- John P. Bilbrey Elected SVP, President Hershey North America

     - Michele Buck Elected SVP, Global Chief Marketing Officer

     - Ted Jastrzebski Elected SVP, President Hershey International

HERSHEY, Pa., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- David J. West, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) today announced several changes to the Hershey Executive Team. The changes are effective immediately.

John P. Bilbrey has been named Senior Vice President, President Hershey North America. Bilbrey joined Hershey in 2003 as Senior Vice President, President Hershey International. In his new role, Bilbrey will lead Hershey's U.S. and Canadian businesses. He will report to West and continue as a member of the Hershey Executive Team.

"J.P.'s sense of urgency, proven record of delivering growth and knowledge of our brands and customers make him the right leader to continue our focus on regaining momentum in Hershey's North American business," West said. "He has done an outstanding job of leading Hershey's global expansion. His broad leadership experience in sales and marketing will enable Hershey to drive growth through investment in our core brands and by leveraging our U.S. chocolate leadership and scale at retail."

West announced that Ted Jastrzebski has been named Senior Vice President, President Hershey International. Jastrzebski joined Hershey in 2004 and is currently Vice President, International Finance and Planning. In his new role, he will report to West and will serve as a member of the Hershey Executive Team.

"Ted has led our successful joint venture with Godrej in India and has been instrumental in our partnership with Lotte in China," West said. "His deep knowledge of Hershey's international business and his highly effective leadership style will ensure a seamless transition as we continue our disciplined approach to global expansion. Ted's team will continue to drive international growth by delivering locally relevant products to consumers in high-potential markets in Latin America and Asia."

West announced that Michele Buck has been named Senior Vice President, Global Chief Marketing Officer. Buck, who joined Hershey in 2005, is currently Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. In her new role, Buck will be responsible for driving world-class marketing and transformational growth platforms across the company. She will lead the company's efforts in the areas of consumer insights, portfolio strategy and innovation, The Hershey Experience, marketing excellence and corporate social responsibility. She will report to West and serve as a member of the Hershey Executive Team.

"Michele will bring company-wide focus to areas that are crucial for our long-term success, including global insights, marketing excellence and platform innovation," West said. "She will be instrumental in our efforts to capitalize on growth opportunities in the marketplace by delivering sustainable, insight-driven innovation across our portfolio. Michele's background in marketing leadership and her confectionery expertise will be tremendous assets as we align our innovation capabilities with Hershey's sales and marketing organizations."

In addition, the following leaders will be members of the Hershey Executive Team:

    --  Bert Alfonso, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

    --  Marcella Arline, Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer

    --  Dan Azzara, Vice President Global Research and Development

    --  George Davis, Vice President, Chief Information Officer

    --  Burt Snyder, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Azzara, Arline, Alfonso and Snyder will report to West. Davis will report to Alfonso.

The company is conducting a search for a Senior Vice President, Global Operations. In the interim, the Operations organization will report directly to West. Arline recently announced her retirement and has agreed to continue in her role while the company conducts a search for her successor.

Kenneth L. Wolfe, who becomes Chairman of the The Board, The Hershey Company, on January 1, 2008, commented on the announcement, "I'm very pleased with the caliber of the Hershey Executive Team, which clearly illustrates the depth of the company's talent. I have a great deal of confidence in Dave's leadership and in the executive team as we continue The Hershey Company's focus on winning with customers and delivering shareholder value over the long term."

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. With revenues of nearly $5 billion and more than 13,000 employees worldwide, The Hershey Company markets such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey is the leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such brands as Hershey's Special Dark, Hershey's Extra Dark and Cacao Reserve by Hershey's. Hershey's Ice Breakers franchise delivers refreshment across a variety of mint and gum flavors and formats. In addition, Hershey leverages its iconic brands, marketplace scale and confectionery and nut expertise to develop and deliver substantial snacks, including Hershey's and Reese's single-serve cookies and brownies, and value-added snack nuts, including Hershey's Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds and Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds. Hershey also offers a range of products to address the health and well-being needs of today's consumer. Hershey's and Reese's Snacksters offer consumers great-tasting snacks in portion-controlled servings, while Hershey's dark chocolate offerings provide the benefits of flavanol antioxidants. In addition, Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as Scharffen Berger, known for its high-cacao dark chocolate products, Joseph Schmidt, recognized for its fine, handcrafted chocolate gifts, and Dagoba, known for its high-quality natural and organic chocolate bars. Visit us at www.hersheynewsroom.com.

SOURCE The Hershey Company
/CONTACT: Kirk Saville of The Hershey Company, +1-717-534-7641/ /Web site: http://www.hersheynewsroom.com /