HERSHEY, Pa. — The Hershey Co. has hired sales veteran Rob Gehring as global chief sales officer.

Rob Gehring

Hershey said Gehring is slated to assume the post effective Jan. 18. He comes to the company from Coca-Cola North America, where he served as president of the Walmart global team since 2011.

“Rob is a seasoned sales leader who has deep experience in consumer packaged goods, strong customer relationships and a proven track record,” stated Michele Buck, president for North America at Hershey. “We are excited to have Rob join Hershey to lead our global sales team and strengthen our sales organization around the world.”

Gehring brings to Hershey more than 20 years of experience with large, category-leading brands in key retail channels. During his tenure at Coca-Cola, he held a variety of roles, including leading the field sales organization in Canada across all trade classes and leading sales for the western United States, where he focused on customer and channel performance, according to Hershey.

Gehring’s experience also includes product commercialization and pricing architecture. Various programs led by Gehring have received recognition and won marketing awards, Hershey added.