HERSHEY, Pa., March 1 – In celebration of Women's History Month, Hershey (NYSE: HSY) will convene young women around the world in the first-of-its-kind Future CEO program, in partnership with nonprofit partners, Girl Up and Girls on the Run. In addition to this program, its flagship Hershey's brand will offer ways to celebrate and elevate women and girls around the world with the return of meaningful brand activations.

"Investing in the right programs, initiatives and strategies with inclusivity, equity and diversity are at the center of our business to make a difference and support our long-term business growth,” said Michele Buck, CEO of The Hershey Company. “Women’s History Month marks a deliberate moment in time to harness our year-round commitment to amplifying the powerful voices of women and girls around the world to carve a path for everyone to succeed.”

Introducing New ‘Future CEO’ Mentorship Program
In its 2022 Women in the Workplace Report, McKinsey found that companies with more than 30% women executives tended to outperform companies with fewer women leaders (McKinsey). For Hershey, creating pathways for women to succeed is table stakes. Led by CEO Michele Buck, Hershey is one of only 53 companies in the Fortune 500 with a woman CEO (Fortune). In alignment with the company’s enterprise diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) framework, Hershey is well on its way to meeting its ambitious goals of 50% gender representation across its workforce and 42% of its leadership by 2025.

To impact the next generation and fully use the power of its platform, Hershey has created the Future CEO Program, working over the past six months with Girl Up and Girls on the Run to build a virtual program designed to drive mentorship for young women and reverse mentorship for Hershey executives. The event will take place on March 7 and will unite 10 young women around the world to learn directly from Michele Buck and other Hershey leaders. 

• The goal of the program is to equip young women with a better understanding of their leadership skills and strengths, and how they are uniquely positioned to make a difference.
   
• The young women will participate in group discussions and activities across an array of topics, including setting actionable goals, navigating imposter syndrome and trusting one’s intuition.
   
• Hershey has also dedicated time to learn from these young women to understand what the next generation of the workforce needs to succeed and to inform the company’s workplace strategy.

Leveraging the iconic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar to Celebrate Women and Girls

The company and its flagship brand, Hershey’s, have collaborated again with Girls on the Run in the U.S. and Canada, and Girl Up in markets around the world.

•  Hershey’s and Girls on the Run curated more than 200+ powerful adjectives by asking Girls on the Run coaches and participants to describe an impactful women or girl in their lives. These adjectives are featured on the front of the 2023 Hershey’s SHE bar. The partnership goes beyond monetary support as Hershey employees will continue to serve as passionate volunteers to further amplify the nonprofit’s mission of supporting, empowering and inspiring girls to realize their limitless potential across its 170 local councils, serving all 50 states and Ottawa, Canada.
   
• In partnership with Girl Up, Hershey will expand its award-winning #HerSHE campaign, which originated in Brazil in 2020. In Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, India and Canada, Hershey’s will transform the iconic Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar wrapper into a celebration of woman icons, shining a light on their accomplishments and the impact they've made – all with the goal of making invisible women visible. Girl Up, a nonprofit that advances girls' skills, rights and opportunities to be leaders, was founded by the United Nations Foundation in 2010. Girl Up's leadership development programs have impacted more than 195,000 girls through 6,300 clubs in 152 countries and all 50 U.S. states, inspiring a generation of girls to be a force for gender justice and social change.

Reflecting on a Woman-Forward Legacy
Hershey has long been a champion for women, with gender representation throughout the company’s leadership and around the world. Gender equity serves as a key element of the company’s enterprise DEI strategy. In 2020, the company achieved 1-1 aggregate gender pay equity for salaried employees in the U.S. and is working to achieve this globally by 2025. In partnership with its women's employee resource group, Hershey continues to invest in early and mid-career training to develop commercial skills and bridge the gender gap. Together, these enterprise initiatives have garnered notable recognition. Consecutively over the past two years, the company has been named to Forbes’ list of the World’s Top Female Friendly Companies – notably taking first place in 2021.

Learn more about The Hershey Company’s efforts to advance gender equity here: 2021 ESG Report.

To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com.