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Indiana Farmers Insurance
Ryan Campbell credits his parents for his strong work ethic. (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)Major company achievements during tenure
Ryan Campbell has been credited with building a state-of-the-industry tech team, forming partnerships with Indiana technology firms to benefit both the company and the community. He led Indiana Farmers through multiple efforts to improve the user experience for independent agency partners and members. Included in those efforts: a new sales application that supports all commercial, personal and farm lines of business. He has advanced vendor management, cybersecurity and more for the insurance company, which in 2019 will expand into Illinois, its first push outside Indiana since its founding in 1877.
Recent tech problem solved
In an effort to better understand how the company could improve speed to market as well as quality of new products, Campbell helped the company redesign its delivery methodology “to enable a cradle-to-grave assessment of our execution capability,” he said. “This new methodology will provide valuable information that will be leveraged in estimating future projects as well as identifying opportunities for improvement.” The challenge, he said, was that the redesigned process needed to remain as lean as possible to ensure no negative impact on the speed of delivery.
Challenge faced that only tech people would understand
“The education of our associates on how to detect potential cybersecurity threats has become increasingly difficult due to the sophistication of these attacks coupled with the expanding use of SaaS solutions.”
First computer
Apple Macintosh. “It was the first computer that I used to develop software programs in college.”
The road
Campbell earned a bachelor’s in business administration with specialization in management information systems from Bowling Green State University, following that up with an MBA from the University of Dayton. He launched his career with Huntington Bank as a mainframe programmer, working his way up to application manager of call center technology. From there, he joined Sentry Insurance, where he was responsible for all external-facing technology systems and led the product-selection process for a billing and policy modernization effort. He then joined Nationwide Insurance and held multiple leadership positions in the enterprise customer and agency sales and service areas.
Mentors
His parents, “for the work ethic that they instilled in me during my childhood.”
Go-to websites
Google News, Reddit, MapMyRide and security websites including Krebsonsecurity
Favorite gadget
Samsung Galaxy smartphone. “It keeps me connected to work and personal happenings at all times, and also helps track my fitness activity in regards to cycling.”
Preferred work atmosphere
“I enjoy interacting with my talented technology team and business partners to develop solutions that move us closer to our vision of being the smart insurance choice for our members. I also value think time dedicated to refining our technology strategy and roadmap to ensure that it continues to align with the strategic objectives of the organization.”
“My job would be easier if …
“the cybersecurity landscape was not evolving so quickly.”•
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