Hershey leadership change – overview
- Hershey appoints former PepsiCo executive Heather Hoytink as US president
- Move follows departure of US president Andrew Archambault in April
- Hoytink brings deep customer and commercial expertise from PepsiCo leadership roles
- Role includes driving growth across confection, salty snacks, and protein portfolio
- Appointment signals focus on expansion
The Hershey Company has announced the appointment of Heather Hoytink as US president, following the unexpected departure of Andrew Archambault in April.
Who is Heather Hoytink?
Hoytink joins Hershey from PepsiCo, where she served as senior vice president and chief commercial officer of US away from home beverages.
She holds a degree in marketing and communications from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed executive education programmes at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and Harvard Business School.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Heather to Hershey,” says CEO Kirk Tanner. “She’s an outstanding people leader with deep customer relationships, the operating discipline to execute at scale and a track record of growth that will accelerate our US business. Her experience leading some of the largest, most complex customer and commercial organisations in the industry makes her exceptionally well-suited to lead our team into the next generation of growth.”
As US president, Hoytink will have end-to-end accountability for Hershey’s US commercial business, leading execution across the company’s full snacking portfolio of confection, salty and protein. She is also charged with advancing the ONE Hershey commercial model, while driving growth across away-from-home, omnichannel, digital and other emerging channels.
“I’m excited to join Hershey at such a dynamic moment for the business,” says Hoytink. “Hershey’s iconic brands, strong customer partnerships and talented team create an incredible foundation for growth. I’m energised by building winning teams, investing in people and working closely with customers to unlock new opportunities. I look forward to partnering with the team to build on existing momentum, continue delivering for customers and consumers and drive the next chapter of growth together.”
The future of Hershey
Hoytink’s appointment signals Hershey’s intent to double down on commercial execution and accelerate growth across its evolving snacking portfolio.
Bringing in an external leader with deep expertise in large-scale customer management and away-from-home channels suggests the company is sharpening its focus on expansion beyond traditional retail, while reinforcing its ONE Hershey strategy.
It represents a reset after recent leadership disruptions and a clear push to strengthen its competitive position in an increasingly diversified and fast-moving US snacking market.
Her appointment also brings greater gender diversity to the industry’s top ranks, which remains a male-dominated space.
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