Speakers

Charlie has been the Vice President of Innovation, Research & Development at The Hershey Company for over three years, leading both commercial and technical teams to deliver winning innovation to consumers around the world. During his tenure he has accelerated CMG annual innovation sales by 40%, established new technical capabilities in Sweets and BFY and built a newly integrated Salty R&D team. His diverse background, blending commercial acumen with technical expertise, began as an R&D Product Developer at Kimberly-Clark where he earned three patents. His subsequent 12-year tenure at Procter & Gamble in Brand Management and Innovation saw him influencing iconic brands like Pantene, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Gillette, and Secret covering multiple countries, including a significant 2.5-year assignment based in Geneva, Switzerland. Charlie joined The Hershey Company eleven years ago in the Marketing organization where he rose to become Vice President - Media and Analytics. His strategic vision transformed the company's media approach, shifting from a reliance on traditional TV to a strategy of mass personalization through digital media. He also pioneered a novel approach to media testing utilizing agile methodologies. These shifts not only accelerated growth and delivered industry leading ROIs, but also cemented Hershey's status as a leader in media among CPG companies with Charlie emerging as a prominent thought leader in the media industry. Charlie is a graduate of Purdue University where he received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University where he received his MBA.