Menomonee Falls, Wis. – Kohl’s this morning announced its new CEO – who becomes the third person to hold the position over the past four years.
The company’s board has selected Michael Bender to take the post, effective Nov. 23. Bender, a board member since 2019, has served as Kohl’s interim CEO since May 1. He became interim leader after the ouster of Ashley Buchanan, who had been on the job for less than four months.
Bender served as president and CEO of Eyemart Express, LLC, an optical retailer, from January 2018 to April 2022, and president from September 2017 to January 2018. Prior to joining Eyemart Express, Bender held various executive management positions at Walmart Inc., including chief operating officer of global e-commerce and EVP and president of the Walmart West business unit.
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Prior to joining Walmart, Bender held senior positions at Cardinal Health, Inc., and Victoria’s Secret for L Brands, Inc. He began his career at PepsiCo, Inc., where he spent more than a decade in sales, finance, and operational roles.
“Over the past several months as interim CEO, Michael has proven to be an exceptional leader for Kohl’s – progressively improving results, driving short and long-term strategy, and positively impacting cultural change,” said Board Chair John Schlifske.
Schlifske noted that Kohl’s board engaged an external firm earlier this year to conduct a comprehensive search for the position. “At the conclusion of this effort, the board enthusiastically and unanimously appointed Michael as CEO,” he added.
Bender said he intends to accelerate the company’s transformation.
“Kohl’s has a storied and important role in the retail industry, serving and celebrating families with great products, compelling value, and a differentiated shopping experience,” Bender added. “I’m looking forward to reestablishing our leadership position by putting our customers first every day.”
The company will report its Q3 results on Nov. 25.
