Fiddelke, Target’s chief operating officer, will assume the role of CEO on February 1. In the video message to employees, he said he was looking forward to starting his job in a week and that “this is not the first message I imagined sending.”
He said he “met with a number of leaders and this weekend added my signature to a statement using our collective voice to call for calm, constructive dialogue and de-escalation to reduce tensions and keep people safe while this work continues.”
Hello team.
In a week, I will officially take over as CEO.
We’re about to enter a new chapter for Target, and I’ve been looking forward to starting this work with you for some time, but this isn’t the first message I imagined sending.
We’ll have time to talk very soon about our plans to move Target forward, but for now, as someone raising a family here in the Twin Cities and as a leader of this local business, I want to acknowledge where we are.
The violence and loss of life in our community is incredibly painful.
I know this weighs heavily on many of you across the country, as it does for me.
What is happening affects not only us as a company, but also as people, neighbors, friends and family members within Target.
We do everything we can to manage what is within our control, always keeping the safety of our team and customers our top priority.
In my 20-plus years at Target, one of the things I’ve loved is how we are a part of the communities in which we operate.
Since the beginning, we have donated 5% of our profits and millions of volunteer hours to make them strong and vibrant places to live and work.
With this in mind, I met with a number of leaders and signed a statement this weekend using our collective voice to call for calm, constructive dialogue and de-escalation to reduce tensions and keep people safe.
As this work continues, looking ahead to next week, I will spend my first days in the field listening and learning alongside our teams, then we will come together for an all-team meeting to talk about how we are moving our business forward.
Our leadership team is activated, HR is equipped and our resources remain ready to provide you with the care and support you need.
Thank you for everything you do for each other, for our guests and our communities.