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What is Brian Cornell's net worth? Target’s CEO's career is explored as he plans to resign in February 2026

  • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 20: The Target logo is displayed at a Target store on August 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Target is set to release its second quarter earnings report before tomorrow's opening bell. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
    LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 20: The Target logo is displayed at a Target store on August 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Target is set to release its second quarter earnings report before tomorrow's opening bell. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

    Target's CEO Brian Cornell will step down after over a decade, and the role will be taken up by Michael Fiddelke, who is also the current chief operating officer. Cornell will officially step down on February 1, 2026, and Fiddelke will lead the company from there. For the unversed, Cornell had been the CEO of Target since 2014.

    The news was reportedly announced on August 20, 2025. As Brian Cornell plans his resignation next year, he already has a whopping net worth of $80 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Target had further announced that Fiddelke joined the company as an intern more than 20 years ago and had also been the company's chief finance officer at one point in time.

    In the year 2022, Target dismissed its traditional policy of retirement at 65, only to accommodate Cornell so that he would stay for three more years. After resigning from the position of CEO, Cornell will become a part of the executive chair of the board of directors, according to reports by Business Insider.

    The announcement about Cornell's departure from the CEO position came after Target suffered during the COVID pandemic, when a lot of customers switched to more budget-friendly alternatives.


    Exploring the career of Brian Cornell, amid news about his resignation as the CEO

    With a staggering net worth of $80 million, Brian Cornell is best known for being the Chairman and CEO of Target. According to reports by Celebrity Net Worth, Cornell was the owner of 295,000 shares of Target, valued at $75 million. The outlet further stated that during an ideal profitable year of Target, Cornell could earn anywhere between $18-20 million.

    Born in New York City in 1958, Brian Cornell graduated from the University of California. From 2004 to 2007, Cornell acted as the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Safeway Inc. Then, from 2007 to 2009, he was the CEO of Michaels. From 2012 to 2014, Cornell had reportedly been the CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods.

    Cornell has served on the Board of Directors of several companies, such as OfficeMax, The Home Depot, Centerplate, Polaris Industries, and Yum! Brands, Catalyst, and the Retail Industry Leaders Association. In 2019, when Cornell was the CEO of Target, he was named CNN's Business CEO of the Year.
    Brian Cornell is married to Martha Cornell, and the couple also has two children. Meanwhile, Analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, shared his reaction to the company's decision to choose Michael Fiddelke as the next CEO. Saunders reportedly had "mixed feelings" about the same.

    According to Business Insider, Saunders said,

    "While we think Fiddelke is talented and has a somewhat different take on things compared to current CEO Brian Cornell, this is an internal appointment that does not necessarily remedy the problems of entrenched groupthink..."

     

    Meanwhile, the outlet also shared a statement given by Fiddelke, in which he claimed that the company still had some work to do in order to reach its full potential. 

    TOPICS: Brian Cornell, CEO, Target