Heather Bennett

President & Chief Customer Officer The Michaels Companies

Last Reviewed: September 29, 2026

Executive Summary

Heather Bennett is President & Chief Customer Officer of The Michaels Companies, the arts and crafts retailer based in Irving, Texas, which has been privately owned by Apollo-managed funds since 2021. She is responsible for the company’s end-to-end customer experience and its innovation and growth strategy, overseeing Marketing, eCommerce, Digital and Strategy. She joined Michaels in 2021 from Bugaboo, the stroller company, where she had been President, and has led Michaels’ digital transformation since. When chief executive Ashley Buchanan left in January 2025, she was one of three executives appointed to the interim Office of the CEO that ran the company until a permanent chief executive was named.

Career Highlights

• President & Chief Customer Officer of Michaels, overseeing Marketing, eCommerce, Digital and Strategy and championing the voice of the customer across the organisation.
• Joined Michaels in 2021 and led its digital transformation.
• Member of the interim Office of the CEO from 15 January 2025, alongside Chief Merchandising Officer Stacey Shively and Chief Financial Officer Perry Pericleous.
• As President of Bugaboo, led a turnaround to positive sales and operating income growth through a customer-focused approach.
• Earlier retail leadership roles across luxury goods, apparel, toys and hard goods.
• MBA in Finance from the University of Utah; BS degrees in Finance and in Business Management from Utah State University.

Professional Journey

Bennett studied at Utah State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a second in Business Management, and went on to an MBA in Finance at the University of Utah. Her career before Michaels ran through a variety of retail leadership roles, which Michaels describes as spanning luxury goods and apparel through to toys and hard goods.

Her most senior role before Michaels was President of Bugaboo, the maker of premium strollers. Michaels credits her with leading a turnaround there that returned the business to positive sales and operating income growth, built on a customer-focused approach.

She joined Michaels in 2021, the year the company was taken private. In April of that year The Michaels Companies completed its merger into a vehicle funded by investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management and withdrew its shares from registration. As President, she was given responsibility for the company’s innovation and growth strategy and led its digital transformation, with marketing and eCommerce also under her.

In January 2025 chief executive Ashley Buchanan left Michaels, and the board established an interim Office of the CEO from 15 January made up of Bennett, Chief Merchandising Officer Stacey Shively and Chief Financial Officer Perry Pericleous, while it searched for a permanent successor. Michaels now lists David Boone as Chief Executive Officer.

Her current title, President & Chief Customer Officer, frames the role around the customer rather than the channel: she leads the end-to-end customer experience, with Marketing, eCommerce, Digital and Strategy reporting to her, and is charged with making sure customer insight shapes the company’s priorities, brand equity and loyalty. Michaels also has a President & Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Bertram, so the two presidencies divide the business between the customer-facing side and operations.

Education

University of Utah

MBA, Finance

Utah State University

BS, Finance

Utah State University

BS, Business Management