Target CEO makes leadership changes to emphasize innovation, digital

Four months since he took over as Target Corp.'s chief executive, Brian Cornell is making some of his first leadership changes to emphasize innovation and digital prowess within the company's corporate structure.

Cornell is expected to unveil his long-term strategic plan for the company early next year, but he has already been vocal about his goal to make Target a leader in mobile and e-commerce. On Wednesday, he announced a number of moves to elevate and expand some positions and to create two new "centers of excellence."

Casey Carl, Target's president of omnichannel, will take on the newly created role of chief strategy and innovation officer and will report directly to Cornell. Carl will oversee a new center of excellence in data, analytics and business intelligence, an effort that will be led by Paritosh Desai.

Target also is forming a new guest center of excellence to better understand how customers connect with the retailer through its many channels. That center will be led by Jeff Jones, Target's chief marketing officer, who is adding the customer experience to his responsibilities.

The idea behind these new centers is to help bring together work happening across different teams and to approach these areas from a more holistic and consistent standpoint, said Dustee Jenkins, a Target spokeswoman.

Jason Goldberger, who was senior vice president at Target.com and mobile, has been promoted to president of that division. Dawn Block, a Target vice president, will assume his previous role.

Laysha Ward, Target's president of community relations, will add global affairs and sustainability to her responsibilities. She also oversees the Target Foundation. Her new title is chief corporate social responsibility officer.

And John Hulbert has been promoted to vice president of investor relations — a move aimed at elevating that division.

Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113