HERSHEY, PA. — Kevin Walling has been named senior vice-president and chief people officer at The Hershey Co., effective June 1. In his new role he will lead Hershey’s human resources, talent retention, development and recruitment, and total rewards strategies. He will report to David J. West, president and chief executive officer of The Hershey Co.

“Kevin’s leadership and global experience will play a crucial role in helping Hershey deliver on our strategic plan,” said Mr. West. “He brings to Hershey a focus and passion for creating a great place to work through employee development, global growth and a high-performance culture. Kevin has a proven record of helping create an environment that delivers exceptional results for employees, customers and shareholders.”

Mr. Walling has 24 years of human resource experience, most recently as vice-president and chief human resources officer of Kennametal Inc., a global technology and manufacturing company. Prior to joining Kennametal, he was vice-president of human resources for North America at Marconi Corp. P.L.C. Earlier, he was vice-president of human resources for Acclaim Entertainment, and held several management positions with PepsiCo, Inc.

He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial labor relations from LeMoyne College, Syracuse, N.Y.