Jeff Jones named CEO of H&R Block

Business veteran Jeff Jones will take the helm of tax-preparer H&R Block in October.

Jones, a former Uber and Target executive, will take over as CEO on Oct. 9 for Tom Gerke, who will remain with the firm as general counsel and chief administrative officer.

{mosads}“He is a transformational leader, one who deeply understands today’s consumer and knows how to drive results in large-scale operations,” said Robert Gerard, H&R Block’s chairman of the board.

“Given his proven record of success in innovation and change management, the board is confident Jeff is the right person to evolve and grow our business in the years ahead,” Gerard said.

Before his most recent position as president of ride sharing at Uber, Jones was executive vice president and chief marketing officer at retail giant Target from 2012 to 2016.

“Block is a values-based brand focused on helping people and I look forward to advancing this storied company in its quest to provide a broader range of solutions to meet our clients’ needs,” Jones said.

Prior to Target, Jones held executive positions for The Gap, The Coca-Cola Company and Leo Burnett, where he served General Motors, MillerCoors and Procter & Gamble.

“I am eager to join the team in October,” Jones said. “I will leverage my retail and digital experiences to challenge us to grow, to seek leading-edge ways to meet our clients’ needs and to position this company as an agile and adaptive market leader.”