Hershey Co. Appoints Mary West as Chief Growth Officer

An executive from J.C. Penney Company Inc., Mary Beth West, was named by incoming Hershey Company chief executive officer Michelle Buck as senior vice president and Chief Growth Officer, the Hershey, PA company announced Monday.

West will take charge of the company’s growth strategy at a time when the company is renewing its efforts to boost profits in North America as sales elsewhere in the world have fallen. Reporting to Buck, the new CGO will oversee insights and analytics, mergers and acquisitions, and the Hershey Experience.

Prior to her role at J.C. Penney, where she sat on the board and helped revitalize the brand, West led multi-billion dollar businesses and marketing at Mondelez International and Kraft Foods for over 20 years, occupying positions like Chief Category & Marketing Officer and President of both the North American beverage and grocery businesses.

Currently she is also a member of Hasbro Inc.’s board of directors and sits on the board of trustees for both The Wallace Foundation and Mercy Ships.

West earned a bachelor of science degree in management from Nazareth College of Rochester and a master of business administration degree from Columbia University.

The new chief growth officer is set to assume her role at Hershey on May 1.

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