Hershey Names Its Next Chief

Hershey Names Its Next Chief

Hershey Names Its Next Chief

Hershey, the chocolate maker, said yesterday that its chief operating officer, David J. West, would become its next chief executive, a day after it announced the surprise retirement of its chief executive, Richard H. Lenny.

Mr. West, who has been with the company since 2001, will become chief on Dec. 1, Hershey said. Mr. Lenny, who is also Hershey’s chairman, will remain in that post until the end of the year.

On Monday, a Hershey spokesman said Mr. Lenny was leaving after six and a half years because he felt it was the right time to turn the company over to new management. Mr. West, who became operations chief in January, was also named president effective immediately.