Michelle Gass

Chief Executive Officer

Kohl’s

Michelle Gass is CEO of Kohl’s and is responsible for the company’s long-term growth, profitability, and strategic direction—overseeing its 1,160 store base, ecommerce business, and 100,000 associates across the country. She is committed to building a strong purpose-driven culture, and has accelerated the company’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts and ESG strategies and goals. Gass has recently set a bold new vision for Kohl’s—to be the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle. During her tenure, she led the transformation of the company’s efforts in becoming a leading omnichannel retailer, brought in and elevated notable national brand partnerships, and evolved Kohl’s loyalty program into an industry-leading platform. As a champion of driving continuous reinvention for the future, Gass has forged new innovative partnerships with iconic powerful companies, such as Amazon and Sephora, to anticipate the needs of families for today and for tomorrow. Joining Kohl’s in 2013 as chief customer officer, Gass was named chief merchandising and customer officer in 2015, with responsibility for Kohl’s marketing, merchandising, planning and product development functions. She was promoted to CEO-elect in October 2017 prior to assuming the CEO role in May 2018. Gass has more than 30 years of experience in the retail and consumer goods industries. Prior to Kohl’s, she spent more than 16 years with Starbucks holding a variety of leadership roles across marketing, strategy, merchandising and operations, including president, Starbucks EMEA. She began her career with Procter & Gamble. Gass has received numerous professional honors, including being named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and Businessperson of the Year lists, as well as being named The Visionary 2020 by the National Retail Federation. Gass currently serves on the Board of Directors for PepsiCo. She received her undergraduate degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Washington.