Magazine Article | April 19, 2016

Inspiration From Chocolate-Fueled Innovation

By Matt Pillar, senior executive editor, Innovative Retail Technologies

May 2016 Innovative Retail Technologies

A Q&A With Matt Pillar & Lina Yang I Director, Hershey’s Advanced Technology & Foresight Lab

Inside the mind of the woman responsible for the tech direction of America’s largest — and the world’s most iconic — chocolate brand

As the director of Hershey’s Advanced Technology & Foresight Lab, Lina Yang is tasked with anticipating the risks and opportunities that can occur in the next five to ten years and determining what potential paths are best for Hershey. “I tinker with emerging technology, marry it with the future scenarios, and envision ways in which we can transform the organization,” says Yang. “Are any of these future scenarios a preferred future for Hershey? What would it take to make it a preferred future? How can we create that preferred future?”