Veteran marketing professional brings wealth of experience to iconic insurance brand
Progressive Insurance today announced that Remi Kent will join the company as Chief Marketing Officer beginning on November 1, 2021. Kent comes to Progressive after spending eight years with 3M, including the last year as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer of the Consumer Business Group, where she led e-Commerce, Media, Insights and Analytics, and Integrated Marketing globally. She succeeds Jeff Charney, who in a March 2021 news release announced his intent to retire from Progressive after helping to ensure a seamless transition with the team and brand. Kent will report directly to Tricia Griffith, Progressive’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and will serve on the Progressive executive leadership team.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Remi to the Progressive family. With more than 20+ years of marketing experience, she has a proven track record of working with and leading well-known global brands, and I’m confident she’s the right person to continue to move our brand forward,” said Griffith. “Her creativity and data-driven decision making aligns with ours and I know she’ll be a great fit for our culture. I look forward to having Remi as the newest member of my executive leadership team and I also want to reiterate my thanks to Jeff for his passion and dedication to growing our brand over the last 11 years.”
“I’m honored to join such a well-recognized brand,” said Kent. “I look forward to building on Progressive’s success and continuing to drive growth while leading such an accomplished marketing team. They’ve built an impressive suite of campaigns and characters with incredible momentum in the market, with talented teams and agencies who continue to innovate in this highly competitive category. After getting to know Progressive, I’m so impressed with the culture they’ve created under Tricia’s and Jeff’s leadership – not only fast-paced and creative, but welcoming, respectful and true to its values.”
Kent joined 3M in 2013 as Global Brand and Strategy Leader for the Consumer Business Group before taking on the role of Global Business Director for the Post-It® and Scotch® Brands in 2017, where she helped return these iconic brands to growth. Prior to joining 3M, she spent 13 years with Procter & Gamble where she led billion-dollar businesses across North America, Asia, and Western Europe with leadership in brand building, P&L ownership, strategy, and successful new product launches.
Kent, who holds a degree in business administration and an MBA from Florida A&M University, has received numerous accolades for her leadership in business and marketing, including the likes of Ad Age Leading Women and 40 under 40, Twin Cities Women in Business Award, 100 Most Influential Black Leaders, Comparably 50, and Influential Marketing Leaders Changing the Industry. Remi is passionate about building high performance teams and is a true leader for diversity and inclusion. To bring that passion to life, she is a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance, where she is working to create opportunity, access, and equality for the current and next generation of Black marketing leaders.
The CMO search was led by Griffith, Charney, and Progressive’s Chief Human Resource Officer, Lori Niederst, along with the company’s internal executive recruiting team managed by Suzanne Black.
About Progressive
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies makes it easy to understand, buy and use auto insurance. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us whenever, wherever and however it’s most convenient – online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, on a mobile device or in-person with a local agent.
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the third largest auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of motorcycle and commercial auto insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®.
