Michele Buck, chairman, president and CEO of The Hershey Company, has announced plans to retire, effective June 30, 2026. 

Buck will serve in her existing roles until her successor is appointed, when she plans to resign from the company’s board of directors and transition to a senior advisor role until her retirement.

Hershey’s board has appointed a special committee to direct the search for the company's next CEO and will consider external and internal candidates, in partnership with a nationally recognized search firm.

"It has been the pinnacle of my career to lead Hershey, a truly one-of-a-kind company,” Buck says. 

“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. I am a firm believer that our long-term success is rooted in Hershey culture – the spirit of innovation has kept us at the forefront of new and changing trends to best serve our customers and consumers, made us a stronger partner for our communities and contributed to significant value creation for our shareholders. This year will be my 20th at Hershey and as we embark on a new year, I believe now is the right time to formally activate our succession planning and begin the transition to Hershey's next leader."

Buck was named the company’s 12th president and CEO in 2017. She held several senior leadership roles within the company, including serving as chief operating officer, president, U.S. and chief growth officer.

"The board is grateful for Michele's vision and transformational leadership, not only over the past eight years as our CEO but for the past two decades,” says Victor Crawford, lead independent director of the board. “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. Succession planning is a matter the Board and Michele have been discussing and with Michele's continued guidance and leadership, we are confident we will execute a seamless transition."

Hershey also named new leaders for its U.S. confection and salty snacks divisions. Andrew Archambault has been named president, U.S. confection, and Veronica Villasenor has been named president, salty snacks. Both appointments are effective Feb. 3.

Archambault, who joins Hershey from Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), and Villasenor, who is a Hershey veteran of 22 years, will be part of Hershey's executive committee. Villasenor succeeds Kristen Riggs, who is leaving Hershey after 20 years to pursue other opportunities.

"Andrew is a proven executive who has transformed complex consumer brand portfolios through his deep commercial expertise and customer-centric approach," Buck says. "I am very excited to pair this announcement with an internal promotion, welcoming Vero as our new president of salty snacks. Vero's extensive experience across the Hershey business will be key to the continued success of our salty business. I am confident that Andrew and Vero are the right leaders to advance our leading snacking powerhouse vision and deliver on our next phase of growth. I also want to thank Kristen for her many valuable contributions during her long tenure at Hershey, including her leadership integrating Dot's and Pretzel's, Inc. and setting up the commercial foundation to scale our salty snacks business. I wish her the very best in all her future endeavors."

Archambault will oversee a portfolio of brands including Hershey's, Reese's and Jolly Rancher. He brings experience from KDP, where he was instrumental in evolving brands including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Core Water and Motts, to deliver results at scale. Most recently, as president, U.S. refreshment beverages, Archambault grew the business and positioned KDP for the long-term through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. He previously served as chief customer officer at KDP and held leadership roles across corporate, customer and sales teams at The Nature's Bounty, Co., Bacardi USA and The Coca-Cola Company.

"It is an honor to join Hershey during a period of strategic transformation," Archambault says. "I, like so many others, am inspired by this iconic company and its beloved brands and look forward to working with the incredible Hershey team to build for the future as we take this business to the next level of growth."

Villasenor previously served as vice president of salty snacks and brings a unique perspective from her roles in management, marketing and innovation from across Hershey's three business units – salty snacks, confection and international. Her passion for delivering innovative solutions that serve consumers and customers, coupled with her relentless pursuit of excellence, has driven remarkable results throughout her career.

"I am honored to step into this new role and continue building our portfolio and capabilities to deliver accelerated growth with our Salty Snacks team," Villasenor says. "Throughout my career at Hershey, I have been deeply committed to delivering for our customers, delighting our consumers and developing our people. I'm excited to continue this journey."