The CEO and president of The Hershey Company, Michele Buckis, will be leaving the company next year, the company said on Friday.
According to a news release, Buck, who has been the company’s leader since 2017, told the board of directors that she intends to retire on June 30, 2026.
According to Hershey, Buck will continue to hold her current positions, such as Chairman of the Board of Directors, until a replacement is chosen. She intends to leave the board at that point and take a position as a senior advisor until she retires.
Leading Hershey, a genuinely unique company, has been the apex of my career, Buck said in a statement. I am incredibly pleased of the work our team has done in building one of the most robust and well-known snacking portfolios in the business.
In 2005, Buck began working at Hershey.
The board announced that it has formed a special committee to find Hershey’s new CEO, adding that it will take into account both internal and external applicants. The board will collaborate with a search agency that is well-known nationwide.
Victor Crawford, a board member, expressed the board’s gratitude for Buck’s leadership and vision.
In addition to driving sustainable international growth and creating cutting-edge capabilities and growth platforms to transform Hershey into a more robust and diversified company, Michele has left countless marks on the company, he said. He was also a major architect of the company’s expansion into broader snacking categories.
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