# Craig Kliethermes

> Craig W. Kliethermes is the Peoria-based president and CEO of RLI Corp. and RLI Insurance Company. A mathematics graduate and credentialed actuary, he joined RLI in 2006, moved into risk services and operations, and became CEO on January 1, 2022. His public leadership philosophy emphasizes employee ownership, decentralized decisions, learning and profitable underwriting.

- **Role:** President & CEO at RLI Corp. and RLI Insurance Company
- **Organizations:** RLI Corp., RLI Insurance Company, Lockton Companies, GE Insurance/Employers Reinsurance, John Deere Insurance Company, Casualty Actuarial Society, American Academy of Actuaries, American Property Casualty Insurance Association, The Institutes, Maguire Academy of Insurance and Risk Management at Saint Joseph’s University, Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, Maui Jim (former director)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in mathematics; magna cum laude, Maryville University
- **Known for:** Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, member of the American Academy of Actuaries and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter., Became RLI’s third CEO in 2022., Led RLI during 2025, when the company reported its 30th consecutive year of underwriting income; the streak predates his CEO tenure.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2006** — Held actuarial and leadership positions with John Deere Insurance Company and GE Insurance/Employers Reinsurance; served as senior vice president and director of quantitative analysis at Lockton.
- **2006** — Joined RLI as vice president, actuarial services.
- **2009** — Promoted to senior vice president, risk services.
- **2013** — Became executive vice president, operations of RLI’s insurance subsidiaries.
- **2016** — Became president and COO of RLI Insurance Company on January 1.
- **2021** — Became president and COO of RLI Corp.; joined its board.
- **2022** — Became president and CEO on January 1, succeeding Jonathan E. Michael.

## Achievements

- Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, member of the American Academy of Actuaries and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter.
- Became RLI’s third CEO in 2022.
- Led RLI during 2025, when the company reported its 30th consecutive year of underwriting income; the streak predates his CEO tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Led the October 20 third-quarter earnings call; RLI reported $58.8 million in underwriting income and an 86.2 combined ratio for Q3 2026.
- **2026-01** — RLI reported $264.2 million of underwriting income and an 83.6 combined ratio for full-year 2025.
- **2025-08** — Featured in an MIT Sloan Management Review article on ownership, transparency and learning from failure.
- **2025-06** — Appeared on the CultureX podcast to discuss RLI’s culture and employee ownership.

## Links

- Website: https://www.rlicorp.com/about/executive-leadership
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigkliethermes

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Last updated: 2026-10-23