Hershey taps Stacy Taffet as chief growth officer

The Hershey Company announced Stacy Taffet as its chief growth officer, effective April 14. In this role, she will be responsible for driving transformative growth strategies across the company's expanding snacks portfolio, which includes brands like Hershey's, Reese's, Jolly Rancher, and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels.

Taffet is a marketing executive with 20 years of leadership experience, including 15 years in consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and a PepsiCo career spanning multiple brand portfolios—most recently as SVP of beverage portfolio strategy and marketing.

Throughout her tenure, she has consistently driven significant business growth, leading large teams and managing multi-billion-dollar brands across beverages and snacks, including marketing transformations for brands like Pepsi and bubly. Her expertise spans brand management, digital marketing, innovation strategy, and comprehensive commercial planning.

"We are thrilled to welcome Stacy to Hershey's executive team. With deep expertise in brand strategy, innovation and commercial growth, Stacy brings strategic capabilities to accelerate our vision to become a leading snacking powerhouse," says Michele Buck, The Hershey Company president and CEO. "With a proven track record of driving sustainable growth across complex business landscapes, I'm confident that her leadership will help us unlock new growth opportunities, elevate our iconic brands, and continue to delight consumers around the world."

Taffet will spearhead Hershey's enterprise strategy and key growth capabilities encompassing media and creative investments, marketing innovation, research and development, commercial and consumer intelligence, and brand reputation management. The appointment continues Hershey's commitment to accelerating growth and strengthening its position in the competitive global snacking market, with a focus on innovative demand creation and strategic brand development.

Recognized nationally with awards such as Brand Innovators Top 100 Women in Brand Marketing and AdAge Women to Watch, Taffet is also an engaged community contributor, serving on boards of non-profit organizations. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

"I am deeply honored to join Hershey and help shape its next chapter of growth. Throughout my career, I've admired Hershey not only for its iconic brands that have created meaningful moments for generations, but also for its exceptional talent and profound commitment to community impact," says Taffet. "I'm excited to contribute to this remarkable legacy while working alongside the team to advance our ambitious vision for the future."

The Hershey Company is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.