From Nestlé to Boeing: See the top 8 CEOs who fell after workplace romances
The global corporate world has seen a wave of leadership shake-ups in 2025, with eight high-profile chief executives losing their jobs over workplace romances and related ethical breaches.
The trend highlights how personal relationships, when entangled with professional hierarchies, can upend careers and unsettle boardrooms.
Nestlé dismissed Laurent Freixe just a year into his tenure after an internal probe revealed he had engaged in an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate. The board, citing a violation of its code of business conduct, terminated his contract with immediate effect.
At US technology firm Astronomer Inc., Andy Byron resigned following a public scandal when he was caught on the stadium “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert embracing the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. Both were married to other people at the time, and the viral clip prompted Astronomer to release a statement stressing that “leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.”
In the retail sector, Ashley Buchanan was ousted from Kohl’s after just over 100 days in office. An investigation found that he had pushed for deals with a vendor with whom he had a personal relationship, failing to disclose the connection. The transactions reportedly involved a multimillion-dollar consulting contract under unusual terms.
Earlier examples serve as a reminder that such issues are not new. Gary Friedman, head of Restoration Hardware, stepped aside after his intimate relationship with a 26-year-old employee came to light, raising concerns about professionalism and judgement.
Brian Dunn of Best Buy was forced to resign after his relationship with a 29-year-old employee disrupted the workplace environment and attracted board scrutiny.
Kenneth Melani, chief executive of Highmark, was removed following legal troubles linked to a relationship with a colleague, which escalated into a confrontation with her husband.
At Hewlett-Packard, Mark Hurd was ousted after allegations surfaced that he had a relationship with an event greeter and had filed improper expense reports connected to the relationship.
And at Boeing, Harry Stonecipher resigned when his consensual relationship with a subordinate was found to breach the company’s ethics code, as it created a potential conflict of interest.
These eight cases underline the risks when personal relationships compromise transparency, corporate governance, and shareholder trust. According to leadership trackers, at least 41 CEOs have already exited S&P 500 companies in 2025, compared with 49 across the entirety of 2024. Analysts suggest this reflects a stricter corporate climate in which boards are increasingly unwilling to overlook conduct that threatens institutional credibility.