- Start
- Jul 8, 202590% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Hershey Names Wendy's CEO Kirk Tanner to Succeed Michele Buck
- Hershey's board appointed Kirk Tanner to succeed Michele Buck as President and CEO, effective August 18, 2025; Buck stays on as a senior adviser for the handover[1].
- Tanner spent more than three decades at PepsiCo, finally as CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, a $28 billion business, and had been President and CEO of Wendy's since February 2024[1][2].
- Lead independent director Mary Kay Haben, who chaired the CEO search committee, cited his experience in snacks, beverages, M&A and innovation[1].
- The board made the appointment on July 6; his contract pays a $1.25 million base salary with a 180% target bonus, plus $7 million of restricted stock and $4 million of performance stock on joining[2].
- Wendy's said Tanner would leave on July 18, 2025 and named CFO Ken Cook interim CEO while it searched for a permanent chief[3].
References 390% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%thehersheycompany.com/en_us/home/newsroom/press-release/2025-07-08-Kirk-Tanner-Appointed-President-and-Chief-Executive-Officer-of-The-Hershey-Company,-effective-August-18,-2025.htmlthehersheycompany.com· Posted Sep 24, 2026· Starts Jul 8, 2025 ✓· 73% of score
Stated as firm: Hershey's release, HERSHEY, Pa., July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/, stamped "Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:45:00 -0400" (12:45 UTC), says Hershey "today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Kirk Tanner to succeed Michele Buck".
- [2]90%The Hershey Company Form 8-K (Item 5.02): Kirk Tanner appointed President and CEOsec.gov· Published Jul 8, 2025· 13% of score
Hershey's 8-K: on July 6, 2025 the board appointed Kirk Tanner President and CEO "effective as of August 18, 2025" and a director from that date; it gives his PepsiCo and Wendy's career, a $1.25 million base salary, a 180% target bonus and sign-on awards of $7 million in restricted stock units and $4 million in performance stock units.[1]
- [3]88%Wendy's Appoints Ken Cook as Interim CEOsec.gov· Published Jul 8, 2025· 13% of score
Wendy's own release the same morning: Tanner "is leaving to become the President and CEO at The Hershey Company[1]" and departs Wendy's effective July 18, 2025; CFO Ken Cook becomes interim CEO while the board searches.
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