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Who is Chandra Holt? Exploring the retail veteran's link to fired Kohl's CEO Ashley Buchanan and the Jonas Brothers
Chandra Holt, a retail veteran, was reportedly behind Kohl’s CEO Ashley Buchanan’s firing. Here are more insights into her controversial journey
Chandra Holt, 44, is a retail veteran known for leadership roles at Walmart, Conn’s, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Her career spans e-commerce innovation and merchandising strategy, with an MBA from the University of Minnesota. Recently, she made headlines in the Wall Street Journal as the unnamed “romantic partner” in Kohl’s CEO Ashley Buchanan’s firing.
The Buchanan-Holt nexus
Buchanan accepted the offer to be Kohl's CEO back in January, but less than four months later, he was fired over allegations of striking a deal based on "highly unusual terms".
Along with this, Buchanan awarded a multi-million-dollar deal to a team headed by the same Chandra Holt, according to a Wall Street Journal report. All of these coupled together ended with Buchanan's firing just four months into a prestigious job.
More on Chandra Holt's journey: Link with the Jonas brothers
Chandra Holt's tenure as Bed Bath & Beyond CEO lasted under five months before a 2024 leadership shakeup at Beyond, Inc. Soon after her exit from this company, Holt struck out on her own and became the founder of Incredibrew. This brand aims to sell coffee pods with infusions of protein, collagen, vitamins, and more.
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Soon after acquiring this leadership role at Incredibrew, Holt put up a post saying, "I'm excited to announce my new role as the Executive Chairwoman of Jonas Brothers Ventures! In addition to leading Incredibrew, I'll also be spearheading new business opportunities tailored to or inspired by the Jonas Brothers". However, this announcement and the Jonas Brothers reference were taken down from LinkedIn later, according to reports.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Boston Consulting Group was quoted telling the Journal Sentinel that the firm was "shocked to learn of the relationship between Chandra Holt and Ashley Buchanan". In light of these events, the firm's statement read,"As a result of this non-disclosure, we have terminated Chandra Holt’s contract."
