UCLA Anderson School of Management graduate Brian Cornell (BA ’81, Executive Program ’91), has been named Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Target Corporation. Cornell has vast experience in the retail and consumer products world and was most recently the CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods. This is the first time that Target Corporation has hired an outsider as CEO and Chairman.
Cornell joins Target with more than 30 years of experience at some of the nation’s leading retail and consumer product companies. As Target’s new CEO, Cornell’s top priorities will be accelerating the company’s performance and advancing Target’s omnichannel evolution.
Cornell most recently served as the chief executive officer of PepsiCo Americas Foods where he oversaw the company’s global food business, the largest of PepsiCo’s four divisions. He was responsible for a portfolio that included Frito-Lay North America, Quaker Foods and all of PepsiCo’s Latin America food and snack businesses.
“I am honored and humbled to join Target as the first CEO hired from outside the company. I am committed to empowering this talented team to realize its full potential, lead change and strengthen the love guests have for this brand,” said Cornell. “As we create the Target of tomorrow, I will focus on our current business performance in both the U.S. and Canada and on how we accelerate our omnichannel transformation.”
Cornell earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and attended the Anderson Graduate School of Management. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors at the Anderson Graduate School of Management, as well as the Board of Directors at Polaris Industries.