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Target announced a string of leadership updates to its executive team on Tuesday, including the creation of a chief growth officer position and the promotion of a new chief marketing officer. The creation of new roles and the recent departure of president of food and beverage Stephanie Lundquist sparked .

Christina Hennington was appointed to the newly created EVP and chief growth officer role. She’s been with the discount retail company since 2003 and most recently worked as chief merchandising officer. Target said that she played “a critical role” in establishing the company as a destination for essential needs during the pandemic. In this newly created position, she will continue to oversee merchandising, but also will work across Target’s organizations to develop new revenue strategies and grow the company’s reach as a leading U.S. retailer.

Stepping into the chief merchandising role is Jill Sando, who has been with Target since 1997. She will report to Hennington and remain a member of the executive leadership team.

Rick Gomez, who most recently worked as chief marketing officer, will now lead as EVP and chief food and beverage officer. His predecessor, Stephanie Lundquist, announced she would be leaving the company earlier this year, but will remain in an advisory role until spring 2021. In the re-imagined role, Gomez will likely make good use of his experience working for billion-dollar consumer brands such as MillerCoors, PepsiCo, and the Quaker Oats company.

Cara Sylvester has been promoted to EVP and chief marketing and digital officer. In another re-imagined role, Sylvester will be responsible for deepening the affinity for the Target brand across all platforms and furthering the company’s popular loyalty program, in-house media brand and digital growth. She’s been with Target since 2007 and most recently worked as senior vice president of home.

Lastly, Katie Boylan has been promoted to EVP and chief communications officer. Boylan has been leading the company’s communications team since 2017, and in her newly expanded role, she will now also be responsible for Target’s social responsibility and sustainable efforts, as well the company’s philanthropic efforts through the Target Foundation.

"At the core of Target's success is the most talented team in retail," chairman and CEO Brian Cornell said. "The depth of expertise across Target's leadership team in particular has been a critical driver in Target's winning strategy and the excellence of our operations. The changes we're announcing create new opportunities for key leaders to bring their knowledge and experiences to different areas of the business."

All changes to the team are effective immediately.