Larry D. Zimpleman
Chairman, President & CEO – Principal Financial Group
Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa
Education: BA and MBA, business administration; Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
First Job: Pulling weeds in the cornfields at 14 years old.
What I’m Reading: Duty by Robert Gates
Modeling success
Diversity is critical to our success and every employee plays a role. The breadth of experiences and perspectives offered by our employees—at all levels—makes our organization stronger and our decisions smarter.
We need to continue to celebrate differences and make sure the environment is inclusive, so all employees feel welcomed and accepted. That is when they do their best work and can focus on our shared mission to help clients meet some of the most important challenges of their lives.
Acceptance and inclusion are modeled, starting in the C-suite. Having a diverse employee population is part of our company core values. Leaders promote a culture of inclusion so that employees of all backgrounds can feel comfortable bringing their best selves to work.