Target Corporation has promoted Matt Zabel, who has been executive vice president and general counsel at the company since 2022, to become chief corporate affairs officer.
In his new role, Zabel reports to Brian Cornell, chair and CEO of Target. A request for comment on Zabel’s replacement as general counsel was not returned immediately.
Zabel joined Target in 2010 as vice president of government affairs. In that role, he led the company’s advocacy and engagement with Congress, the White House, state legislatures and city councils. Since then, he has led teams in enterprise risk management, reputation management, law, food safety and employee and labor relations. He also previously led Target’s internal Covid-19 task force.
According to his LinkedIn profile, before joining Target, Zabel was chief of staff to Senator John Thune, R-South Dakota. He had previously worked with the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC in roles including trial attorney and deputy associate attorney general.
In addition, Target has promoted Kiera Fernandez to become executive vice president and chief community impact and equity officer, reporting to Zabel. In her new role, she is responsible for external stakeholder engagement and has oversight of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and corporate philanthropy efforts.