Hershey names David West as new CEO

HARRISBURG, Pa. The Hershey Co. board said Tuesday that another former Nabisco executive will replace Richard Lenny as the leader of the nation’s largest candymaker.

David West, Hershey’s chief operating officer, was named company president and a director, effectively immediately, and will become chief executive on Dec. 1, the board said in a statement. The move came a day after Lenny announced he was stepping down as chief executive following six years at Hershey.

“Dave is a very strong leader with an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of Hershey’s business,” company director Robert Campbell said in the statement.

Lenny, who was the first chief executive officer hired from outside Hershey, will remain as chairman through the end of the year, when Campbell will take over, the company said.

Soon after Lenny left Nabisco for Hershey in 2001, he hired West to join the confectionary to come up with a marketing plan. West became Hershey’s chief financial officer in 2005 and chief operating officer in January.

Hershey’s stock fell $1.63 a share, or 3.4 percent, to $45.78 in trading Tuesday.