In addition to managing operations and growth for multiple BancorpSouth locations throughout Louisiana, Kerry Drake works with employers to develop and provide attractive benefits packages to retain their top talent.
“I am of the belief that when employees are happy and have the resources to be successful, everything else just falls into place,” he tells Business Report in its latest Executive Spotlight feature.
Drake’s primary responsibilities as regional vice president include driving revenue growth across all lines of the business and expanding the company’s role in supporting Baton Rouge communities. But in addition to managing his responsibilities as regional vice president, Drake still conducts business on a daily basis the same way his employees do.
“I still maintain a book of business and have clients that I service daily,” he says.
While the insurance business may be perceived as “boring” to many, Drake finds it to be quite the opposite. Working with clients to navigate complex environments in order to continually find ways to affect their bottom line is enough of a daily feat to keep things interesting for Drake.
“Generally, people who work in insurance are passionate about helping others preserve their way of life,” says Drake, who is the brother of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools Superintendent Warren Drake.
Throughout the course of his 39-year career, Drake has tapped into the importance of hiring individuals with similar goals to his own. He says helping others achieve their aspirations drives him.
“That includes providing mentorship for the producers who will eventually take my place and for the clients I work with every day,” he says.
Read the complete Executive Spotlight Q&A with Drake. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
What is your favorite place you’ve worked, studied or traveled?
“During World War II, my father served as a fighter-bomber pilot and completed 75 missions in France. Going to Normandy and retracing some of the steps he took in places he was stationed definitely ranks at the top of my list of my favorite places to have traveled.”
