CEOs You Should Know featuring John Barrett

As Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern), John Barrett serves on a wide range of boards and is highly active in the business and non-profit communities.

He joined Western & Southern in 1987 as its Chief Financial Officer. He was named President in 1989, Chief Executive Officer in 1994 and Chairman in 2002. Under his guidance, Western & Southern has become a recognized leader in consumer and business financial services, providing life and health insurance, annuities, mutual funds, investment management, financial planning and retirement solutions through its member companies.

John Barrett serves on the board of directors of Cintas Corporation with past board memberships that include The Andersons, Inc., Cincinnati Bell, Convergys Corporation, Fifth Third Bancorp and Touchstone Investment Trusts. He is a director and past chairman of the American Council of Life Insurers, a member of The Business Roundtable, a member of The Financial Services Roundtable, and a trustee for Americans for the Arts. He was chosen to represent the University of Cincinnati on a 37-member advisory board established to assist the recently expanded Big 12 Conference in shaping and developing its business strategy. He also serves as a member of the Board of Overseers for the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. He is past president of the Association of Ohio Life Insurance Companies and a member and past chairman of the Ohio Business Roundtable.

A very active leader in the rejuvenation of downtown Cincinnati, John Barrett launched the United Way Women's Leadership Council to increase giving among top female contributors. He also founded The Herbert R. Brown Society in Cincinnati to encourage greater African American engagement with the local United Way.

Dozens of Cincinnati area organizations and community causes benefit from John Barrett's civic leadership. Currently, he is spearheading a $100+ million fundraising campaign to help the University of Cincinnati's Barrett Cancer Center and other members of the Cincinnati Cancer Consortium pursue National Cancer Institute designation for cancer research excellence.