# Kirk Tanner

> Kirk Tanner is president and CEO of The Hershey Company, a role he began on August 18, 2025, after leading Wendy’s and spending more than three decades at PepsiCo. His experience spans regional snack sales, global foodservice and North American beverages. At Hershey, his One Hershey commercial approach coordinates the company’s snack portfolio in its relationships with retailers.

- **Role:** President and Chief Executive Officer at The Hershey Company
- **Organizations:** The Hershey Company, The Wendy’s Company (former), PepsiCo (former), VF Corporation, University of Utah David Eccles School of Business advisory board
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Utah
- **Known for:** Led PepsiCo Beverages North America, which generated $25 billion in revenue in 2021 and had 55,000 associates and 400 locations., Built a career across 11 domestic and international locations at PepsiCo., Appointed to lead Wendy’s in 2024 and Hershey in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Graduated from the University of Utah and joined Frito-Lay, a PepsiCo business, as a sales associate.
- **1992–2014** — Held PepsiCo sales and regional leadership roles, including Frito-Lay’s western U.S. business and sales in the U.K. and Ireland.
- **2014–2015** — President of PepsiCo Global Foodservice.
- **2015–2016** — COO of North America Beverages and president of Global Foodservice at PepsiCo.
- **2016–2018** — President and COO of PepsiCo North America Beverages.
- **2019–2024** — CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America.
- **2024-02** — Became president and CEO of Wendy’s on February 5.
- **2024** — Joined VF Corporation’s board of directors.
- **2025-07** — Wendy’s announced his departure, effective July 18, to join Hershey.
- **2025-08** — Became Hershey president and CEO on August 18, succeeding Michele Buck.
- **2026-03** — Presented the One Hershey commercial approach as part of Hershey’s Investor Day strategy.

## Achievements

- Led PepsiCo Beverages North America, which generated $25 billion in revenue in 2021 and had 55,000 associates and 400 locations.
- Built a career across 11 domestic and international locations at PepsiCo.
- Appointed to lead Wendy’s in 2024 and Hershey in 2025.
- Serves on VF Corporation’s board and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business advisory board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Discussed retail coordination, AI-assisted sales routing and Hershey’s trust relationship in a September 29 Rapid Response interview.
- **2026-09** — At the September 9 Barclays conference, emphasized delivering 2026 and 2027 performance and developing a longer-term innovation pipeline.
- **2026-07** — Hershey reported Q2 net sales growth of 6.6% to approximately $2.79 billion; North America Salty Snacks sales rose 22.9% and North America Confectionery sales rose 4.2%.
- **2026-03** — Hershey outlined its portfolio, One Hershey commercial model and productivity priorities at its March 31 Investor Day.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thehersheycompany.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirktanner
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirktannerpepsi/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kirk-tanner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21