🇨🇭Chuck Kaiser: Chief Communications Officer for Zurich North America
The Power of Perseverance, Reading, and Paying It Forward
Welcome to this interview edition of The Switchboard, my newsletter exploring the ways we communicate and connect at work and beyond. I’m Julia, and I’m excited to share my conversation with Chuck. Thank you, Alana O’Grady for the intro. Here are the top takeaways:
In This Edition
✨ Finding Your Spark Through Action
🚥 Perseverance Powers Progress
⏩ Paying It Forward Multiplies Impact
About Chuck
Chuck Kaiser is Chief Communications Officer for Zurich North America, leading communications strategy, storytelling, brand awareness, and programming to support Zurich’s business goals. With over 20 years of experience across insurance, professional services, and tech/AI, he has led initiatives in executive positioning, issues management, financial communications, M&A, B2B marketing, and social responsibility. Previously, Chuck was Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Vela Capital Management and held senior roles at Edelman, Motorola, and Allstate. He has advised numerous commercial insurers and driven reputation and brand strategies. Chuck holds bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
What sparked the path into your field?
When I was a student at University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, I took a course my junior year in Public Relations. I was inspired by a professor, Suzette Heiman. One day, we came into class and instead of welcoming us like she normally did, she turned on the television. On the news there was a big story about a company in a crisis situation. Our Professor explained that they needed someone to represent them to the media. Despite the competitiveness of my classmates, I was the only one who raised my hand to volunteer.
I prepared a series of media statements that I would be responsible for reading. I took questions from the entirety of the class. At the end of the cross examination, which earned praise from Suzette and my peers, I thought that maybe I have a shot of making it in this industry. I also felt a spark and realized this might be something I could do in the future because I really enjoyed it.
What is a value that drives you personally and professionally?
Perseverance is core to how I operate. You’re going to face adversity in life, professionally and personally. I’ve always viewed perseverance as one of the few things that you can control and keep within your own domain.
It reminds me of a famous quote: “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up” to borrow the phrase from the great basketball coach Jim Valvano. I think it’s a small part of the reason why I am where I am today. Perseverance also comes with support from family, friends and colleagues.
As you look back, is there a pivotal project that’s shaped your career or inspired you?
During my time at Allstate in partnership with visionary investment by leadership, including long-time CEO Thomas Wilson, I worked on a strategic corporate philanthropy project when the company made a significant investment in the Allstate Foundation. It was a very special assignment to work on under Wilson who has a legendary ability to scrutinize and add value.
When I joined the project, there was a diffused of level of investment in community organizations that was meaningful, but leadership felt it had more potential. We went through a process of overhauling the foundation’s strategy in funding, operations, and communications. Ultimately, this significantly transformed the face of the foundation within Allstate but also through the invested dollars implemented some incredible programs that we believe had tremendous community impact. This also began to change the reputation of Allstate overall for the better.
What’s a hack or habit that grounds you in life and work?
Reading — I try to read, mostly nonfiction. It’s exercise for the mind and I try to read every single day, whether it’s a book or the news. I think it’s important to have a wide range of interests and topics.
How do you support comms professionals as a mentor?
I get the greatest level of satisfaction to see a former protege advance and succeed in their career. I maintain contact with so many of them and I view it frankly as an even value exchange. You can learn a lot from your team members and the different levels of experience. I try to pay it forward as I have had mentors throughout my career.
I keep up with students through the University of Missouri School of Journalism mentoring program. I remember years ago a student who networked to connect with me. That helped her convert the meeting into participation in an elite internship and then full-time role at Edelman where she excelled. As she’s moved on in her career, it’s prideful to see someone’s success like that, and you hope maybe you’re having a little bit of an impact. I encourage everyone to give back through mentoring in some way.
Thank you for tuning into this edition. I’m always grateful for your support in growing this community of caring communicators and connectors. If you enjoyed this article, give it a heart, consider sharing it with a friend or post a learning on LinkedIn. Signing off. — Julia