Stephanie Behnke, Neighbor

The route Stephanie Behnke traveled to Mercury’s management team was not a typical path to the C-Suite.

Born in Santa Monica, Calif., Stephanie’s Mercury career began after active duty service in the Army motorpool at Fort Hood (Texas) as a diesel mechanic and wrecker operator. She moved back to the West Coast following her discharge from the Army and joined Mercury … as a file clerk.

Since those humble corporate beginnings in 1988, she has worked in underwriting, information technology and product management in addition to serving as president of California General, where she laid the groundwork for a preferred private passenger auto company for Mercury.

Although that venture was ultimately not approved by the California Department of Insurance, she designed branding and marketing strategies for agents and customers, developed product definitions and ultimately paved a course to her current position, Mercury Insurance Claims Business Solutions.

“Technology is going to make this industry unrecognizable in 10 years, so to support its customers, Mercury has to stay up-to-date on everything that’s happening,” she says. “There are advancements every day. For example, cars in Europe can now report their own accidents, order their own parts and set appointments to pick-up those parts. We need to take advantage of this technology to create a better insurance experience for our customers.”

Stephanie lives in Orange County.