MINNEAPOLIS — Melissa Kremer began her Target career in 2005 as a recruiter. In the years since, she has held human resources leadership positions supporting the retailer’s key businesses and also led the key talent functions of recruiting, learning, leadership development, talent management and strategic workforce planning.

Between 2008 and 2017, Kremer was responsible for enabling organizational performance in a succession of areas including merchandising, marketing, digital and enterprise strategy.

In the process, she advanced from manager of HR to vice president of HR, merchandising, strategy and innovation. In 2017, Kremer was appointed senior VP, talent and organizational effectiveness, followed by promotion to her current role in 2019.

Kremer is credited with having played an instrumental role in driving the HR strategies behind Target’s organizational transformation, driving large-scale structural and operational changes and building glob-al HR teams.

Melissa Kremer

“Human connection is ultimately what drives my purpose, and envisioning that connection on an impactful scale is what led me to this career,” Kremer wrote in a post on Linkedin. “As executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Target, I’m grateful for the opportunity to infuse empathetic connection into all aspects of HR for our global team of more than 350,000 team members — from recruitment engagement and development to meaningful benefits.”

Since Brian Cornell took the reins as chief executive officer in 2014, Target has consistently made it a priority to support its team members in a host of ways: raising its entry-level wages; investing in training to provide career paths and advancement opportunities; expanding health benefits; and even giving headquarters employees the flexibility to work in the office or at home — to name just a few.

Target leadership clearly recognizes that its team members, including those on the front line in stores and in the supply chain, are key to its success. And the company’s HR policies have won it widespread recognition.

Last year Target added another honor, being named a Top 100 Employer in the 2023 American Opportunity Index for its leadership in employee investment and career growth. Target ranked 11th overall and second in the retail industry.

“Our team members have played a major role in Target being named one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, 100 Best Companies to Work For and Best Places to Work for Millennials, in addition to one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies,” Kremer wrote.