Kohl’s fired CEO Ashley Buchanan this week after discovering he directed the company into a multimillion-dollar consulting deal involving a vendor tied to someone he had a personal relationship with—without disclosing the conflict. The company detailed the termination in a regulatory filing, explaining that an outside law firm found Buchanan had violated internal policies by pushing through transactions that favored the vendor under highly unusual terms.

Buchanan, who became CEO in January after previously holding the same role at Michaels, was terminated for cause by the Kohl’s board. Director Michael Bender has been appointed interim CEO. The retailer clarified that the firing wasn’t related to business performance and did not involve other employees.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, identified the vendor as Boston Consulting Group, where Buchanan’s partner, Chandra Holt, served as an adviser. Holt was reportedly part of the consulting team involved in the deal.

Boston Consulting said it was unaware of the relationship and terminated Holt’s contract for failing to disclose the conflict. The firm added that Holt worked part time, billed hourly, and was not involved in negotiating or leading the project.

Buchanan will forfeit all equity awards and bonuses from his time at Kohl’s and must repay a prorated portion of his $2.5 million signing bonus. Neither Buchanan nor Holt responded to media inquiries.