B2B and enterprise opportunities.
“I believe Noom for Work can make all of Noom’s programs available commercially for employers and health plans, representing a significant growth opportunity for the company,” he wrote.
