Target has hired Walmart supply chain veteran Shekar Natarajan to fill the newly created role of Senior VP of Network Planning and Operational Design, effective Nov. 30.
Natarajan, who most recently served as Walmart’s VP of Last Mile Operations, Emerging Sciences and Operational Excellence, will oversee the design of the company’s direct-to-store and direct-to-guest supply chain network, as well as the use of new automation and other technologies to enhance the network’s speed, accuracy and efficiency.
With 15+ years of supply chain and logistics experience, Natarajan also has held leadership roles at Walt Disney Company, Anheuser Busch and PepsiCo.
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This isn’t the first major hire Target has made on the logistics side of its business in 2016, a year when the brand has made a major shift in how it operated its fulfillment processes. Natarajan will report to Target’s EVP and Chief Supply Chain and Logistics Officer, Arthur Valdez, whom the retailer hired from Amazon in March 2016. In July, the retailer lured away Apple’s Director of Logistics and Supply Chain strategies Ben Cook, appointing him as its Senior VP of Global Logistics, Inventory Allocation and Replenishment.
“At Target, we are laser-focused on delivering our guests the products they want quickly, accurately and efficiently,” said Valdez in a statement. “Under Shekar’s leadership, I’m confident we’ll be better positioned to deliver with improved speed and precision. Additionally, his experience and skills in future-state supply chain network planning will be a tremendous asset as we further develop our capabilities for the future.”
