MINNEAPOLIS (Diya TV) — Target is strengthening its digital strategy with two senior leadership appointments focused on artificial intelligence and user experience. The retailer has named Chandhu Nair as its first chief AI officer and Purvi Shah as senior vice president of user experience, saying the moves will help advance its growth plans while keeping the guest experience at the center.
Nair joins Target on Aug. 24 as senior vice president and chief AI officer, where he will lead efforts to bring greater focus and coordination to artificial intelligence across the company. Rather than treating AI as a separate business strategy, Target said Nair will work to connect it with the company’s existing strengths, including its stores, merchandising operations and employees.
Nair said he wants to make AI useful for the people who interact with Target every day — shoppers, store employees and business teams. He said the strongest results should show up in everyday experiences, such as making shopping easier, giving employees better tools, or helping teams make faster, more informed decisions. He previously served as senior vice president of stores, data, AI and innovation at Lowe’s, and has also held leadership roles at Staples and Gap.
Shah will lead Target’s user experience efforts as senior vice president of UX, focusing on simple, useful and human-centered experiences across the company’s digital and business operations. Target said human-centered design remains central to how it builds technology and customer experiences, and Shah will help shape both what customers see and the systems that support those experiences.
She said UX teams should ask three basic questions before creating a solution: identify the right problem, understand who needs it, and determine whether the approach fits the situation. That framework extends beyond Target’s website or app — UX also shapes how store employees complete tasks and how business partners work with Target teams. Shah said experience touches nearly every part of the company, and improving those moments could create more opportunities for growth.
