Three days into the job, Target Corp.'s first outsider CEO has already shown how different he is simply by being seen.
Brian Cornell appeared before thousands of employees in a town hall-style meeting on Wednesday and spoke to hundreds of the company's suppliers Thursday. He then flew to Canada for a firsthand look at the business unit that, for the moment, is Target's biggest challenge.
On Thursday, Cornell sat down for his first interview since starting work and told the Star Tribune that he is humbled to lead such an "iconic brand."
"I'm absolutely convinced that the best for Target is yet to come," Cornell said over iced tea at a downtown restaurant.
With the job, Cornell, 55, becomes one of the most important executives in American retailing and, in the state of Minnesota, caretaker of a company whose roots go back 112 years to the original Dayton's department store in downtown Minneapolis. The company today is the fourth-largest retailer in the United States and third-biggest company in the state by revenue after Cargill and UnitedHealth Group.
Target's recent leaders, nonetheless, have kept a relatively low public profile. Cornell's immediate predecessor, the ousted Gregg Steinhafel, gave few interviews and sent a deputy to defend the company in Washington after a big data breach last year.
To be sure, as the first person to lead Target who didn't spend his or her career at the firm, Cornell has many introductions to make. Already, he has met hundreds of Target employees in the halls of its downtown headquarters. He's also been fielding calls from prominent executives in town and some of the state's political leaders.
"Clearly, I know I'm going to need to be very visible and engaged here in Minneapolis," he said, noting he's already built some familiarity with the region by serving on the board of Plymouth-based Polaris Industries Inc. "I've known many of the other CEOs for many, many years and I'm really looking forward to being a part of this community."