The Hershey Company announced Damien Atkins, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, will be resigning due to family illness, effective Jan. 31, 2021. In connection with his pending resignation, Atkins will step down from his general counsel and secretary role immediately and will focus on the transition of his responsibilities until his departure.

James Turoff, currently vice president, deputy general counsel, will serve as acting general counsel as the company completes its internal and external search process for Atkins’ successor.

Atkins joined Hershey in 2018. In his role, Atkins led the snack company’s legal, government relations, corporate security, and corporate secretary teams.