As it faces pressure from activist investors on leadership and operations, Target Corp. announced Jeff England will join the company as executive vice president, chief global supply chain and logistics officer.
England, whose appointment is effective May 31, reports to Lisa Roath, Target’s COO.
The company has given England responsibility for accelerating supply chain development as a means of improving the consumer shopping experience. England joins Target from building products producer QXO. At QXO, England served as chief supply chain officer.
Target said current chief supply chain and logistics officer Gretchen McCarthy will transition into a strategic advisor role through August.
Target reported England joins the leadership team as the company enters a new chapter of growth with a focus on leading with merchandising authority, elevating the guest experience, accelerating technology and strengthening its team and communities. As part of company plans moving forward, Target said it intends to build supply chain capabilities to deliver greater speed, reliability and precision. Target added England’s appointment reflects its continued focus on delivering growth, delivering a best-in-class shopping experience in stores and online.
Out-of-stocks were one of several factors that prompted the activist investors Mercy Investment Services, SOC Investment Group and Trillium Asset Management to call for a shareholder vote against returning executive chairman Brian Cornell and independent director Christing Leahy to the board at the company’s annual meeting on June 10.
“Guests come to Target for great style, design and value, and they trust we’ll be in stock and ready for them every time they shop,” said Michael Fiddelke, Target CEO, in announcing the latest company executive appointment. “Elevating that guest experience is one of our top priorities, and Jeff’s deep expertise across operations, engineering, technology and automation, along with a strong track record of leading operations of various sizes and complexities, is exactly what will be required to strengthen how we deliver for our guests.”
