• July 23, 2013

Richard H. Lenny, whose career has included serving as chairman, president and CEO of The Hershey Company, has been named chairman of the board of Information Resources, Inc. (IRI).

Lenny succeeds Lawrence Benjamin, who will remain a member of the board and a senior advisor.

Prior to his leadership of Hershey, Lenny was president of Nabisco Biscuit Company. When that company was acquired by Kraft in 2000, Lenny was named group VP of Kraft Foods and president, Nabisco Biscuit and Snacks. 

Lenny joined Nabisco in 1998 from the Pillsbury Company, where he was president of Pillsbury, North America. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at Kraft Foods, Inc., where he held a number of senior marketing and sales positions.

Lenny currently serves on the board of directors of McDonald’s Corp., Discover Financial Services, and ConAgra Foods, Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of Sunoco, Inc., and was chairman of the board and chairman of the executive committee for the Grocery Manufacturers Assoc. (GMA). In 2008, he received GMA’s Hall of Achievement award.

IRI is a leading global supplier of market and shopper information, predictive analysis and insights for clients in the CPG, retail and OTC healthcare industries.