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Bio
Ms. Ambrose brings over 20 years experience driving growth and profitability in consumer products and service industries. Jill has provided leadership and consulting services for start-up, mid-size and Fortune 100 companies. Her industry expertise includes apparel, accessories, home furnishings, entertainment, licensing, sports, hospitality and new media.
Jill and her twin sister were born in Dallas, Texas and were raised throughout the United States. This diverse geographical upbringing in almost 20 metropolitan markets left a strong impression and understanding for a variety of needs, wants, motivations and behaviors in consumers.
She started her career in the apparel retail field working for Marshall Fields in the Executive Training program. She served in several operational, buying and merchandising capacities during her tenure at Fields.
Ms. Ambrose left Marshall Fields to work for Spiegel Catalog, gaining product development, direct marketing and market segmentation experience. At Spiegel she developed private label programs and worked with prestigious design teams including Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren to create exclusive products for Spiegel.
She was later recruited to Disney and held several product management, creative and brand leadership positions. Here she honed her skills in business development, branding and global expansion. Her reputation grew as a visionary and a pioneer for new markets. She moved up quickly through the ranks before leading the branding efforts of Disney’s Cruise Line, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, ESPN and The Mighty Ducks, as well as film and television properties such as Hercules, 101 Dalmatians, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.
Toward the end of Disney’s high growth period, Ms. Ambrose capitalized on her Disney stock and founded AVID Enterprises, Inc. a company that was first to market licensed sports apparel for women. The company obtained licenses with professional sports teams to design, produce and distribute apparel to retailers nationally. The first shipment sold out in 2 weeks at retail stores. Strong sales earned the company the number three performing vendor title at JC Penney.
Interested in harnessing the power of online merchandising and marketing she later joined Corbis, a company privately held by Bill Gates. As VP-Consumer Products, she successfully led a turn-around effort for their print-on-demand business and set up a consumer products licensing operation before moving into a strategic development role as VP-New Markets & Products.
Intrigued by the popularity of the gift certificate category and the fact that it was the first Holiday category to exceed apparel sales, Ambrose joined GiftCertificates.com as Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce. As a key member of the executive team, her efforts helped lead the company to profitability.
Most recently, Ms. Ambrose served as Chief Marketing Officer for CafePress. Ambrose was lured to CafePress to leverage her marketing, e-Commerce and print-on-demand experience. However, the excitement of empowering self-expression and engaging in community communication was the appeal for Ambrose. Responsible for Sales, Marketing, Merchandising, e-Commerce and Customer Experience, Ambrose developed led the company’s growth strategies to obtain sales increases three times the industry rate. In addition, she developed social marketing, community programs and communications efforts that are models for many companies entering this space today.
Ambrose is a member of the CMO Council, The CMO Club, Marketing Executive Network Group, The Retail Council of Advisors, The American Marketing Association and previously served as a board member for the Fashion Group International. She has been published and has lectured on such topics as Search Engine Marketing, Customer Retention, Loyalty, Branding and Integrated Marketing. Ambrose holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Retailing and Marketing from the University of Illinois.
Jill and her twin sister were born in Dallas, Texas and were raised throughout the United States. This diverse geographical upbringing in almost 20 metropolitan markets left a strong impression and understanding for a variety of needs, wants, motivations and behaviors in consumers.
She started her career in the apparel retail field working for Marshall Fields in the Executive Training program. She served in several operational, buying and merchandising capacities during her tenure at Fields.
Ms. Ambrose left Marshall Fields to work for Spiegel Catalog, gaining product development, direct marketing and market segmentation experience. At Spiegel she developed private label programs and worked with prestigious design teams including Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren to create exclusive products for Spiegel.
She was later recruited to Disney and held several product management, creative and brand leadership positions. Here she honed her skills in business development, branding and global expansion. Her reputation grew as a visionary and a pioneer for new markets. She moved up quickly through the ranks before leading the branding efforts of Disney’s Cruise Line, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, ESPN and The Mighty Ducks, as well as film and television properties such as Hercules, 101 Dalmatians, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.
Toward the end of Disney’s high growth period, Ms. Ambrose capitalized on her Disney stock and founded AVID Enterprises, Inc. a company that was first to market licensed sports apparel for women. The company obtained licenses with professional sports teams to design, produce and distribute apparel to retailers nationally. The first shipment sold out in 2 weeks at retail stores. Strong sales earned the company the number three performing vendor title at JC Penney.
Interested in harnessing the power of online merchandising and marketing she later joined Corbis, a company privately held by Bill Gates. As VP-Consumer Products, she successfully led a turn-around effort for their print-on-demand business and set up a consumer products licensing operation before moving into a strategic development role as VP-New Markets & Products.
Intrigued by the popularity of the gift certificate category and the fact that it was the first Holiday category to exceed apparel sales, Ambrose joined GiftCertificates.com as Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce. As a key member of the executive team, her efforts helped lead the company to profitability.
Most recently, Ms. Ambrose served as Chief Marketing Officer for CafePress. Ambrose was lured to CafePress to leverage her marketing, e-Commerce and print-on-demand experience. However, the excitement of empowering self-expression and engaging in community communication was the appeal for Ambrose. Responsible for Sales, Marketing, Merchandising, e-Commerce and Customer Experience, Ambrose developed led the company’s growth strategies to obtain sales increases three times the industry rate. In addition, she developed social marketing, community programs and communications efforts that are models for many companies entering this space today.
Ambrose is a member of the CMO Council, The CMO Club, Marketing Executive Network Group, The Retail Council of Advisors, The American Marketing Association and previously served as a board member for the Fashion Group International. She has been published and has lectured on such topics as Search Engine Marketing, Customer Retention, Loyalty, Branding and Integrated Marketing. Ambrose holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Retailing and Marketing from the University of Illinois.