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Hershey CEO to step down, retire in 2026

Company begins search for new leadership
Jillian Morgan, female, digital editor for Canadian Grocer
michele buck
Michele Buck. Photography courtesy The Hershey Co.

The Hershey Co. chief executive Michele Buck announced plans Monday (Jan. 13) to retire in 2026 after 20 years with the company.

Buck will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors, president and CEO until a successor is appointed. 

After that, she will resign from the board and transition to a senior advisor role until her retirement on June 30, 2026.

Buck has served as CEO for eight years.

Hershey said its board has appointed a special committee to direct the search for its next leader and will consider external and internal candidates. 

"It has been the pinnacle of my career to lead Hershey, a truly one-of-a-kind company. Our team has created one of the strongest and most recognizable snacking portfolios in the industry and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished," said Buck in a press release. 

Victor Crawford, lead independent director of the board, thanked Buck for her leadership.

"For the past two decades. Michele has made innumerable marks on Hershey, including serving as the key architect of the company's expansion into broader snacking categories, driving sustainable international growth and building advanced capabilities and growth platforms to evolve Hershey into a stronger and more diversified business,” Crawford said in a release.

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