Nancy Schmidt became CEO of Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this discussion with Counselor Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo, she shares how she and AIA are meeting the challenge and what the future holds for the company and the promo industry. It’s an interesting lesson in leadership and perseverance during an unprecedented crisis.

Podcast Chapters
1:14: The first couple months as CEO.
3:19: How AIA is working to keep business moving during the pandemic.
6:45: Promo sales starting to tick back up.
8:04: Why more than 25 years as a financial professional has provided experience vital to being a successful CEO.
9:46: Opportunities during difficult times.
11:12: How to adapt and move forward.
13:33: How will promo, as an industry, fare in the months ahead?

Nancy Schmidt, AIA

Officially appointed CEO of AIA on May 1, Schmidt took charge of the nearly $200 million company at a time when the promo industry had, collectively, come off a month (April) in which sales were down 50% from the prior year. That, of course, was the result of societal shutdown measures tied to COVID-19 that ground economic activity to a halt.

Still, Schmidt, a certified public accountant who has served in executive roles at AIA and elsewhere, didn’t flinch from the challenge. As Schmidt details in this discussion, she, the AIA leadership team and the affiliates that make up AIA’s distributor owner community are trying to remain nimble and to adapt. Find out how by listening to the podcast.