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Executive Insights

Rick Lenny
Rick Lenny
CEO, Hershey Foods Corporation


The Candy Man
From the
State of Business
magazine






R I C K   L E N N Y

Rick Lenny is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hershey Foods Corporation, the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and chocolate-related grocery products. Prior to joining Hershey he served as President of the Nabisco Biscuit Company. Following Kraft’s acquisition of Nabisco in 2000, Lenny served as Group Vice President of Kraft Foods and President of Nabisco Biscuit and Snacks.

Lenny is a graduate of Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business.

He serves on the Board of Directors and Audit and Public Affairs Committees of Sunoco, Inc; the Board of Directors, Industry Affairs Council, as chairman, and Finance Committee of the Grocery Manufacturers of America; the Board of Directors of the Hershey Trust Company; the Board of Managers of the Milton Hershey School; the Alumni Advisory Board of Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management; and the Board of Advisors of the Robinson College of Business.

Here, Lenny talks about his role models, the challenges he’s faced and the value of his Robinson education.

  

You’ve been on campus recently. How different are things today than when you attended school?

Video (0:24)
 
  

How did your education at Georgia State help prepare you for that success?

Video (0:20)
 
  

Who were and are some of your role models and why?

Video (0:33)
 
  

Do you have any advice to current students at Georgia State about what they should do to be successful leaders?

Video (0:47)
 
  

Let’s talk some about your current position. When you joined Hershey, you were the first outsider CEO to join the company. What particular challenges did that pose for you and how did it help you lead the company?

Video (0:38)
 
  

You have been receiving high praise from analysts for some of the innovations you’ve brought to Hershey since you’ve become head of the company. Can you tell us briefly what changes you’ve made?

Video (0:27)
 
  

How are you compensating for the seasonal nature of your business?

Video (0:22)
 
  

How are you dealing with your products as it relates to the current emphasis on healthy eating?

Video (0:29)
 
  

In these times of uncertainty, what makes a good CEO?

Video (0:26)
 
  

We hear so much about ethics in business today. How do you keep the focus on ethics in your organization?

Video (0:24)
 
  

What keeps you up at night?

Video (0:21)
 
  

As an undergraduate in marketing, did you already envision a career as a CEO and leader of a multinational company? What were your goals at the time?

Video (0:26)
 
  

In general, how do you rate business education today? What issues or trends should business schools concentrate on to best prepare their students for the future?

Video (0:27)
 
  

What’s it feel like working for a company, whose products are loved by just about everyone?

Video (0:22)




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