Cara Sylvester is the executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Target Corporation. As a seasoned growth and change agent, Cara is focused on crafting one-of-a-kind assortments and experiences that define why guests shop at Target. She leads the teams that steer the retailer’s design- and style-driven curation strategy across assortment, product design, owned brands, partner collaborations, and merchandising capabilities.
Since joining Target in 2007, Cara has consistently translated emerging digital trends and consumer expectations into cohesive strategies at the enterprise level.
As chief guest experience officer, she led the transformation of Target’s omnichannel shopping experience by fully integrating stores, digital, generative AI, and social media and marketing capabilities. Under Cara’s leadership, Roundel grew into a multi-billion-dollar retail media business and one of Target’s most significant profit contributors. Her track record also includes revamping Target's loyalty program, Target Circle, growing and scaling industry-leading same-day services, and quadrupling the size of third-party marketplace Target+.
Cara brings extensive merchandising expertise to the executive leadership team. She previously led Target’s Home business, driving significant sales and share growth while expanding Target’s digital presence as consumer behaviors changed. As vice president of Beauty, she introduced first-of-its-kind expert guidance and education in a mass retail environment with the launch of Target’s Beauty Concierge program.
She started her career in corporate strategy and then worked as a buyer across frequency and discretionary businesses.
Cara is a member of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum advisory council.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
* Denotes an Executive Officer subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.