Hershey CEO gets new gig at Del Monte

SAN FRANCISCO — Del Monte Foods Co. announced that it has appointed David West as its new CEO, effective Aug. 15. West will also join the company's board of directors in June.

West joins Del Monte from The Hershey Company where he is currently president and CEO. He will replace Neil Harrison, Del Monte's interim-CEO, who will remain on the board of directors. Harrison was appointed as Del Monte's interim CEO after the company was acquired by an investor group led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Vestar Capital Partners and Centerview Capital. The acquisition was completed on March 8.

rior to his CEO role, he held various leadership positions at Hershey including COO, CFO, chief customer officer and SVP strategy and business development. Earlier in his career, he served as SVP and CFO at Nabisco Biscuit and Snacks Group.

"I'm honored to join Del Monte at such an exciting time. I have admired Del Monte's transformation into a multi-billion diversified branded pet and consumer products company. I'm looking forward to working with Del Monte's management team to continue the company's tradition of providing high quality products that consumers know and trust, while further accelerating the growth of its well-established portfolio of brands," said West.