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Tim Zagat
Tim Zagat is the co-Founder,
co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Zagat Survey®, the
world's leading provider of consumer survey-based dining, travel
and leisure information.
Zagat Survey was launched in
1979 as a hobby by Tim and his wife Nina, who started to rate
restaurants through public opinion surveys, first conducted on
paper questionnaires and now online via the internet. The Survey
became so popular that it rapidly developed into a full-time
publishing enterprise.
Following their initial success
in New York City, the Zagats expanded their concept in the mid-1980's
to cover dining scenes in other markets, later adding hotels,
nightlife, movies, golf, shopping and a range of other entertainment
resources. Today, Zagat has a presence throughout the U.S. as
well as in 100 countries worldwide, and the Zagat brand is internationally
respected as a symbol of quality. Its unique user-generated content
is available in print, digital and mobile formats. Zagat content
and the Zagats themselves have been featured on television virtually
daily. They have been the subject of biographies on CBS, A&E
and, most recently, on the History Channel.
The Zagats were recognized as
Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2000 and in
2001 were inducted into New York University's Entrepreneurship
Hall of Fame. They are also inductees of the Hospitality Industry
Hall of Honor and the James Beard Who's Who in Food & Beverage,
are Fellows of the Culinary Institute of America, and have served
on the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism.
Tim has served in various prominent
civic, cultural and charitable capacities. He is currently a
board member of the Partnership for NYC, the World Travel &
Tourism Council (WTTC) and Business for Diplomatic Action and
is a member of the Executive Committee of NYC & Company,
the official marketing, promotion and tourism arm of New York
City, which he chaired from 1999 through 2002. For his role in
responding to 9/11, Tim received l'Ordre de Merite from the French
Government.
Tim earned an LL.B. from Yale
Law School in 1966 and a B.A. from Harvard College in 1961. Between
college and law school, Tim was Vice President of the United
States National Student Association and Director of Reading Material
Programs for the Peace Corps. After law school, he was a litigator
for 20 years, the last seven of which as Chief Litigation Counsel
of Gulf & Western Industries, Inc. The Zagats have been married
since 1965 and have two adult sons, Ted and John. |
