J. C. Penney Company Inc. announced that Shawn Gensch has been named executive vice president, chief customer officer, effective June 3, reporting directly to Jill Soltau, chief executive officer.
He will be responsible for driving aggressive customer-centric strategies to grow traffic, engagement and customer retention in addition to revitalizing the company`s brand, leading marketing initiatives across all channels, shaping the company`s messaging and delivering an outstanding digital experience and increased customer loyalty.
“I am delighted to welcome Shawn to JCPenney. His appointment fills a vital component of our executive leadership team, and we are eager to leverage his cross-functional expertise to inspire an engaging and rewarding shopping experience for our customers. Shawn will be instrumental in developing a compelling brand identity that builds meaningful connections with new shoppers, and strengthens relationships with our most loyal customers,” said Soltau. “His proven leadership in brand management, digital marketing, analytics, mobile applications and customer loyalty programs makes him the ideal candidate to join our team of highly esteemed retail experts to deliver profitable growth and position JCPenney for success.”
In this role, Gensch will oversee all aspects of the company`s marketing strategies and initiatives including digital, advertising, creative design, customer research, loyalty, analytics and insights, social media, sales promotions and planning, and events marketing to deliver an integrated brand experience across all customer touchpoints.
Gensch joins JCPenney from Sprouts Farmers Market where he served as chief customer officer, overseeing their brand and category marketing strategy, digital marketing, guest insights, customer relations, advertising, social media, private label brand strategy, and public relations in support of its nationwide stores and ecommerce operations. He has driven key strategic initiatives related to their brand repositioning, digital engagement, website redesign, new mobile application, as well as a successful new store prototype.
Prior to Sprouts, Gensch co-founded and served as chief executive officer of iAMroyalist, Inc., a consumer-driven loyalty platform that connects the business intelligence from industries such as hospitality, retail and service to a secure global currency wallet.
Gensch spent 10 years at Target Corporation in positions of increasing responsibility, including senior vice president of marketing where he led all media strategy, public relations, social media, strategic partnerships, and experiential and lifestyle marketing efforts. He also led enterprise-wide marketing for their master brand and holiday seasonal campaigns as vice president, brand marketing, and managed Target`s loyalty program as vice president, financial product design and development in their financial and retail services division. In addition, Gensch served as the president of Target Bank.
Before joining Target in 2003, Gensch worked in various roles in the structured finance, insurance, banking and related consulting industries, including serving as vice president and assistant treasurer of Green Tree Financial Corporation. He began his career at KPMG. Since 2014, Gensch has served on the boards for GWG Holdings, Inc. and for Anser Innovation.
