Hershey unveils new global leadership team

HERSHEY, Pa. — Hershey's president and CEO, J.P. Bilbrey, announced changes to the chocolate giant's global leadership team.

Bilbrey said that Bert Alfonso has been named EVP, CFO and chief administrative officer; Michele Buck has been named SVP and chief growth officer; and Mike Wege has been named SVP and chief commercial officer. The executives joined Hershey in 2006, 2005 and 2002, respectively.

Prior to his new role, Alfonso was named SVP and CFO in 2007. In his new role, he is responsible for Hershey’s finance, mergers and acquisitions, integrated business planning functions, information services and global shared services.

Buck, who previously served as SVP and global chief marketing officer, now will have responsibility for Hershey’s strategy and vision, innovation, research and development, the Hershey experience, consumer insights and public affairs.

Wege, who previously was SVP chocolate strategic business unit, now will lead the company’s chocolate and sweets and refreshment strategic business units, with responsibility for building and leveraging Hershey’s global brands and disseminating best demonstrated practices around the world in his new role. Wege also will lead Hershey’s global sales and marketing centers of excellence.

The following also will continue to report to Bilbrey as members of the global leadership team:

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  Ted Jastrzebski, SVP and president, Americas;

  
  


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  Terry O’Day, SVP global operations;

  
  


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  Peter Smit, SVP and president, Asia, Middle East and Africa;

  
  


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  Burt Snyder, SVP general counsel and secretary;

  
  


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  Dan Vucovich, SVP and president, United States; and

  
  


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  Kevin Walling, SVP and chief human resources officer.

  
  

“We have a world-class leadership team that will ensure continued focus on North American momentum while at the same time providing the experience and leadership to accelerate global growth and innovation,” Bilbrey said. “The team has a proven record of collaborating and working with a sense of urgency to deliver results.”