Anyone listening to last year’s investor updates from Kemper heard Joseph Lacher utter phrases such as “unclear strategic focus,” “financial underperformance” and “culture of complacency” to describe the company he found in the months after he signed on as the new chief executive.
Executive Summary
CEO Joe Lacher is bringing to Kemper a bias to run businesses by the numbers—and through collaborative efforts—hoping to reinvigorate the culture, improve finance performance and position the specialty personal lines insurer for future growth.Why would someone even consider taking on the job of turning around those negatives? Would he be running for the door?
You didn’t have to listen to those updates very long to get the other side of the picture—painted by Lacher’s excitement about Kemper’s competitive advantages that hold promise for the future. And in truth, tough challenges motivate the veteran of other brand-name insurers, like Travelers and Allstate.
