Rand Harbert announces retirement after 12 Years as chief agency, sales & marketing officer

Rand Harbert, EVP and chief agency, sales & marketing officer of State Farm, announced his decision to retire after 12 years in the CMO role with State Farm.

Harbert joined State Farm in 1992 as an agent. During his tenure as CMO, he helped the State Farm brand become even more recognizable amidst fierce competition and rapid modernization of the insurance industry. He led a complete transformation of the State Farm logo and overall brand positioning. He also reinvigorated the iconic Like a Good Neighbor slogan and re-introduced Jake from State Farm in 2020.

“State Farm is represented by 19,500 agent offices across the country. It’s been my honor to lead this agency force and to move our brand forward. I’m pleased to pass the torch to Kristyn, who has been by my side playing a pivotal role in some of our biggest marketing and agency decisions. I have no doubt she will continue to exemplify what it means to be a good neighbor.” – Rand Harbert.

Kristyn Cook will step into the CMO role at the start of the new year. Cook is a former State Farm agent and has also been instrumental in reshaping the State Farm marketing strategy, expanding beyond traditional media and historically targeted demographics. Her work bridged the legacy State Farm brand into digital platforms like the metaverse, gaming and TikTok to better reach Gen Z and Millennial markets.

“I’ve been so fortunate to work alongside Rand for the past three years and will continue to build on the impactful work we accomplished in our time together. My connection to State Farm runs deep. My father was an agent, I opened my own State Farm agency 15 years ago, and I’m thrilled to step into my new role as Chief Agency, Sales and Marketing Officer.” – Kristyn Cook.