Please welcome the Secretary of State for Herbalife Yes, we said that the Herbalife sell case would be the next installment of our series on the company, but we interrupt that train of thought to bring you this fascinating piece of due diligence. I went to see your health and scientific center, and the dedication of your scientists there and how they were thinking there about how they could create a product that actually did what it said it was supposed to do. And to make sure is it was absolutely dedicated to a scientific basis, that it understood what it is in peoples bodies that requires them to have certain nutrients, and I was very impressed, truly impressed. Madeleine Albright there, in conversation with Michael Johnson, Herbalife chairman and chief executive. The first female Secretary of State is now a chair at global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge, that helps corporations, associations and non-profit organisations "meet their core objectives." For Herbalife, that includes geeing up the foreign troops. In a teaser for a recent event extravaganza in Cologne for 15,000 distributors (the jargon for sales people), Herbalife enthused: Over the past several years, Secretary Albright has spoken to our regional Distributor leaders in Europe, Mexico, China and North America. In returning to join us for this EMEA Extravaganza, she will share her experiences and powerful insights directly with you. It was a glitzy affair indeed. Click the picture to get a sense of the scale and razzmatazz of the events that Herbalife throws, as well as Secretary Albright's evident delight with her footwear. I should also mention that I am a regular user of Herbalife products, which is one reason that I feel so healthy and ready to go and wear my red shoes. The Secretary likes the idea of empowering women, helping development and spreading entrepreneurial values, all of which align with Herbalife's pitch. I wouldn't be here today if I weren't proud to be associated with Herbalife. And it wouldn't be operating in more than 80 countries if it weren't satisfying customers wherever it goes. What I also like is that Herbalife is a very democratic company. You don't have to be wealthy to enjoy its products, and you don't need a PHD to distribute them, all it takes is initiative and ability to communicate with others. And even more important, Herbalife is dedicated to a high standard of corporate responsibility and community service. Former Secretary Albright had a similar pitch at a Herbalife breakfast meeting in New Dehli this year, calling the company a: fascinating example of empowering people so that they are able to earn their own living, rise up to become the middle class, and ultimately have a greater stake in the governance of their own communities and country. The enthusiasm was on show in the conversation with Mr Johnson above, who added the necessary disclaimer that poor people can do well with Herbalife if they persevere and recruit a substantial network of protein-shake slinging underlings (our emphasis). Usually their incomes improve tremendously, especially the harder they work and the more of a network that they build. That "if" is at the heart of questions about Herbalife's business model, one viewed as exploitation rather than empowerment by the critics and short sellers. A spokesman for Albright Stonebridge said that the group has "been a consultant for five and a half years on international business matters." Before the firm began a consulting relationship with the company, we visited its factory, met the management and spoke with researchers. Albright Stonebridge has confidence in the leadership of Herbalife. That settles that then. For us, it is one more reminder that while there are considerable problems with Direct Selling Industry practices, it remains a well connected industry in Washington where any change to regulation and the law would have to be forced through. Indeed, there is the tantalising possibility that we have glimpsed the public face of an elite democratic diet club. Related Links: Madeleine Albright tires of missiles, launches hedge fund