After a two-year stint, Hershey Foods Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer Wynn Willard announced he will leave the company effective Dec. 31. Prior to joining Hershey, Willard was a nine-year marketing veteran of Nabisco. A search is underway, but no timeframe for naming a replacement has been set, according to Hershey officials. Willard’s office had not returned calls by press time. Meanwhile, the Hershey Foods board of directors has approved an authorization to acquire up to $500 million of its common stock through open market or private transactions. Hershey expects the buyback to take place within the next 12 months. In September, the Hershey board abandoned its plans for a sale (rejecting a $12.5 billion offer from Wm. Wrigley Co. and a $2 billion joint offer from Nestle and Cadbury-Schweppes) after a huge outcry from employees and Hershey residents (Sept. 25 Xtra).

After a two-year stint, Hershey Foods Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer Wynn Willard announced he will leave the company effective Dec. 31. Prior to joining Hershey, Willard was a nine-year marketing veteran of Nabisco. A search is underway, but no timeframe for naming a replacement has been set, according to Hershey officials. Willard’s office had not returned calls by press time.

Meanwhile, the Hershey Foods board of directors has approved an authorization to acquire up to $500 million of its common stock through open market or private transactions. Hershey expects the buyback to take place within the next 12 months. In September, the Hershey board abandoned its plans for a sale (rejecting a $12.5 billion offer from Wm. Wrigley Co. and a $2 billion joint offer from Nestl and Cadbury-Schweppes) after a huge outcry from employees and Hershey residents (Sept. 25 Xtra).