Firefighter, doctor, and teacher are common answers to the elementary classroom question: What do you want to be when you grow up? But in Hershey, Pennsylvania, global chocolatier might get a few votes—especially from Andrea Thomas’ kids.
Thomas, Marriott School alumna, mother of three, and possessor of what may be the sweetest corporate title to date, was recently highlighted as one of BusinessWeek’s twenty-five Champions of Innovation. As Hershey’s Vice President of Global Chocolate, Thomas is responsible for purveying the company’s products into untapped global markets.
“I help the organization figure out how to do things they’re not comfortable doing,” Thomas says. “The easy answers are rarely the most innovative.”
Formerly with Frito-Lay, Thomas created new product platforms that resulted in more than $1 billion in sales for the salty snack giant. Her success made her a great candidate as someone to help expand Hershey’s reach into new markets like China and India. Historically, 90 percent of Hershey’s sales came from U.S. consumers, but Thomas is helping change the company’s customer recipe to include more international ingredients.
“I spend much of my time in meetings with the Hershey executive team,” Thomas says. “Innovation requires courage—it requires taking risks and thinking of things differently.”
Not surprisingly, Thomas’ innovation extends past the professional world, contributing to creative ways that she and her husband balance career and family. “We didn’t start with the plan of Andrea being the primary breadwinner and me as the stay-at-home parent,” says Kyle Thomas. “But, it became clear that she had a gift in the business world, and I was better suited to being with the kids.”
The Thomas’ kids, ages eleven, eight, and four, have also offered their expert services as Hershey’s prototype product testers—an important responsibility. “It’s awesome,” says Anna Thomas, the oldest of the candy-tasting team. “We try stuff before it launches and tell our mom if it’s good or bad and if we think other kids will like it. It’s fun to try stuff before anyone else.”
Thomas says she is honored to be featured as one of BusinessWeek’s Champions of Innovation and suggests her business success is a product of hard work throughout her BYU MBA and career.
“My two years in the MBA program were a turning point in my life,” she says. “I had never been challenged like that, and I committed to myself that I would always do my best. I continue to make that commitment at this point in my life, and it has helped me to exceed the goals I make for myself.”
