RankingBanking 26 Digital - Flipbook - Page 14
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Panic of 1907, but Woods managed to reopen
actress who played Erin Hannon in the U.S. ver-
it in 1908 without any of its depositors losing a
sion of the television show “The Office.” His other
dollar, according to the book.
sister, Carrie Kemper, is an Emmy-award winning
Woods eventually recruited an executive named
William Thornton Kemper — who ran the bank
and also bought a controlling interest in City Center Bank, now known as UMB Financial Corp., in
screenwriter. Even John’s brother moved to Los
Angeles.
John explains this by saying his father encouraged his children to follow their passions.
1918. (Just to add to the family’s banking dynas-
John did so, and majored in history and politi-
ty, UMB still exists and is run by John Kemper’s
cal science at Stanford University and has gradu-
cousin, Mariner Kemper.)
ate degrees from the London School of Economics and Northwestern University. On graduating,
he followed a well-worn path to a startup tech
company but later became a consultant for a
variety of industries at McKinsey & Co. in New
York and Chicago.
“Easily from a fundamental
standpoint, they’re one of the
best performing banks in the
country.”
John came to the bank in 2007 to lead strategic planning when his dad was still CEO. John
took the helm in 2018 at the age of 40. His father
has remained involved with the bank as executive
chairman, though the bank declined an interview
request with him.
John is an attentive conversationalist, a skill
probably learned around the dining room table
John Rodis, Brean Capital
with his grandmother, Mildred Kemper, who forbid
talk about banking. Her argument for the prohibition: “‘There’s so many other interesting things to
talk about,’” he recalls.
Kemper is the sort of person who strikes others
as thoughtful and curious, probably born out of his
Kemper’s family tree would join with the Woods
years as a consultant. “He welcomes feedback and
family. Woods’ granddaughter married Kemper’s
guidance,” says W. Kyle Chapman, who serves on
son, James M. Kemper Sr. Remarkably for a
the Commerce board and is the CEO of a global
publicly traded bank, the Kempers continue to
manufacturer based in St. Louis. “John is in-
helm top leadership positions. The sixth genera-
credibly smart and so he could easily not do that,
tion, John Kemper, who is now CEO, was born in
but he really just engages with us as a strategic
Kansas City. John was the oldest of four children.
partner as we oversee the business.”
When he was 7, the family moved from Kansas
To remain competitive, Kemper has encouraged
City to St. Louis, because the bank had bought
staff to rip a page from the technology startup
County Tower Corp. and his father, David Kemper,
playbook. Instead of waiting until a new service
was sent to build Commerce’s presence in the city.
or technology is perfect before launching for all
John is the only one of his siblings to work at
customers, the bank now tests products and tech
the bank. His sister Ellie Kemper is a well-known
with smaller groups of customers. “We used to
