How Much Does the Hershey Company CEO Make?
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company, earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $4.0M in stock awards and $800,000 in base salary.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: How Much Does the Hershey Company CEO Make?. The answer draws on SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, the public disclosure mechanism for U.S. public-company executive pay. Every public company must file an annual proxy statement disclosing CEO and named-executive-officer compensation in detail. Why this matters for shareholders: executive compensation is the single most-disclosed governance metric at U.S. public companies, and the Dodd-Frank-mandated say-on-pay vote gives shareholders an explicit channel to express approval or dissent. Reading pay data well — including pay-versus-performance, peer-group selection, and time-vesting structures — is a basic part of stock-by-stock fundamental analysis.
The detailed answer below uses the actual proxy-statement filings, explains how to read them, and translates the executive-compensation accounting into the shareholder-relevant interpretation.
Michele Buck leads Hershey Company (HSY), a Confectionery company with approximately 20,000 employees. In the 2025 proxy statement filed with the SEC, Michele Buck's total compensation of $8,000,000 included $800,000 in base salary, $0 in cash bonus, $4,000,000 in stock awards, and $960,000 in option awards.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Hershey Company is 160:1, meaning the CEO earns 160x the median worker's pay of $50,000. Over the past three years, Hershey Company produced a total shareholder return of -0.7% against 2.3% revenue growth. Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates the alignment as C (60/100).
In the most recent say-on-pay vote, 87.9% of shareholders approved the executive compensation plan. Moderate shareholder support suggests some investor concern with pay practices.
Key Data
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $8,000,000 |
| Base Salary | $800,000 |
| Stock Awards | $4,000,000 |
| Option Awards | $960,000 |
| Non-Equity Incentive | $1,200,000 |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 160:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | C |
Frequently Asked Questions
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company, earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $4.0M in stock awards and $800,000 in base salary.
Michele Buck is the chief executive officer of Hershey Company (HSY).
The CEO at Hershey Company earns approximately 160 times the median worker's pay of $50,000.
In 2025, total compensation of $8,000,000 was composed of $800,000 base salary, $0 cash bonus, $4,000,000 stock awards, $960,000 option awards, and $1,200,000 in non-equity incentive compensation.
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates Hershey Company as C (60/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of -0.7%, revenue growth of 2.3%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company, earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $4.0M in stock awards and $800,000 in base salary.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.