Katie Boylan
katie-boylan-2024-influence-100

Katie Boylan

EVP, Chief Communications Officer
Target
US

 

Katie Boylan took over the senior communications role at Target—one of America’s largest and most respected retail companies—in 2017 with the departure of Dustee Jenkins (a fixture on this list in her role with Spotify) and during the early part of her tenure presided over a revamping of the company’s agency relationships and a renewed emphasis on purpose and responsibility. Target has a long history of inclusivity, selling Pride merchandize for more than a decade and factoring body positivity into its swimwear collections. In 2023, however, Target had to explain itself after pulling some Pride merchandize off the shelves in response to threats to employees.

Having joined Target's communications team in 2011, after a five-year stint at Edelman and earlier positions at Weber Shandwick and Burson Marsteller, Boylan was named to lead the communications function in 2017 and was officially named chief communications officer in 2020. The following year, she was named an executive vice president and added sustainability responsibilities to her role. She now oversees the retail giant’s internal and external communications, as well as its extensive corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives.

Can you share a moment in your career when you saw PR's direct impact on business performance?
I always feel a genuine sense of fulfilment when communications plays an outsized role in strengthening culture and engaging employees in strategy and a vision for the future. When done right, we can turn engagement into commitment, advocacy and strong business results. Throughout my career, I’ve seen a rising demand for communicators who can catalyze culture, spur enterprise change, and drive momentum in the business.

What are the communications industry's biggest challenges and opportunities in the year ahead?
As communicators, now more than ever, we have an outsized role in delivering value to a diverse set of audiences, earning their trust and fostering their affinity. We can successfully play this role by cultivating a values-based corporate culture, staying anchored to business strategy in all we do, and building agility into our teams to respond to continued change in the operating environment. This ensures we differentiate our brands, positively engage our stakeholders and steer our organizations forward.

How have you switched off from work and maintained wellness over the past year?
Retreating to our family cabin in northern Wisconsin always gives me the pause I need to refuel and reenergize. For the times in between those visits, I try to stick to a sustainable rhythm in my working hours, and support that with a commitment to eating well, sleeping enough, exercising regularly and finding time for fun (preferably with my life-long college friends!) I intentionally talk to my team about these routines to support a culture that values making time and space for resting and recharging.