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Kohl's Corporation

Department Store RetailFounded 1962
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Kohl's: CEO History

5 leaders · 1986 to present

Who is the CEO of Kohl's?

Michael Bender is the CEO of Kohl's, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was William Kellogg, from 1986.

Current CEO
Michael Bender (since 2025)
First CEO
William Kellogg (1986)
Leaders documented
5
Founded
1962
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Michael BenderCEO2025Present1
Ashley BuchananCEO20252025< 1
Tom KingsburyCEO202320252
Michelle GassCEO201820224
William KelloggCEO1986199913
Who was CEO of Kohl's before Michael Bender?
Tom Kingsbury was CEO of Kohl's from 2023 to 2025, before Michael Bender took over in 2025.

Company Overview

Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. As of January 31, 2026 it ran 1,153 stores in 49 states, plus Kohls.com, and had an average of about 84,000 associates in FY2025. It became the largest U.S. department store chain by store count by building in suburban strip centers instead of malls. Its pitch is national brands at promotional prices. Since 2021 it has added Sephora shop-in-shops and Babies 'R' Us sections to bring in new shoppers. It has also gone through four CEO changes since 2022 while sales kept falling.

Michael Bender

CEO

2025 – Present

1 year (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Bender joined the board in 2019 and became chair in 2024. He was named interim CEO on May 1, 2025, and permanent CEO in November 2025. He has refocused Kohl's on value, proprietary brands, coupons, inventory discipline and debt reduction, and in August 2026 restarted share buybacks.

Legacy

On his watch, comparable-sales declines narrowed to 0.9% in Q2 2026, gross margin rose 305 basis points to 43.0%, and FY2026 guidance went up. He previously led Eyemart Express and held senior roles at Walmart and PepsiCo.

Source →

Ashley Buchanan

CEO

2025 – 2025

0 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Buchanan, a former Michaels and Walmart executive, became CEO on January 15, 2025. He announced 27 store closures and pushed to bring back popular brands and value items.

Legacy

He was fired for cause on May 1, 2025, after an investigation found he steered business to a vendor tied to a personal relationship without disclosure. His tenure lasted under four months.

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Tom Kingsbury

CEO

2023 – 2025

2 years

Key Decisions & Impact

The former Burlington CEO was interim CEO from late 2022 and permanent CEO from February 2023 to January 2025. He reduced inventory, brought back proprietary brands, added impulse and gifting merchandise, expanded home and Babies 'R' Us, and continued the Sephora rollout.

Legacy

Inventory and expenses improved, but net sales kept falling, and Kohl's cut its dividend before he handed over in January 2025.

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Michelle Gass

CEO

2018 – 2022

4 years

Key Decisions & Impact

As CEO from 2018 to 2022, Gass rolled out Amazon returns nationwide in 2019 and signed the Sephora partnership in 2020.

Legacy

Sephora became Kohl's strongest category driver, though her shift away from private brands was later reversed. She left in late 2022 to join Levi Strauss & Co., where she later became CEO.

Source →

William Kellogg

CEO

1986 – 1999

13 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Kellogg took over as CEO following a management buyout from BATUS in 1986. He spearheaded the aggressive national expansion of Kohl's, taking the regional midwestern chain public in 1992 and transforming it into a major national brand.

Legacy

Under his leadership, Kohl's expanded from 40 stores in the Midwest into a national retail powerhouse, fundamentally establishing its highly successful off-mall real estate strategy.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Kohl's has several challenges. Middle-income shoppers are more price-sensitive and keep moving to off-price chains and online retailers. The card program is profitable but cyclical. Other revenue, mostly card income, fell 10% in FY2025, and higher unemployment would raise credit losses. Kohl's also has to show the 2026 improvement can last after tariff refunds and settlement gains are excluded, and it needs to keep its leadership stable.

Kohl's CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the executive leadership and CEO of Kohl's Corporation?

Michael Bender serves as interim Chief Executive Officer of Kohl's Corporation following executive leadership transitions. Bender, an experienced retail executive and longtime board member, oversees merchandising execution and customer engagement.

Who was Tom Kingsbury and what was his impact as CEO of Kohl's?

Tom Kingsbury served as CEO of Kohl's from 2022 to late 2024. A seasoned off-price retail veteran and former CEO of Burlington Stores, Kingsbury drove inventory reduction, simplified clearance pricing, rolled out Sephora across all stores, and partnered with Babies 'R' Us.

Who was Michelle Gass and what major initiatives did she lead at Kohl's?

Michelle Gass served as CEO of Kohl's from 2018 to 2022. She architected the transformative Sephora at Kohl's partnership, launched the nationwide Amazon Returns program, and expanded national activewear brand partnerships before departing to become CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.

Who was Kevin Mansell and how did he guide Kohl's during its major growth era?

Kevin Mansell served as CEO of Kohl's from 2008 to 2018 (and Chairman from 2009). Mansell guided Kohl's through the Great Recession, built its strong e-commerce business, launched the Kohl's Charge card, and expanded the store count past 1,100 locations.

Who was Larry Montgomery and what was his role in Kohl's national expansion?

Larry Montgomery served as CEO of Kohl's from 1999 to 2008. Under his leadership, Kohl's executed an aggressive multi-billion-dollar nationwide store rollout, expanding from a regional Midwestern chain into a coast-to-coast retail leader.

Who serves as Chief Financial Officer of Kohl's Corporation?

Jill Timm serves as Chief Financial Officer of Kohl's Corporation. Timm has led financial strategy, capital allocation, real estate portfolio management, investor relations, and cost discipline initiatives across the enterprise.

How did Kohl's handle activist investor proxy battles in 2021 and 2022?

In 2021 and 2022, activist hedge funds (including Macellum Advisors and Ancora) launched proxy campaigns pushing Kohl's to sell its real estate or sell the company, which the board navigated by appointing seasoned retail directors and focusing on operational turnarounds.

What core leadership philosophy guides Kohl's executive team today?

Kohl's executive team focuses on operational simplicity, strict inventory and working capital discipline, driving store foot traffic through high-frequency beauty and lifestyle partnerships, and returning steady free cash flow to shareholders.

Who is the CEO of Kohl's?

Tom Kingsbury serves as CEO. He is a massive retail veteran (formerly CEO of Burlington Stores). He took over in 2023 after former CEO Michelle Gass abruptly resigned to run Levi's. Gass was highly praised for the Sephora and Amazon partnerships, but faced massive fury from activist investors who were furious over the company's absolutely plummeting stock price.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.