Target announced Monday that the company had hired senior information technology advisor Bob DeRodes to step in as executive vice president and chief information officer in light of last year's major data breach.

DeRodes joins the No. 3 retailer in the United States after working for more than 40 years with organizations such as the Center for CIO Leadership, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I look forward to helping shape information technology and data security at Target in the days and months ahead.  It is clear to me that Target is an organization that is committed to doing whatever it takes to do right by their guests," said DeRodes.

"Establishing a clear path forward for Target following the data breach has been my top priority. I believe Target has a tremendous opportunity to take the lessons learned from this incident and enhance our overall approach to data security and information technology," said Gregg Steinhafel, Target chairman, president and chief executive officer in a company press release.

"Bob's history of leading transformational change positions him well to lead our continued breach responses and guide our long-term digital strategy."

The hiring of DeRodes comes almost two months after previous CIO Beth Jacobs resigned thanks to fallout from last year's data breach. The breach, which resulted in the loss of personal records relating to over 100 million Americans, is the biggest theft of retail data in history and has put cybersecurity issues at the forefront of policy and debate.

Although the breach is still being investigating, Target has started taking steps to prevent a similar breach from occurring. The retailer confirmed on Monday that MasterCard would be manufacturing Target credit cards from next year on with its special chip-and-PIN security technology.           

"Target has long been an advocate for the widespread adoption of chip-and-PIN card technology," said Target CFO John Mulligan. "As we aggressively move forward to bring enhanced technology to Target, we believe it is critical that we provide our REDcard guests with the most secure payment product available. This new initiative satisfies that goal."

"Target and MasterCard are taking an important step forward in providing consumers with a secure shopping experience, and the latest in payments technology," said MasterCard North American president Chris McWilton.  "Our focus, together with Target, is on safety and security."

Repercussions from the Target breach continue to emerge, as the retailer was found guilty of being negligent to warnings about the breach that could have prevented it.