Rising Stars: Jill Kregel and Katie O’Reilly
Careers are often shaped by the people who encourage us to take the next step. Rising Stars is a special edition of Pass the Mic that explores the impact of mentorship, highlighting the leaders who inspire growth—and the rising talent following in their footsteps to help shape the future of our industry. In this interview, Jocelyn Hudak, Senior Director, Content and Digital Marketing, and Morgan James, Content Marketing Specialist at SiriusXM Media sat down with Jill Kregel and her rising star, Katie O’Reilly. Together, they discussed the power of mentorship, building relationships that last, creating your own leadership style, and why trust is the foundation of helping others grow.
Listen to their full interview below, then check out some of the top takeaways from the conversation.
Meet Jill Kregel, Head of Partnerships & Investment at Omnicom Media Health, where she leads investment strategy and partner relationships across the agency’s health portfolio. With more than two decades of media experience across video, digital, and programmatic investment, Jill brings deep expertise in healthcare and regulated categories. She works closely with clients, internal teams, and media partners to unlock innovation, drive efficiency, and elevate the impact of media investments across the healthcare landscape.
Create a version of yourself that you can be proud of.
Highlight: “Creating your own path as a leader, if you don't see it modeled for you, or if you can grab pieces of different leaders that you've seen, both what's worked well and what hasn't, and then create the version of you that you can be proud of, and you don't have to sacrifice on that.” - Jill Kregel
Be a trusted voice for someone.
Highlight: “Being able to just have a conversation, being able to be a trusted voice or someone that you know is advocating for you and supports you, is something that gives people confidence to then move forward and make steps and take potential risks in their careers.” - Jill Kregel
Focus on high value tasks.
Highlight: “Focus on high value tasks, high value things…. As we get further up in our careers, you're pulled in a million directions…. Pull yourself out of the weeds for a second and make sure you are performing the responsibilities that suit your level and not being sucked down and do things just because you may think that level of exposure is good.” - Jill Kregel
Give your team credit.
Highlight: “Strong leadership is admitting if you did something wrong and also making sure that the team is getting credit for things. It doesn't matter what falls under me. Could I have done everything that my entire team can do?... I think that shared credit and shared support is that rising tide lifts all ships. If my team does really well, it reflects on me without me having to take credit for it.” - Jill Kregel
Meet Katie O’Reilly, Senior Manager of Programmatic Media at Pfizer, where she leads platform innovation, channel strategy, and activation. A programmatic media leader with eight years of experience across agency and client-side environments, Katie brings deep expertise within the pharmaceutical industry, combining data-driven strategy with strong partnership management to deliver scalable campaigns and foster team development.
Question the process.
Highlight: “Question the process, in general. You can apply it to tasks in your career or outside in your personal life, but don't always take things at face value. If there is a current setup or method to how things are done, question it. You can maybe find out things—poke holes and see what else there is. Because, nine times out of ten, there might be something else… It keeps you always learning. You're constantly evolving when you question the process.” - Katie O’Reilly
Find mentors who share your values.
Highlight: “You can have different mentors… You don't have to have the same exact career path as your mentor, just someone that has the same values that you do and that you want to emulate and find similar connections to that you identify with. So it could be someone in a totally different field, but you connect on the importance of your career path and growth.” - Katie O’Reilly
Be present.
Highlight: “Be present. Don't live in the past, and don't constantly think about what your next role will be—because you need to be successful in your current role to get to the next… Being present, being open-minded, being in the moment, grounded, there for others.” - Katie O’Reilly
Be comfortable with the people you surround yourself with.
Highlight: “In your career, you need to be comfortable with the people that you're surrounding yourself with and being very vulnerable with.” - Katie O’Reilly
Jill and Katie’s conversation is a reminder that mentorship is built through trust, consistency, and genuine connection. Whether it’s questioning the process, creating your own path as a leader, or investing time in the people around you, their advice shows that strong professional relationships can shape not only your career, but the kind of leader you become. If you’re looking for more mentorship focused content, check out the Pass the Mic page.
