Kohl’s appoints digital chief amid turnaround plan

Dive Brief:

• Kohl’s appointed Arianne Parisi as its chief digital officer, effective July 28, amid a broad turnaround effort to restore profitability. Parisi will report to Michael Bender, who was appointed as interim CEO in May.  
• Parisi joins the company after a 20-year career in retail, serving in digital or e-commerce leadership roles at JD Sports, Finish Line and Nordstrom. Most recently, she was EVP and global chief digital officer at JD Sports.  
• Parisi replaces Siobhán Mc Feeney, who served as chief technology and digital officer until her departure in April. Mc Feeney first joined Kohl’s in 2020. Kohl’s is conducting a search for a CTO, who will also report to Bender, the company said in a Tuesday email to CIO Dive.

Dive Insight:

Kohl’s recent changes to the tech leadership suite come amid the sudden departure of previous CEO Ashley Buchanan, who was fired by the board of directors in May. 

Buchanan had a short stint at the helm of the company. Just months after being hired in January, he was terminated with cause after an investigation found he violated company policy by engaging in “vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest,” the company said.

Under its interim CEO, Kohl’s is planning for a rebound in response to sliding sales numbers. Digital capabilities are part of the plan. 

“Arianne’s deep experience leading digital teams at omnichannel retailers will allow her to hit the ground running and help us in our efforts to enhance our customers’ experience whenever they shop with us, strengthen the total business and improve, simplify and drive the digital experience,” Bender said in a Monday announcement. 

In Q1 2025, the company saw net sales fall 4.1% year over year to $3 billion, according to an earnings report for the period ending May 3.  

“While we are in the early stages of our initiative, it is clear that the actions we are taking are beginning to resonate with our customers,” said CFO Jill Timm, speaking during a May earnings call. “However, I want to level set that this is a turnaround and will continue to take time, and much of the work remains ahead of us.”

In the face of challenging economic conditions, several retailers have leaned into AI investments in an effort to curb costs — Ralph Lauren, Williams-Sonoma and Revolve Group among them. More than half of retail organizations say they’ve expanded investments into generative AI compared with last year, according to Capgemini data.