CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Hershey Company HSY
CEO: Michele Buck · Confectionery · 20,000 employees
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company (HSY), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025. Hershey Company receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of C (60/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 160:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 87.9%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -0.7%.
How Hershey Company CEO Pay Compares
Michele Buck's $8.0M total compensation is 0% below the Confectionery industry median of $8.0M. The 160:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 0% lower than the industry average of 160:1.
Total compensation for Michele Buck at Hershey Company (HSY) was $8.0M. Mid-cap public-company CEO packages tend to track this pattern — equity-heavy, multi-year vesting, performance-tied.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio is 160x, meaning Michele Buck's $8.0M total comp is roughly that many times the median $50,000 earned by Hershey Company workers. The ratio is in the mid-range of S&P 500 disclosures and reflects the standard public-company compensation structure. Performance has been muted across the three-year window: -0.7% TSR, 2.3% revenue change. Stagnant performance combined with substantial CEO pay is the classic setup for proxy-advisor opposition on say-on-pay votes.
Shareholders supported the compensation package at 88% on the most recent say-on-pay vote. Solid support without overwhelming endorsement is the typical pattern for established public companies with conventional compensation programs. Hershey Company operates in Confectionery with 20,000 employees and $11.2B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $32.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Hershey Company (HSY).
Compensation Breakdown
Michele Buck's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2025 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2024 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2023 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2022 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company (HSY), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Michele Buck, CEO of Hershey Company (HSY), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Hershey Company has a Pay-for-Performance Score of C (60/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -0.7%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 87.9% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Hershey Company is 160:1. The median worker at Hershey Company earns $50K per year, while CEO Michele Buck earns $8.0M in total compensation.
Hershey Company employs approximately 20,000 people. The company operates in the Confectionery industry within the Consumer Staples sector, generating $11.2B in annual revenue.