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. In addition, she was 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, in addition to serving 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 $71 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, and 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.
