Mark R. Hughes

Mark R. Hughes (January 1, 1956 – May 21, 2000) was an American entrepreneur who was the founder, chairman, and CEO of Herbalife, a multi-level marketing company.

Hughes was born in La Mirada, California, on January 1, 1956, the son of Stuard Hartman and Jo Ann Hughes. His parents divorced in 1970, when Mark was 14, and his mother retained custody of Mark.

At this point, the family survived on welfare payments with Hughes' mother suffering from mental health issues. She attempted to treat obesity and tension with amphetamines and sleeping pills. In the ninth grade, Hughes dropped out of school and began using drugs himself. He has self-described as "a little delinquent" during the time period.

At 16, Hughes attended CEDU High School, a private residential school for troubled youngsters in Running Springs, California, whose origins were associated with Synanon, a group founded in 1958 and later described as a cult. Part of Hughes' CEDU rehabilitation program required him to raise money by selling raffle tickets. Hughes subsequently became the school's best salesman.

Hughes was 19 years old and still working for CEDU when his mother died in her apartment of a drug overdose on April 27, 1975.

Hughes began his career in 1976 at Seyforth Laboratories selling diet products. He spent three years there and was listed as one of the company's top 100 earners.

In 1979, after Seyforth Laboratories shut down, he joined Golden Youth, a direct-sales outfit that sells exercise equipment and weight-control products. When Golden Youth went out of business, Hughes decided to start his own operation.

In February 1980, aged 24, Hughes founded Los Angeles-based Herbalife International. It has since become one of the world's largest distributors of Herbalife products through multi-level marketing, with sales of about $3.5 billion in 2007 and 2.1 million independent distributors. Active in 95 countries and achieving record retail sales of $7.5 billion in 2013 according to company statements.

Mark and Suzan established the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) in 1994, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving vulnerable children's lives through helping charity organizations meet the nutritional needs of children at risk, and providing funds to organizations that assist victims of natural disasters. The Herbalife Family Foundation has also provided scholarships and grants for health research.

In 1979, Hughes met Kathryn Whiting, a former Miss Santa Monica, who would become his first wife. They divorced in 1984 and in the same year, he married Angela Mack, a Swedish former beauty queen.

In September 1987, Hughes married Suzan Schroder, a former actress, court reporter and Miss Petite U.S.A. In December 1991, the couple welcomed a son, Alexander Reynolds "Alex" Hughes. Suzan filed for divorce from Hughes in September 1997.