Kirk Tanner, then chief executive officer of North America beverages for PepsiCo Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg Power Players Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
Marco Bello | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner has been named the new chief executive of The Hershey Company, effective August 18.
Tanner will replace Michele Buck, who is retiring after almost 20 years at Hershey, including almost eight as CEO.
Tanner joined Wendy’s in 2024 after more than 30 years at PepsiCo, including leading the company’s North American beverages unit. His move to Hershey marks a return to the consumer packaged goods space.
“Kirk is a proven, high-impact leader in the food and beverage industry with a great combination of customer and consumer passion, commercial acumen and operational scale,” said Mary Kay Haben, director and chair of Hershey’s CEO search committee, in a press release Tuesday. “His deep experience in snacks, beverages, M&A and innovation—combined with public company CEO and board roles—makes him well suited to lead Hershey into the future.”
Buck originally announced her plans to retire from Hershey at the beginning of the year. She will remain as an advisor to Hershey until the end of the year.
Wendy’s has named CFO Ken Cook as its interim CEO when Tanner steps down on July 18. Cook has been CFO since 2024 and held senior roles at UPS before that.
The Wendy’s board has launched a search for a permanent replacement.
