Meet Target's new CFO

Target Corp. has a new finance chief and executive VP. Cathy Smith officially joined the discounter on Sept. 1, coming from Express Scripts, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, where she was also CFO.



A seasoned retail leader, Smith also held CFO positions at Walmart International, GameStop, and others. Target recently posted a Q&A with Smith on its Bullseye blog. Here are some highlights:



What made you decide to take on this role at Target?

First, I love retail. And Target is in the process of a bold and ambitious transformation; this is such an exciting time to be a part of it. While I was considering the role, my family took a road trip to 65 Target stores in 10 states. That cinched it for me.



I love the great products, clean stores, and all the friendly team members we met. I’ve been a Target guest for a long time and have so much respect for the company, so I knew it’d be a great fit.



How will you use your background and previous experience to lead your new teams?

I hope to draw upon my past experiences — in aerospace/defense, tool manufacturing, homebuilding, health care, and retail — and bring new perspectives to the leadership team. My role is to make the team wildly successful, and in doing so, they make Target successful. If our guests are happy, everybody wins. So I’ll make sure we’re all focused on the goal, remove barriers where I can, and then let teams use their expertise to do great work.



Do you have a personal motto or mantra?

I have three that I rely on, depending on the situation. As Yoda says, “Do or do not; there is no try.” In other words, I always want to know that I’ve done everything I can. Then, there’s “Learning to quit becomes a habit — don’t do it.” Tenacity is a wonderful quality. And finally, “Believe in the best version of yourself.” A reminder to be the great person you know you are.



Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I’m a member of the United States Parachute Association, and I’ve competed in several national skydiving events. Over the years, I’ve held the world record for largest freefall formation multiple times. In fact, I’ve jumped out of more airplanes than I’ve landed in!