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JCPenney CMO Leaving To Become Hershey’s Chief Growth Officer

0aawestOnly two years after taking the position in April 2015, JCPenney Chief Customer & Marketing Officer Mary Beth West will step down on April 1. West will join The Hershey Company as its new Senior VP and Chief Growth Officer on May 1.

In her brief tenure at JCPenney, West spearheaded the “Get Your Penney’s Worth” marketing campaign, which emphasized private label brands and included select deals for only a penny. JCPenney designed the campaign to bring the retailer out of a massive hole that saw the brand lose $4 billion in market cap in the early 2010s.

While JCPenney still experiences many of the difficulties of their department store counterparts, the retailer delivered its first positive net annual income since 2010. In West’s absence, Kirk Waidelich, Senior VP for Sales Promotion and Marketing, and Sheeba Philip, VP for Marketing Strategy and Communications, will oversee day-to-day marketing responsibilities.

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In her role at Hershey, West will oversee the company’s growth strategy, including Insights and Analytics, Strategy, marketing excellence functions, Innovation, Research and Development, Mergers and Acquisitions and The Hershey Experience. She will report to CEO Michele Buck.

For more than 20 years she served in C-level roles at Mondelez International, Inc., previously Kraft Foods, including roles as its Chief Category & Marketing Officer and President of both its North American beverage and grocery businesses.

West served 10 years on the Board of Directors for JCPenney, and is currently on the Board of Directors for Hasbro Inc. and the Board of Trustees for both The Wallace Foundation and Mercy Ships.

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