H&R Block on Reinventing Relevance for Gen Z

Jill Cress, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at H&R Block, is a visionary marketer with 30+ years of experience in financial services, media, and tech. She’s led brand transformations at PayPal, National Geographic, and MasterCard and now focuses on modernizing H&R Block, enhancing customer experience, and driving growth. Recognized as one of the world’s top CMOs, Jill excels at connecting brands with consumers in meaningful ways.

About Jill Cress

Jill Cress is an innovative marketer and strategist who pushes boundaries as the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer for H&R Block. She leads a dynamic team invested in transforming customer experience, modernizing and infusing its brand into highly relevant channels, and amplifying strategic marketing and communications efforts to deliver growth.

For more than 30 years, Cress has honed her skills as a strategic and passionate consumer, B2B marketer, and experience strategist with deep expertise in financial services, media and technology. She has held leadership roles across marketing, general management, product and enterprise strategy at leading Fortune 500 Companies.

Prior to H&R Block, Cress served as vice president of brand marketing for PayPal, where she also had responsibility for all Venmo marketing. She was also the chief marketing and communications officer at National Geographic Partners and served for more than 20 years at MasterCard Worldwide. There, she held executive leadership roles in strategy and marketing and served as country general manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Cress serves on the boards of the Ad Council and the Wealth Enhancement Group, an independent wealth management firm overseeing more than $96 billion in client assets. She has been recognized for numerous accolades, including Adweek’s inaugural Marketing Vanguard list, New York Women in Communications’ Matrix Award Honoree, Business Insider’s 25 Most Innovative CMOs, Forbes’ World’s 50 Most Influential CMOs, the CMO Next List, and the Entrepreneurial CMO 50.

Cress holds a bachelor’s degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is a self-described “explorer at heart” who loves experiencing new places and brands that connect with consumers in exciting ways. A resident of New York, Cress enjoys spending free time exploring the city and travelling the world with her husband, Todd, and daughter Beatrix.

From the Show

What brand has made Jill smile recently? Jill shared a recent “morning after the Oscars” smile from McDonald's, when the fast food brand shared what winners like Kieran Culkin might order after their big night.

Connect with Jill on LinkedIn and check out the H&R Block website.

As We Wrap …

• Listen and subscribe at  Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart, YouTube, and RSS.
• Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show.
• Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
• On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.



Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices