Target Australia installs Phil Wade as director of marketing and e-commerce
Col Kennedy
Target Australia has made its acting marketing director Col Kennedy a permanent general manager of marketing and brought in former TK Maxx e-commerce marketer Phil Wade as director of marketing and e-commerce for the brand.
Wade was previously vice-president of marketing, e-commerce, loyalty and customer relationship management for TK Maxx, part of the UK division of the TJX companies, and has joined Target Australia as the Wesfarmers-owned retailer plans to expand its e-commerce business.
He replaces Lee Applbaum, who left the company in July after less than nine months in the role. Applbaum is now chief marketing officer for Patron Spirits International and maintains he was an independent consultant for Target Australia.
Kennedy had stepped in to the acting marketing director following Applebaum’s departure and has worked with Target for just under a year. He joined as head of adult apparel last March and took on the role of head of digital marketing in May, until he was made acting marketing director.
Prior to that the Brit spent 18-months working for digital developer THQ, initially in a marketing role, but latterly as regional director for the Asia Pacific region. He has also been senior manager, marketing UK and EMEA for The Walt Disney Company, and European product and PR manager for Sony Playstation.
A Target Australia spokesman said: “Col Kennedy has done an outstanding job as Acting Marketing Director and remains part of Phil’s senior marketing team.
Wade joined Target Australia as marketing and e-commerce director just prior to Christmas, the spokesman said.
Before he joined TK Maxx, where he led marketing initiatives across Europe, Wade worked with Home Retail Group, ranked number four in the Europe 500, and at consumer packaged good manufacturer Unilever.
Target Australia launched its new Back to School campaign featuring a beatboxer at the end of December.
Target has an estimated media spend of $36m – $40m, and is owned by Wesfarmers, the company that also owns discount retailer Kmart.
Its agencies include Big Red, UM, Reborn, Quantium, The Online Circle, CHE Proximity (Melbourne) and Principals, according to Mumbrella’s sister publication The Source.
Well deserved, Target gets a lot with this decision.
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