Brian Cornell


Brian C. Cornell is an American businessman. Cornell serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Target Corporation.

Early life

Brian Cornell was born in 1958 in Queens, New York City. Cornell grew up in a fatherless household from the age of six, and his mother was living on welfare due to heart disease. As a result, Cornell was mostly brought up by his maternal grandparents.
Cornell graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981. Cornell attended the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1991.

Business career

Cornell served as the Chief Marketing Officer and the Executive Vice President of Safeway Inc., from 2004 to 2007.
Cornell served as the CEO of Michaels from 2007 to 2009, the CEO of Sam's Club from 2009 to 2012, and the CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, from 2012 to 2014.
Cornell served on the Board of Directors of OfficeMax, from 2004 to 2007, and of The Home Depot, from 2008 to 2009. Cornell has also served on the Board of Directors of Centerplate and Polaris Industries. Cornell has served on the Board of Directors of Yum! Brands since September 2015. He is also the chairman of the Retail Industry Leaders Association board, which he has served on since 2015.
On August 12, 2014, Cornell replaced Gregg Steinhafel as the Chairman and CEO of Target. Cornell's leadership style is at once data-driven and hands-on. During his tenure, Cornell has shut down the loss-incurring Canadian presence known as Target Canada which some claimed was due to threats by employees forming a union. But it had more to do with poor planning and execution. Target Canada's empty shelves didn't help its venture. It failed to create an adequate distribution system, which prompted customers to complain online about low inventory. The supply chain issues also meant it couldn't offer online shopping right away, which further frustrated shoppers.Jan 30, 2015. Cornell has hired many outsiders to update the corporate culture. Cornell occasionally visits Target stores and asks guests specific questions about their shopping experiences.
In 2019, Cornell was named as CNN's Business CEO of The Year.

Academic support

Cornell serves on the Board of Visitors of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Catalyst and the Museum Council for the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Personal life

He is married to Martha Cornell. They have a daughter and a son.