Eight directors, including the head of The Hershey Trust, have been appointed to the board of the US confectionery firm.

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The trust, the controlling shareholder in Hershey, elected the directors to support recently-appointed president and CEO Dave West.


Leroy Zimmerman, the trust’s chairman, has taken one of the eight spots. Last month, the trust said it wanted Hershey to “aggressively pursue” domestic and international growth after growing unhappy at the company’s performance and the appointments are part of the trust’s ambitions to revitalise the company.


Prior to that statement, former Hershey CEO Rick Lenny resigned from the company amid speculation that he had grown frustrated with its ownership structure.


Of the other seven directors elected by the trust, former Hershey boss Kenneth Wolfe has returned to the company as chairman. Wolfe left Hershey in 2001 after eight years as chairman and CEO.

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Wolfe said: “Our goal is to recharge growth and take advantage of all opportunities we see in the marketplace.”

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