Rodriguez oversaw comms for consumer brands within the PayPal portfolio, including Venmo and Xoom.
NEW YORK: PayPal’s Pablo Rodriguez is exiting the company after five years to join JP Morgan Chase as MD and head of communications for digital and technology.
Rodriguez is planning to start at JP Morgan Chase this month, reporting to Trish Wexler, chief communications officer for Chase consumer and community banking. He will replace Paul Hartwick, who left JP Morgan in May to join Navient as VP of corporate communications, said Wexler, who in turn reports to Kristin Lemkau, JP Morgan CMO.
“[Rodriguez’s] scope is digital, technology, operations, controls, and risk,” said Wexler. “He will be setting the communications strategy for how we tell our digital and tech stories to the public and to employees.”
Wexler added that there’s “almost no part of” the bank’s business that digital and mobile doesn’t touch – and in most cases lead.
“I’m thrilled to have someone with [Rodriguez’s] fintech communications experience join our powerhouse team,” she said.
Rodriguez’s last day at PayPal is Friday. Since joining the company in 2013, he has served as senior director of global consumer communications, which includes overseeing communications for consumer brands within the PayPal portfolio, including Venmo and Xoom.
Rodriguez’s team was responsible for strategic planning and execution of PayPal global consumer communication activities, including driving the consumer brand narrative externally for the PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom brands, as well as the company’s Social Innovation and Powering Giving narrative.
Following PayPal’s split from eBay in July 2015, Rodriguez led comms for PayPal’s first major marketing foray as an independent company: the New Money global brand campaign, which included the company’s first Super Bowl ad.
Rodriguez said he is unsure if PayPal will replace him. Upon his departure, his direct reports will be supervised by Megan Matthews, senior director, and global head of product, customer experience, technology, and America’s communications.
Matthews and other PayPal executives could not be immediately reached for comment.
Before joining PayPal, Rodriguez was SVP and global client relationship manager at Edelman, where he managed the Charles Schwab account. He began his career with H-E-B, a privately owned retailer with more than 340 locations in Texas and northern Mexico, where he served as a media spokesperson and oversaw communications and philanthropic programming.
Rodriguez was a PRWeek 40 Under 40 honoree in 2016.
“This is an exciting new step,” said Rodriguez. “I am grateful for all the experiences at PayPal and the team there.”