Kansas City Life Chairman to Give Up CEO Post

By Allison Bell

News March 16, 2022 at 02:52 PM

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Kansas City Life Insurance Co. announced Tuesday that it plans to name a new CEO April 25.

R. Philip Bixby — the Kansas City, Missouri-based company's longtime chairman, president CEO — said he plans to give up the CEO and president posts.

Kansas City Life was founded in 1895. R. Philip Bixby is the great-grandson of J.B. Reynolds, who served as Kansas City Life's president from 1904 through 1937 and turned the company into a major insurance provider.

Bixby is also the grandson of W.E. Bixby Sr., who was Kansas City Life's president from 1939 to 1964, and the nephew of Joseph Bixby, who was president from 1964 to 1998.

R. Philip Bixby has been working for Kansas City Life since 1977. He took over as the company's president in 1998. He became chairman in 2004, when his uncle died.

Kansas City Life is now a midsize insurer that continues to be a significant writer of life insurance, annuities and related products in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The company reported $11 million in net income for 2021 on $511 million in revenue.

Bixby said he is proud of what Kansas City Life has accomplished in the past 45 years.

"These are challenging times for our industry, but I know we will continue forward with the same resolve and strength as we have shown for the last 127 years," Bixby said.

R. Philip Bixby (Photo: Kansas City Life)