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On October 24, 2023, Michele Buck, Chair, President and CEO of The Hershey Company, and Brian Cornell, Chair and CEO of Target, were honored with the 2023 Deming Cup for Operational Excellence at Columbia University’s Low Rotunda.
As CEO of The Hershey Company since 2017, Buck has focused on transforming the iconic confectionery giant into a Leading Snacking Powerhouse, seizing disruption to create more “moments of goodness” for consumers. Buck spearheaded this transformation by strengthening and evolving its core U.S. and international confection business and expanding the company’s product portfolio into salty snacking. Buck has a relentless focus on balanced top-line and bottom-line growth. Buck also elevated Hershey’s purpose and leadership behaviors, resulting in a more entrepreneurial culture that motivates teams and unleashes people’s strengths to deliver today and co-create in the future.
As CEO of Target since 2014, Cornell quickly established a strategic direction that built on the company’s strengths as a multicategory mass merchandiser with an excellent reputation for its shopping experience, design expertise, brand curation and brand development. Cornell and Target’s leadership team made major investments in digital, data and supply chain capabilities, placing the company’s fleet of stores at the center of both physical shopping and digital fulfillment. This “stores-as-hubs” strategy, along with the 2017 acquisition of Shipt, catapulted Target into a leadership position in same-day, store-based fulfillment services. Cornell helped drive Target’s strongest-ever growth and built a culture of continuous improvement – from sourcing to the speed and accuracy with which guests receive orders – that will guide growth and competitive differentiation for years to come. Cornell also spearheaded vast investments in wages, benefits, team training and development, diverse and equitable representation, and a corporate culture that helps all team members care, grow and win together.
Buck and Cornell embody Deming’s 14 Principles of continuous improvement and are steadfast in their commitment to their organizations’ leadership, people development, organic growth, quality performance, innovation, and social responsibility. The W. Edwards Deming Center and Columbia Business School were honored to present the 2023 award to these two exemplary leaders who have relentlessly driven continuous improvement in their organizations and have set a new benchmark for operational excellence in their fields.
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