Why Nestlé, Astronomer and Kohl CEOs lost their jobs over workplace romances

The year 2025 has already seen several high-profile executive exits linked to workplace romantic affairs. Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe, technology firm Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, and Kohl’s CEO Ashley Buchanan are among the latest leaders to lose prestigious, high-paying roles after personal relationships came under scrutiny.

Romantic relationships are not inherently wrong, but when they involve colleagues or subordinates, they often raise serious questions about office ethics, transparency, and corporate governance. Across the US, companies are removing CEOs at the fastest pace in two decades: at least 41 CEOs have exited S&P 500 companies so far this year, compared with 49 for all of 2024.

Nestlé dismissed Laurent Freixe just a year after appointing him CEO, following an internal investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate that violated the company’s code of business conduct. Freixe’s sudden exit underscores Nestlé’s strict stance on ethics and workplace transparency.

Andy Byron, CEO of technology firm Astronomer Inc., resigned after being caught on the jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts cuddling the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. Both were married to other people, and the awkward clip quickly went viral.

When confronted on the stadium screen, Byron ducked out of view while Cabot covered her face and spun around. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin jokingly remarked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

Astronomer Inc. confirmed the resignations on LinkedIn, stating: “Leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.” Following the incident, Byron reportedly spent over $250,000 on OnlyFans subscriptions, custom videos, and private calls. Leaked messages suggest he used a secret Instagram account to arrange explicit video calls with adult content creators.

Earlier in 2025, Kohl’s CEO Ashley Buchanan was removed after just over 100 days on the job. An investigation found he had pushed for deals with a vendor with whom he had a personal relationship and failed to disclose the connection.

These transactions were reportedly conducted on highly unusual terms, including a multi-million-dollar consulting agreement involving the individual.

These high-profile exits highlight a broader corporate challenge: managing personal relationships in the workplace, particularly at the executive level, while maintaining ethical standards and accountability.

Companies are increasingly scrutinising leaders’ personal conduct, signaling that tenure or past achievements do not exempt executives from ethical responsibilities.

Over the past two decades, several high-profile CEOs have lost their jobs due to workplace romances with subordinates, illustrating the consequences of ethical breaches at the executive level. Notable examples include:

These incidents show that even top executives are not immune to accountability. Romantic relationships with subordinates can lead to reputational damage, legal scrutiny, and termination—even for leaders with strong track records or companies in transitional phases such as IPOs.