Nabeel Manal, third generation leader at Himalaya Herbal Healthcare India, will run its operations in the North American and Caribbean markets. Manal, the grandson of Himalaya's founder, Mr. M. Manal, will serve as the president and chief executive officer of Himalaya Herbal Healthcare in the United States.

Manal grew up in the United States but was born in India and returned there each summer to work at Himalaya as a teenager and young adult. After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing, he returned to Himalaya's headquarters in India to work full time. With a year of experience learning the family business, Manal ventured on his own, spending six years back in the United States as a senior consultant at Hewitt Associates. In this role, he served as a business leader in the health care consulting practice where he consulted with Fortune 500 organizations to create strategies to help optimize their investment in health care.

In June 2004, Manal returned to Himalaya to expand the vision his grandfather and father built over the last seventy-six years. As Himalaya's vice chairman, Manal gained a detailed understanding of Himalaya's operations, worked with the leadership team on Himalaya's strategic vision, formed a new company to market lifestyle products and increased collaboration among Himalaya's more than 60 international markets.

Drawn to the extraordinary opportunities for natural products in the United States, Manal has relocated to the United States full time to lead and develop the North America (United States and Canada) and Caribbean markets.

Manal brings a lot of enthusiasm to this position because, apart from loving what Himalaya stands for, "improving health and personal care through nature," Himalaya has been a part of his life from the very beginning. "I was raised on Himalaya products and regard many of the 2,500 employees as part of my family," Manal said. "It's easy to support products that are so effective and to work with employees I've known since I was young. I have a responsibility to the folks who have been with us since the beginning to keep the momentum of Himalaya growing strong," he said.

With ties to his Indian heritage coupled with his familiarity with the market in the United States, Manal's enthusiasm has already taken shape into aggressive goals for North America. "We are going to introduce more products specific to the needs of the American market very soon," he promises. "Many products have been under research and development for quite some time and are nearing the final stages." Additionally, Manal plans to make Himalaya more visible within the natural products industry. "I want Himalaya to have a larger presence at trade shows, retail markets and in publications," he said. "And plans are underway to perform clinical trials in the United States on several Himalaya products," he announced. Himalaya products are known for their proven efficacy through published clinical trials in India. "Trials conducted in the United States will enrich the already existing scientific data on these products," Manal said. "We want to continually validate and fortify the research we have conducted over the years to ensure consumers are getting the best product on the market when they purchase a Himalaya supplement," he said.