Hershey Company: elects new Chief Operating Officer

Hershey / PA. (thc) President and Chief Executive Officer David J. West, The Hershey Company, announced that the Company´s Board of Directors has elected J.P. Bilbrey Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Bilbrey, currently Senior Vice President, President Hershey North America, will continue to report to West. Bilbrey brings 30 years of consumer packaged goods experience in the United States and international markets to this newly created role. He will be responsible for Hershey´s day-to-day operations and global commercial activities, leading the Company´s supply chain as well as realigned geographic regions, including the U.S.A., the Americas and Asia. Bilbrey will also lead two newly created global strategic business units (SBU). The Chocolate SBU and Sugar Confection SBU will be responsible for building and leveraging Hershey´s global brands, creating confectionery marketplace innovation and disseminating best demonstrated practices around the world.