JCPenney ropes in Shawn Gensch as chief customer officer

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. has announced that Shawn Gensch, an executive with 25 years of experience in marketing and finance, has been named executive vice president, chief customer officer, effective June 3, 2019, reporting to Jill Soltau, the company’s CEO. The company said, 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 in a statement.

Shawn Gensch to join JCPenney as chief customer officer

The company added that 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. 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 has also 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 served as vice president, brand marketing and vice president, financial product design and development at Target. 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 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.

Picture:Facebook/JCPenney