Uber snags Target's chief marketing officer as new president of ridesharing

Uber has hired Target's chief marketing officer to help the ride-hailing company boost its global brand.

Jeff Jones will joining the San Francisco-based startup as president of ridesharing, making him responsible for Uber's operations, marketing and customer support globally, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a company blog post Tuesday. Jones succeeds Ryan Graves, Uber's first employee and first CEO, who will remain with the company as its "resident entrepreneur."

Jones' focus at Uber will be to "fuse" its marketing efforts with its global operations, Kalanick said in his post.

"It's super clear to me that Jeff understands scale, operational excellence, innovation and storytelling -- and that he's up for learning and testing his limits," Kalanick wrote. "Most of all I love Jeff's optimism about, and enthusiasm for, our mission."

Jones' departure from Target comes at a tough time for the retailer. Earlier this month, the company suffered its first decline in revenue, at stores open at least year, since 2014. The company is also grappling with consumer boycotts over its decision to allow transgender customers and employees to use the bathroom of their choice.

Jones, who joined Target in 2012, is credited with modernizing Target's marketing and helping launch its #MoreMusic social campaign last year. Before joining Target, Jones was partner and president of McKinney, a Durham, North Carolina-based advertising agency.