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Spotlight on Ann McGarry, CMO at Securian Financial

July 2025

Q: What do you consider your biggest professional accomplishment and why?

Leading the successful rebranding of a 138-year-old company, including the first-ever broadcast advertising campaign, has been my biggest professional accomplishment. We employed a collaborative effort across the company to engage associates in framing our brand promise, built upon our purpose and values. As a result, our associates embraced — rather than rejected — the new brand platform, which included our target customer, the promise we make to them, and our new identity and voice. Directing the production of commercials focused on family, and hearing the excitement of associates who caught them “live,” was icing on the cake.

Q: How does your team ensure that your company’s strategic goals align with your company’s day-to-day operations?

We are diligent about ensuring that the division’s goals — and those of everyone on the team — are cascaded from the strategies and goals identified by our business units. Dedicated teams within the centralized marketing function start with the business goals, then consult on the marketing strategies and tactics that should be employed to meet those goals. We measure everything we do, and we optimize based on performance data.

Q: What are your primary goals as a leader for this year?

At the highest level, our division’s goals are to build brand awareness, drive consideration for Securian’s products, and ensure a positive customer experience. We achieve this through data- and technology-enabled strategies. Uncovering opportunities for AI to drive efficiency and effectiveness must cut across every goal and strategy.

Q: How do you see AI and generative AI reshaping strategic objectives and business operations in your company?

We believe AI will ultimately impact every strategy and every role on the marketing team. We’re excited by its potential to reduce or eliminate manual and tedious tasks, freeing up capacity to take on more without adding resources. We’ll be exploring and testing how AI can support creative development — whether it’s generating content or helping brainstorm creative themes.

Q: How would you describe your leadership style, and how does it influence your team’s/organization’s culture?

I believe I have a collaborative leadership style. I strive to ensure that all team members have a voice in decision-making processes. We’ve worked intentionally to build a culture based on open communication, knowledge sharing, trust, respect and inclusivity — where everyone feels valued and heard. 

Q: What initiatives has your team undertaken to improve customer experience and engagement?

With a long history of a customer-first mindset, we have spent several years defining and prioritizing customer journeys that make a positive difference. We focus on measuring satisfaction and launching targeted initiatives to improve the overall customer experience.

Q: How do you navigate consumer skepticism or misunderstandings about insurance and/or benefits?

Especially in a volatile economic environment, consumer skepticism is expected — since every dollar spent is carefully considered. Our products are not bought like a pair of jeans; they are sold. That’s why we must continue to educate consumers on the need and clearly demonstrate the value. This effort ties directly to our brand promise, which is to champion the rewards of putting family first.

Q: What are the biggest challenges currently facing the CMO committee, and how are you addressing them?

For me, and likely for others, I think the biggest challenge is prioritizing the time commitment. I’m doing what I can to manage my calendar so I can attend remote meetings and hope to participate in person more next year. A very close second is determining what to do about AI!

 

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