US-headquartered Hershey Company has confirmed Heather Hoytink, formerly of PepsiCo, has taken up her role as the confectionery firm’s new president, writes Neill Barston.

As industry observers have noted, the snacking giant has made a series of senior appointments from the major American drinks group, with the company looking to take stock after a challenging period facing elevated tariff operating costs and consumer concerns over recent recipe reformulation to some of its newer lines – which prompted a swift pledge to amend its portfolio in response to its alternative ingredients experiments.

For her part, Heather Hoytink succeeds Andrew Archambault, whom it was announced would be leaving the business in May, less than a month after it was announced that he had been due to take on the expanded role of Hershey’s president,  with his appointment being made right amid the backlash to the the move away from peanut butter used within a limited selection of its Reese’s flagship series.

As an experienced senior executive, Hoytink led the North America beverage and commercialisation agenda across the Away From Home channel for PepsiCo,  partnering closely with the industry’s largest national customers to drive growth and shape how millions engage with brands.

She will have end-to-end accountability for Hershey’s U.S. commercial business, leading execution across the company’s full snacking portfolio of confection, salty and protein. 

In particular, it has been reported that she will advance a ONE Hershey commercial model, bringing a unified approach that delivers greater value to retail partners and consumers alike, while driving growth across away-from-home, omnichannel, digital and other emerging channels.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Heather to Hershey. 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 U.S. business,” said Kirk Tanner, President and CEO, The Hershey Company.

“Her experience leading some of the largest, most complex customer and commercial organizations in the industry makes her exceptionally well-suited to lead our team into the next generation of growth.”

Furthermore, Hoytink, who holds a degree in marketing and communications from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed executive education programs at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and Harvard Business School, believed that a positive period of growth lay ahead for Hershey in the coming months and years

She added: “”I’m excited to join Hershey at such a dynamic moment for the business. 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.”