Michaels’ CEO joins Macy’s board

Macy’s has named two retailers with significant omnichannel and technology expertise to its board.

The department store giant has appointed Ashley Buchanan, CEO, of The Michaels Companies, and Tracey Zhen, president of Zipcar, to its board of directors, effective October 5, 2021.

Buchanan has served as CEO of Michaels since January 2020, during which time he has led the company through a significant transformation, including a reimagined omnichannel experience and strengthened store business. Prior to Michaels, he was with Walmart for nearly 11 years, most recently as chief merchandising office and COO for its U.S. e-commerce business. During his time at Walmart, Buchanan also served as chief merchant at Sam’s Club.

Zhen oversees all facets of the business in her role at Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, and is focused on leveraging innovation and technology to grow Zipcar’s position as a category leader. She brings more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles at consumer technology companies, including TripAdvisor and Expedia.

“Ashley and Tracey bring valuable and highly relevant expertise that will help our company continue to execute our Polaris strategy and drive growth,” said Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy’s. “Ashley brings decades of experience in retail and a history of overseeing omnichannel transformations efforts at both Michaels and Walmart. We also look forward to leveraging Tracey’s global consumer technology background and track record of fueling innovation and applying technology to deliver growth.”

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With the addition of Buchanan and Zhen, who fill two seats recently vacated, the Macy’s board will have 12 members. Buchanan will serve on the audit committee and Zhen will serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee.