CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 74 CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards 2019 USA MICHELE BUCK CEO of Hershey’s ABOUT MICHELLE BUCK Michele Buck is excited to bring more than 25 years of consumer packaged goods experience to her role as Hershey’s 12th President and Chief Executive Officer. She has two important roles – mom and business leader – that fulfill her life and she’s motivated by harnessing others’ strengths, expertise and perspectives. Buck has held several senior leadership roles within the company. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer, leading Hershey’s day-to-day North American operations and overseeing Hershey’s operations in Central and South America. Before joining Hershey in 2005, Buck served 17 years at Kraft/Nabisco in numerous senior positions and at the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo. She serves on the Board of Directors at New York Life, and as a Benefit Co-Chair for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation. A native of central Pennsylvania, Buck earned a Bachelor’s degree at Shippensburg University and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. FIRM PROFILE Our founder, Milton Hershey, built the company on the principle that to do well is to do good. Our people share a deep connection to the company, our brands, and our enduring purpose to help children succeed. The foundation drives the values of our Hershey family, from our home in the farmlands of central Pennsylvania to our manufacturing and sales teams across the country and around the world. Over more than a century, our iconic brands have been built on a foundation of community investment and connections between people around the world. Equally competitive and compassionate, we continue to build a legacy as we invest in the people and snacks of the future. We offer a diverse range of brands and products because consumers are looking for a lot of different snacking experiences. We are committed to provide the choices that meet their evolving needs and to be transparent about what we put inside our products and why. Our beloved and indulgent candy brands including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Twizzlers and IceBreakers are joined by a growing family of sweet and salty combinations and better-for-you options like SkinnyPop and Pirates Booty to offer choices in the places and spaces where people shop and snack. An idea as simple as it is big: Our business, our planet, our communities, our children — they’ve always mattered. As one of America’s first companies built with purpose, we’ve always focused on doing well by doing good. Because bringing goodness to the world is in our character. Today we uphold our promise with brands, business models and people making a difference in the world; being better stewards of the planet we all share; building thriving communities in the places we call home; and, perhaps most near and dear to our hearts, by nourishing the lives of children so they can learn, grow and thrive. Because The Hershey Company has always been more than chocolate. It’s a promise that started nearly 125 years ago, with our founder Milton Hershey — the original purpose-driven entrepreneur who linked the success of his company with supporting children in need through the Milton Hershey School. A man who taught us that one’s happiness depends on the joy of others, and whose words resonate with us to this day. We look forward to the next 125 years and do so with a promise to you: to build on our Shared Goodness. Because goodness is most felt when it’s shared with others. www.thehersheycompany.com