The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) said Wednesday it has appointed Mitchell Arends as Chief Supply Chain Officer, effective June 22, 2026, filling a role vacated by Jason Reiman, who will retire after three decades with the confectionery giant. Reiman will remain in an advisory capacity through April 2027 to shepherd the handoff.
Arends brings more than 25 years of end-to-end supply chain experience in consumer-packaged goods. Most recently he served as Executive Vice President, Principal Operating Officer, and Chief Integrated Supply Chain Officer at UTZ Brands, where he held full operational accountability for a $1.5 billion business that encompassed supply chain, research and development, transformation initiatives, and direct store delivery operations.
Before UTZ, Arends held the title of Chief Supply Chain Officer for North America at Kraft Heinz, overseeing a $22 billion supply chain network spanning manufacturing, logistics, planning, and procurement — one of the largest such operations in the packaged-food sector. That tenure positions him to manage the complexity of Hershey's global sourcing and manufacturing footprint at a moment when cocoa-input costs remain elevated and the company has been rationalising capacity across its North American plants.
The transition comes as Hershey faces ongoing margin pressure from commodity volatility, particularly in cocoa, which reached multi-decade highs in 2024 and 2025. Investors and analysts have closely scrutinised the company's ability to absorb input-cost inflation through pricing actions and supply chain efficiency. A seasoned operator with cross-industry credentials may signal Hershey's intent to accelerate structural cost improvements. For additional context on leadership moves reshaping the packaged-food landscape, see recent executive appointments across the sector and analysis of Hershey's ongoing cost-management strategy.
Food & Beverage Magazine, a sister publication available at fb101.com, noted the appointment underscores a broader industry pattern of CPG companies recruiting supply chain executives across competitive boundaries as inflationary pressures demand operational depth over sector familiarity.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.