Babylist taps veteran marketer as chief marketing officer
A registry platform for expecting parents and gift givers is making a C-suite addition.
Babylist has named Jill Cress as its chief marketing officer, effective next month. Reporting to founder and CEO Natalie Gordon, Cress will lead the company's full scope of marketing functions, including brand, performance, content and experiential.
Cress has more than 30 years of marketing experience. She most recently served as the chief marketing and experience officer at H&R Block for nearly four years. In the role, she led the company's evolution from its legacy tax business into fintech, including the launch of a mobile banking platform.
Prior to H&R Block, she spent more than two years in global and consumer marketing VP roles at PayPal, and previously spent nearly three years as the chief marketing officer at National Geographic. From 1994 to 2017, Cress served in a variety of roles at Mastercard.
"Jill repositioned PayPal for the modern consumer, made National Geographic the most-followed brand on Instagram, and transformed H&R Block into a modern fintech platform,” said Gordon. “We are at a similar inflection point at Babylist and she knows how to take a brand that people trust and make it one they can't stop talking about. We've spent over 10 years earning that trust with families, and now it's time to make the world feel it. Jill is the person to do that."
The announcement of Cress’ appointment comes after Babylist shared plans to open a 20,000-sq.-.ft. showroom on Broadway in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. Expected to open in late summer, the space is being designed as an experiential destination where customers can check out baby gear in person, build their registries with the guidance of Babylist's registry consultant and attend events and educational classes.
"What drew me to Babylist is the same thing that has driven every chapter of my career – a beloved brand sitting at the edge of its biggest opportunity yet,” said Cress. “I've always believed that transformational growth is a team sport, and the results prove it — from repositioning PayPal for new audiences to building NatGeo's digital subscription business – every breakthrough came from bringing the right people together around a bold idea. Babylist is ready for that, and I can't wait to build it alongside Natalie and this extraordinary team."
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According to the company, Babylist recently surpassed $750 million in annual revenue, marking 45% year-over-year growth and its eighth consecutive year of profitability. Babylist also recently launched Babylist Money, a new financial planning resource for families, and its first original podcast, Birth with Babylist.
More than 10 million people shop with Babylist every year.
