Target Chief Information Officer Mike McNamara plans to retire next year after spending seven years helping the retailer transform its tech operations.
McNamara’s team “rebuilt and modernized the technology platform that’s been critical to the launch and growth of numerous Target experiences — including the digital and same-day services that our guests love and rely on,” Target said in a blog post.
When McNamara arrived at Target in 2015, according to The Wall Street Journal, about 70% of its 10,000-person information technology (IT) staff was outsourced. Now, the IT team is about 4,500 people, less than 7% of whom are contractors.
“Technology was and is too important to outsource,” McNamara said. “It plays an enormous role in determining the winners of any industry. We focused on developing phenomenal in-house expertise and capabilities, and have custom-built a tech platform that’s scalable, stable and secure.”
McNamara said he had always planned for Target to be his last job, and “he’s loved every minute” of it. “But professionally and personally, the timing is great to begin the process of retiring and transitioning to a new CIO. The technology team and platform are in brilliant shape, and our business is already taking on its next growth chapter.”
Last month, Chief Operating Officer John Mulligan told investors and analysts that Target is looking at new ways of utilizing technology such as robotics, automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) within its operations.
Related: Target Adding Nearly 100 Disney Shops to Stores in Expanded Partnership
Target also recently expanded its partnership with Disney, adding dozens of new shop-in-shop experiences to its 1,900 locations across the country. By the end of 2021, more than 160 Target locations will have Disney stores within their toy sections. Target said it will also grow the dedicated online Disney section of its website.