Cara Sylvester is the executive vice president and chief guest experience officer for Target Corporation. In this role, Cara is focused on deepening guest engagement and attracting new shoppers by driving connection across key capabilities that enable the company’s best-in-class guest experience, including marketing, digital and technology. She leads the teams responsible for the retailer’s marketing, media and creative strategy, as well as its loyalty program, Target Circle, and in-house media company, Roundel. Cara also leads Target’s e-commerce business, and oversees its enterprise technology systems, data analytics and business intelligence strategy.
Cara joined Target in 2007 and has held a variety of leadership roles with the company. She was promoted to chief marketing and digital officer in 2021, where she helped shape Target’s omnichannel shopping experience and advance the retailer’s reputation as a leading marketer. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of home. In this role, she drove significant sales and share growth while increasing the category’s digital penetration to a leading position within the company. In her role as vice president of beauty, Cara led the launch and evolution of Target’s Beauty Concierge program, a high-touch service model that was the first of its kind among mass retailers. Before joining Target, Cara worked at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago.
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.