Mary Beth West

West started her career in 1986 at Kraft Foods, and over 21 years of working on such iconic food brands as Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Oreo and Maxwell House, she rose to chief marketing officer in 2007. With Kraft’s 2012 spinoff of its snack foods division as Mondelez International, West joined the new company executive vice president and chief category and marketing officer, serving in the post through 2014. She then joined department store chain J.C. Penney Co. in 2015, after having served on their board of directors from November 2005 to May 2015. After J.C. Penney, West went to Hershey in May 2017 as senior vice president and chief growth officer, driving the company’s growth and marketing strategies as well as communication, disruptive innovation, research and development, and mergers and acquisitions. Albertsons noted that she spurred the expansion of Hershey’s product offerings from chocolate and candy into snack categories. In addition, West serves as a director on the board at Hasbro, a position she has held since June 2016.