Seasoned brand strategist will serve as a champion for Radical Empathy while accelerating the agency’s already impressive growth trajectory
SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DNA&STONE, the full-service agency that doesn’t flinch for brands that go there, today announced the appointment of Jess Watts as the agency’s first-ever Chief Strategy Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution since its founding earlier this year. Watts brings more than 15 years of strategy experience across global brands, emerging categories and culture-defining campaigns.
“The second we started talking to Jess, we knew she was our kind of people. She thinks big, listens hard, and leads with Radical Empathy in a way that doesn’t just fit our philosophy, it amplifies it,” said Matt McCain, Co-Founder, DNA&STONE. “Jess brings this electric mix of creativity, clarity, and grit that makes everyone around her better. You don’t meet many people who can see the human truth in a problem and then charge at it with that much heart. That’s why she’s here, and why we’re so fired up to have her.”
In this newly created role, Watts will champion DNA&STONE’s Radical Empathy–led strategic practice, designing immersive, human-centered methodologies to uncover emotional truths and unlock bold creative and brand platforms. She will guide the agency’s insight development, strengthen brand positioning for clients and partner closely with creative and account leadership to deliver culturally resonant work that drives business impact for clients.
Watts will also be responsible for building and leading a high-performing strategy discipline, setting the vision for talent development, operational rigor and culturally attuned research frameworks. As a member of the executive team, she will serve as a trusted advisor to clients – both current and prospective – and play a pivotal role in new business efforts.
“I try to understand people as the real, complicated humans they are, not as archetypes. That’s why DNA&STONE’s philosophy of Radical Empathy grabbed me from the start,” said Watts. The team’s commitment to acknowledging truths and challenging bias made my decision incredibly easy. After several years in-house, I’m excited to get back into the creative trenches with an agency that’s hungry to win and already building serious momentum. The level of talent and drive here is unreal; it feels like joining a small but mighty special-ops team determined to solve problems with heart and hustle.”
Watts joins DNA&STONE from Expedia Group, where she served as Global Director of Brand Planning & Integrated Marketing, driving a new global brand direction and elevating Expedia’s strategic presence in the travel landscape. Her previous experience includes strategic roles at leading agencies such as RPA and David&Goliath. Across her expansive career, Watts has worked with some of the world’s most well-known brands, including PayPal, Venmo, TikTok, Southwest Airlines, Farmers Insurance and more.
Throughout her career, Watts has gained impressive recognition from the industry, including being named as Business Insider’s “Rising Stars of Madison Avenue,” winning multiple Clios for her work with Expedia, several Effies (including Gold for Farmers Insurance) and a Gold Ogilvy Award. Outside of advertising, Watts serves as a board member for Cares of Washington, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people with disabilities and low incomes to realize their purpose, potential and strength.
To learn more about DNA&STONE, please visit www.dnaandstone.com.
About DNA&STONE
DNA&STONE is a full-service creative agency that doesn’t flinch—for brands that go there. Grounded in a proprietary strategic approach called Radical Empathy, DNA&STONE goes beyond just understanding, to feeling the experiences, perspectives and root causes that drive consumers and clients, resulting in work with deep emotional intelligence. DNA&STONE was recently named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year in 2025 and was shortlisted in Adweek’s 2025 Agency of the Year Awards. Clients include BECU, Amazon, Providence, MCU, and Ziply Fiber. To learn more about us, please visit www.dnaandstone.com.
SOURCE DNA&STONE
