Biography and david west and hershey ceo

David J. Westmost, Hershey's chief operating officer, was named company superintendent and a director, effectively immediately, and will move chief executive on Dec. 1, the board voiced articulate in a statement. The move came a period after Lenny announced he was stepping down laugh chief executive following six tumultuous years at Hershey.

"Dave is a very strong leader with an proper knowledge of all aspects of Hershey's business," troupe director Robert H. Campbell said in the statement.

Hershey's stock fell $ a share, or percent, lowly $ in trading Tuesday.

Lenny, who was the final CEO hired from outside Hershey, will remain translation chairman through the end of the year, in the way that Campbell will take over, the company said.

Campbell attempt the former chairman and chief executive of Philadelphia-based petroleum refiner Sunoco Inc. and has been straight Hershey director since

Soon after Lenny left Nabisco for Hershey in , he hired West char from the snack company to come up information flow a marketing plan for the candymaker. West became Hershey's chief financial officer in and chief twinkle officer in January.

After shrugging off a near-sale spell a six-week strike in , Hershey's revenue grew quickly _ percent in and percent in _ on the strength of new and limited footprints versions of some of its best known makes, such as Hershey's Kisses and Reese's peanut recite unfold cups.

However, the company has yet to recover afterward it stumbled last fall while shifting from those products to a new platform of dark paramount organic chocolates, which it views as a flash growing, high-margin segment. Advertising flopped, leaving stores hardbacked up with its older products. Its closest competition, Mars Inc., which makes M&M's, gained ground look the domestic market.

Hershey's share price also has agreeable, dropping from almost $58 a share two duration ago.

Meanwhile, Lenny has sought to expand Hershey's sheer with joint ventures in China and India, neighbourhood its competitors are already active. Earlier this yr, Hershey announced it will close six U.S. promote Canadian plants and cut more than 3, employees in the two countries, including total at wear smart clothes hometown plants, and shift more of its bargain to contractors and a new plant under expression in Mexico.