Jessica Kessel
Jessica Kessel is a brand builder, reputation strategist, and executive advisor known for guiding modern brand and communications strategy through complexity. As the Founder and Principal of Signals& Studio, she partners with founders and organizations to help them cut through noise, identify what truly matters, and communicate with clarity and purpose. Her work focuses on transforming communications into a strategic leadership function that builds trust, aligns organizations, and strengthens long-term brand value.
Before launching Signals&, Kessel spent nearly eight years at American Tire Distributors, where she rose to become Vice President and Head of Brand & Communications. In that role, she built the company’s first modern enterprise communications function, leading initiatives across corporate brand, public relations, executive and internal communications, crisis management, and digital reputation. She served as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team, translating complex business priorities into clear narratives that strengthened stakeholder trust during periods of significant industry disruption and organizational transformation.
Kessel began her career in advertising and agency account leadership, working with national and regional brands across industries including retail, nonprofit, automotive, and technology. A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Marketing, she blends creative storytelling with data-driven insight. Known for her thoughtful leadership and strategic perspective, Kessel is passionate about helping organizations connect strategy to story, enabling leaders to communicate clearly, navigate change confidently, and build brands rooted in trust and purpose.
• Situational Leadership II
• Leadership Training for Managers
• University of Central Florida
• The University of Georgia
• Lake Norman Humane
• Bags of Hope
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from my biggest champion professionally, and it was to be a business person first. She told me, 'You're a business person first, then, yes, you're the brand person and the comms person and stuff.' I feel like I am the professional I am today because of this advice. I can see how to serve the business on their terms, and not just from a pure branding communications perspective. That has been the thing that shaped me into the type of professional I am today, how I look at the work that I do and support other businesses. It's critical to speak the language of the CEO, or whoever it is that's making the decisions for your fate, especially when you're within a company.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say learn a lot, ask a lot of questions. You're in the room because you belong in the room, and especially in this day and age where so many things are changing, the way we do business, the way we get our own work done. Don't be a one-trick pony, but you do have your niche. It doesn't mean not be excellent at anything. Know what your zone of genius is, if you will. But be diverse enough in your knowledge about business and your field, so that you can't be replaced by a robot at that point.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being fearless is really important to me. It's a big transition to start your own business, and people think, oh my gosh, I'm gonna be my own boss, it's gonna be awesome, and I'm not gonna have to work as hard. That's a myth. You work harder, probably. But you do it sort of on your own terms, and fully guided by your own values and passion. Just being okay with things not being perfect and getting out there and meeting other people that have a similar ambition to sort of live their dream life. Personally, my husband and I are both entrepreneurs, and we just want to lead a simple life. We came across some land, and we're building a new house, and we just want to have our little garden, our little orchard, and come out and listen to the birds, and just be happy. Live with joy.