Target Brings On Ex-Facebook Employee As VP Of Tech

Target Corporation announced that it has named Hari Govind as senior vice president of infrastructure and operations for the company’s technology team.

Govind, who will start the position this month, will oversee cloud-and-compute capabilities, network connectivity and operations for the retail giant’s technology that powers Target’s stores, digital channels, distribution centers and office locations. He will report to Mike McNamara, Target’s executive vice president and chief information officer.

Govind has more than 20 years of experience leading engineering and product management teams, and he brings in-depth expertise in social media, eCommerce, digital advertising, search and cloud infrastructure.

“Technology is more critical than ever in retail, and Target’s team has made tremendous progress building great technology for our guests and store team members,” said McNamara in a press release. “Bringing in an executive with Hari’s technical and leadership abilities marks another important step in our journey to create exceptional shopping experiences that redefine what technology can do in retail. I’m confident that Hari’s leadership will help us make shopping at Target even easier and more convenient for our guests.”

Before joining Target, Govind was at Facebook as the group manager on the Infrastructure team, leading strategy and execution to help scale platforms for Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus.

He also worked at Microsoft and Honeywell International, and he led teams that built platform capabilities for Bing, as well as retail and supply chain systems for Xbox.

“Target has scaled its technology infrastructure and operations to deliver a leading retail omni-channel experience for its guests,” Govind said. “With substantial investments in technology, stores, supply chain, and its team, including its commitment to a diverse workforce, Target is uniquely positioned for the next frontier in retail. With more than 1,850 stores, 3,000 engineers and 350,000 team members at Target worldwide, I am excited to join an incredibly passionate team with a culture that is laser focused on creating joyful guest experiences.”