Target COO and chief external engagement officer announce retirements

Target Chief Operating Officer John Mulligan and Laysha Ward, chief external engagement officer, are retiring after decades with the Minneapolis-based retailer, the company announced Tuesday.

Mulligan will leave his post in February and will become a strategic advisor for Target until February 2025. Ward, who officially retires in April, is now a strategic advisor.

“On behalf of the entire Target team, I want to thank John and Laysha for the tremendous impact they’ve had on our team and business during their impressive careers with the company,” CEO Brian Cornell said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with John until his retirement in 2025 and appreciate the important role he’ll play in setting his successor up for success, and I wish Laysha the very best as she prepares to embark on her next chapter.”

Target COO John Mulligan is retiring in April. / Photo courtesy: Target

Mulligan came to target in 1996 as a financial analyst before being promoted to chief financial officer in 2012. From May to August 2014, he served as interim president and CEO before Cornell’s hiring.

He was promoted to his current role in 2015. As COO, he has been instrumental in Target’s “stores as hubs” digital fulfillment strategy and has helped orchestrate the retailer’s fulfillment options, including pickup, drive up and same-day delivery services.

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Mulligan also serves on the boards of McDonald’s and Target-owned delivery company Shipt.

“By maintaining a relentless focus on our guests, we continue to show what it looks like to adapt to meet evolving needs and a constantly changing retail landscape, all while delivering a sense of joy that’s uniquely Target,” Mulligan said in a statement. “And what’s even more rewarding is the confidence I have that the best is still to come for this incredible brand.”

Ward began her career with Marshall Field’s in Chicago in 1991, where she realized corporations and their employees can have a significant impact on their communities, Target said.

Target announced the retirement of Laysha Ward, chief external engagement officer. / Photo courtesy: Target

During her tenure, she pioneered Target’s partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and established the St. Jude Target House, which provides free housing to parents whose children are receiving cancer treatment.

In 2008, President Bush appointed Ward to the board of directors for the Corporation for National and Community Service (now known as AmeriCorps). She served as board chair during the Obama Administration.

“It has been a great privilege to grow alongside the Target brand and team for 32 years, as we’ve expanded from $9 billion in annual revenue and fewer than 500 stores to more than $100 billion and nearly 2,000 stores,” Ward said in a statement. “This has been a shared journey of purpose, meaningful relationships and sustainable impact for our business and the community, filled with lessons I will carry with me in service to others.”

Target on Tuesday also announced that Matt Zabel, who had previously served as the retailer’s general counsel, has been named chief corporate affairs officer. Further, Kiera Fernandez has been promoted to chief community impact and equity officer. Fernandez, who had served as chief diversity and inclusion officer since June 2020, will oversee Target’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy as well as corporate philanthropy efforts.