Hershey supply chain under new leadership

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Hershey supply chain under new leadership

29 May 2026

Lily Cota

Lily Cota is a writer, editor and photographer from Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in English and a minor in Photography. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading fantasy novels, thrifting, trying out local coffee shops and spending time with her nieces.

HERSHEY, PA — The Hershey Co. is welcoming a new chief supply chain officer.

Effective June 22, Mitchell Arends will succeed Jason Reiman, who is retiring after a 30-year career with the company. Reiman will support the transition through April 2027.

“I’ve always believed that great leadership is a relay,” Reiman said. “I’m proud to hand this baton to Mitch. He has the vision, the experience, and the values to carry this work forward and to uphold what Milton Hershey built. I’m grateful for every year, for the people I worked alongside and for what this company stands for.”

Arends most recently served as EVP, principal operating officer and chain integrated supply chain officer for UTZ Brands, taking full accountability across supply chain, R&D, transformation and direct store delivery operations. Before working at UTZ, Arends served as chief supply chain officer of North America at Kraft Heinz, where he was responsible for a $22 billion supply chain, including manufacturing, logistics, planning and procurement.

“Building a supply chain fit for the future means more than deploying technology or optimizing networks … It means developing the talent capable of sustaining that transformation long after any single initiative is complete.” — Mitchell Arends | incoming chief supply chain officer | The Hershey Co.

“The opportunity to continue building a supply chain for some of the world’s most iconic products is an exciting moment in my career,” he said. “Doing that in a way that develops people and strengthens the communities where we operate makes it even more so. Building a supply chain fit for the future means more than deploying technology or optimizing networks. It means developing the talent capable of sustaining that transformation long after any single initiative is complete.”

In his new role, Arends will have end-to-end accountability for Hershey’s integrated supply chain, with a focus on accelerating digital integration and automation.

“Mitch is a proven transformational leader with the end-to-end mindset, track record and people-first approach that will drive Hershey’s supply chain forward,” said Kirk Tanner, president and CEO of The Hershey Co. “His experience across complex operations in the CPG industry makes him well-suited to build on the foundation Jason has established.”