Herbalife thrives despite being under attack

Singapore

UNITED States-listed Herbalife's president, Des Walsh, may need to step up his marathon workouts, which he does dutifully once a year at southern California's seaside city, Huntington Beach.

Running is, after all, a great way to clear out work angst, something which those at the helm of Herbalife, a global nutrition company that sells healthy meals, appear to have plenty of these days.

For the past 16 months, the Cayman Islands-based marketer of vitamins and weight-loss shakes has been caught in a firestorm after hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman waged a US$1 billion bet against the firm.

Labelling the diet shake maker a pyramid scheme, Mr Ackman, of Pershing Square Capital Management fund, forecast that Herbalife's stock price will plummet to zero. On the back of that…