Katie Johnson Hired as Vice President of People and Culture at ARU to Lead Talent Strategy and Cultural Development

Johnson will lead recruitment initiatives that support the company’s rapid growth while enhancing its culture and managing benefits and compensation programs.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, UNITED STATES, December 4, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ARU, the U.S. leader in specialty Property product development, underwriting, loss control, and technology, announced today the addition of Katie Johnson, PHR, SHRM-CP, as Vice President of People and Culture. Johnson’s appointment follows ARU’s recognition as the 8th fastest-growing company in the Triad Region by the Triad Business Journal. After a rigorous national search, ARU selected Johnson to lead recruitment initiatives that support the company’s rapid growth while enhancing its distinctive culture and managing benefits and compensation programs.

With over two decades of experience in human resources leadership encompassing talent acquisition, employee relations, organizational design, performance management, learning and development, compliance, cultural stewardship, and navigating complex mergers and operational transformations across diverse environments, Johnson is a distinguished HR leader. For the past five years, she served as Director of Strategic HR Partnerships at GuideOne Insurance, a niche-market mutual insurer, where she collaborated with executive leadership to drive organizational alignment, talent strategy, and employee engagement. In late 2023, GuideOne became a member of The Mutual Group (TMG), following an investment by Bain Capital. At TMG, Johnson established the human resources infrastructure and built an HR framework to support scalability and strategic goals. Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in management with an emphasis in HR and is credentialed as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

ARU’s CEO William G. “Will” Johnson said, “From ARU’s inception, we’ve firmly believed in putting the right people in the right seats on the bus. There is no question that our people are the single most important component of the company’s success. ARU has been fueled by attracting talent that shares our commitment to building a superlative environment for professional growth, and Katie’s appointment as our first dedicated HR leader marks an exciting milestone. We’ve invested significantly into building the positive and collaborative culture that defines ARU, and Katie’s experience in establishing HR departments from the ground up will be invaluable as we continue to scale. We look forward to benefitting from her leadership as we embark on this new chapter.”

“Joining ARU at such a dynamic time is an incredible opportunity,” said Katie Johnson. “ARU is making impressive strides in the industry, and I’m thrilled to contribute to an organization that values innovation, collaboration, and people-centered growth. At ARU every voice matters, and I look forward to shaping an environment where our team can continue to thrive and make an impact together.”

ARU was founded in 2016 and quickly rose to become the U.S. leader in specialty Farm / Ag product development, underwriting, loss control, and technology. In 2021 ARU expanded into E&S Property, which is distributed exclusively through select regional and national wholesalers. ARU’s underwriting and loss control harnesses fundamental scientific principles, granular weather metrics, proprietary technology, and niche expertise to maintain a sustainable and profitable portfolio of historically challenging risks, all while providing a superior experience to policyholders. ARU’s products and services serve a diverse network of retail producers, wholesalers, and carriers, providing not only traditional underwriting and loss control services, but also technology, product development, operational support, and reinsurance capacity.

Chandler Griffith, Marketing Coordinator
ARU
chandler@agrisku.com