Hershey: yet another top manager resigns

Hershey / PA. (thc) The Hershey Company is loosing another top manager: The company announced that Thomas K. Hernquist, Senior Vice President, global chief growth officer, has resigned from the company, effective December 31, 2007. Hernquist plans to work on ventures that leverage strategic consumer insights and innovation. He joined Hershey in 2003 as Senior Vice President, chief marketing officer, where he led the growth in Hershey´s core brands and overall confectionery portfolio in North America. Prior to his current position, Hernquist was Senior Vice President, President U.S. Confectionery. He joined Hershey from Fortune Brands where he served as Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, with responsibility for the company´s distilled spirits business. He has served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nabisco´s Biscuit Division and Vice President and General Manager, Entenmann´s, a unit of CPC International. He began his marketing career at Frito-Lay Incorporated. Hernquist is also on the Executive Committee of the American Marketing Association and serves on the board of directors of Bon Ton (press release).

Addition: Hernquist follows Marcella Arline, Hershey´s chief people officer, out of the door. Arline said in the middle of november that she wanted to retire from the company (see: Hershey: another executive leaves the company). November 11th, the Hershey Trust, the controlling shareholder in Hershey, shook up the company´s board of directors in a move that saw six directors leave (see: Hershey: announces election of new directors).