The chief information officer of US retailer Target has resigned following a huge security breach last year.

According to the BBC, Beth Jacob, who oversaw Target’s computer systems, has become the first senior executive to quit following the breach.

In December last year up to 70 million customers had payment card and personal data stolen from Target’s databases, costing the retailer £10m. In the wake of the breach Target said it was going to overhaul its systems.

Target chief executive Gregg Steinhafel said: “While we are still in the process of an ongoing investigation, we recognise that the information security environment is evolving rapidly.

“To ensure that Target is well positioned following the data breach we suffered last year, we are undertaking an overhaul of our information security and compliance structure and practices at Target.”

Last month Target suffered a 46% plunge in profits. The retailer had already said it cannot estimate future expenses related to the breach and issued a profit warning for 2014.