Michael Bender

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.—Kohls Corporation (NYSE: KSS) announced that its board of directors increased the size of the board to 11 members and elected Michael Bender to fill the new seat, effective immediately. Bender, president and chief executive officer of Eyemart Express, LLC, has been elected to a term expiring at Kohl’s 2020 annual shareholders meeting, the company said, and will be eligible for re-election by Kohl’s shareholders at that time. He will initially serve on the board’s Audit and Governance and Nominating Committees.

“Michael is a seasoned executive leader who brings deep expertise with notable retail and consumer brands, as well as global e-commerce,” said Frank Sica, Kohl’s chairman. “Michael's breadth of experience and his deep understanding of operations will be valuable assets to Kohl’s, and we look forward to his contributions to the board."

Bender was named to his current role at Eyemart Express in January 2018, as VMAIL reported. Previously, Bender held a number of successive management positions at Walmart Inc. over eight years, having most recently served as chief operating officer of Global eCommerce.

Prior to Walmart, Bender held senior positions at Cardinal Health, Inc., a global, integrated health care services and products company, including president and general manager – retail and alternate care. Bender has also served as vice president of store operations for L-Brands, Inc. – Victoria’s Secret Stores and has 15 years of experience with PepsiCo, Inc. where he held a variety of sales, finance and operating roles.

Bender also brings board experience from Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust, where he served as a director for nearly 15 years.