Target announced the name of its new chief operating officer on Thursday. Michael Fiddelke will fill the role, as his predecessor John Mulligan retires. Mulligan, in the meantime, will take on a new advisory role at the retailer.
Fiddelke has served as chief financial officer at Target since 2019. He will take over the chief operating officer duties as of Feb. 4. He will also be responsible for his current duties until a replacement can be named, according to the company.
Target is No. 5 in the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s online retailers by web sales.
Fiddelke’s new role as Target’s chief operating officer
“With his 20 years with the company, spanning roles across our business and most recently as our chief financial officer, Michael brings a diverse set of experiences and an end-to-end view of our business that will benefit Target and our continued growth well into the future,” said Brian Cornell, chair and CEO of Target, in a released statement. “I look forward to working alongside him as our new chief operating officer and appreciate his ongoing commitment as chief financial officer until his successor is named.”
The new role marks the latest step up in a two-decade career at the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company for Fiddelke. The former Deloitte consultant is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and first joined Target in 2003.
Fiddelke’s previous positions at Target
“I started with Target as an intern 20 years ago, and right away I knew I was joining a special company,” Fiddelke said. “With each position I’ve held across the organization, my appreciation for Target and the role we play in guests’ lives has only grown.”
The move follows time working in finance, merchandising, human resources and store operations. Fiddelke’s new portfolio of responsibilities will include oversite of Target’s 2,000 stores, global supply chain network, fulfillment services, network capacity planning, and enterprise operations, according to a press release.
“Operations are at the heart of how we serve our guests, and I’m looking forward to spending even more time with our team members in the field as we build for the future,” he stated.
Other leadership changes at Target
Target’s announcement also mentioned three additional high-level changes. Don Liu, the company’s chief legal and compliance officer, will retire after a successor can be identified. Liu, who first joined Target in 2016, will — like Mulligan — transition into a strategic advisory role.
In Target’s merchandising operations, Rick Gomez, who has been working as chief food and beverage officer at the retailer, will become chief food, essentials and beauty officer. Meanwhile, Jill Sando, who was already serving as chief merchandising officer, will transition to chief merchandising officer of apparel and accessories, home and hardlines. Both will continue to report directly to Target chief growth officer Christina Hennington in their new capacities.
The beauty category was a leader for Target, Hennington detailed, in Target’s most recent earnings report. Target’s overall online sales declined in that quarter, but Cornell stated that those shifts were in line with expectations. He cited “pressures like higher interest rates, the resumption of student loan repayments, increased credit card debt and reduced savings rates” as factors that were putting downward pressure on discretionary income for consumers.
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