Don Liu, general counsel of Xerox Corporation, is joining Target Corporation as executive vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel.
The hire, effective August 22, replaces outgoing Target general counsel Tim Baer, who will retire in July 2017, the company said in an announcement on Thursday. Baer will serve in an advisory role for the next 12 months, supporting the transition.
The hire comes after Target has faced some difficult legal challenges after a massive data breach in Thanksgiving 2013, when millions of customers’ personal information was accessed by hackers . The company has faced numerous lawsuits from customers andbanks that had to issue new cards after the breach, resulting in multi-million dollar settlements.
Neither Liu nor Baer could immediately be reached. A Xerox spokesman said that Michael Peffer, associate general counsel at Xerox Services, will replace Liu as general counsel on Aug. 5.
Target’s chief executive officer Brian Cornell, who Liu will report to, thanked Baer in a statement and welcomed Liu to the team .
“Tim’s leadership has been integral to Target’s success and we are grateful for his years of service,” said Cornell. “I know Don will be an excellent addition to our leadership team.”
Liu, 55, has worked at Xerox since June 2007. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Toll Brothers, Inc. In his new role at Target, he will oversee all legal, corporate governance, and government affairs matters.
“I have long admired Target and the legal team behind the brand,” said Liu in a statement.
“Joining the organization will provide me with an incredible opportunity to bring my passion for the law to one of the great retail companies in America. I look forward to building Target’s business and positively impacting its reputation.”
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