CEO, UMB Healthcare Services, UMB Financial
One secret to Begonya Klumb's success is that she is constantly challenging herself.
Case in point: even with a highly demanding job, two young children at home and scores of volunteer commitments, Klumb recently returned to school to become a licensed certified public accountant. Her thinking was that formal accounting training would improve her understanding of financial reporting and risk management, making her a better, more effective leader.
She hoped, too, that having accounting expertise would prepare her to someday serve on the board of a publicly traded company.
"I wanted to continue with my career advancement and see how far I could push myself," Klumb explained.
Not surprisingly, Klumb passed the four exams on her first try. She expects to receive her CPA license by the end of the year.
Klumb has been chief executive of UMB Financial's Healthcare Services division since June 2015. While she has held a number of executive posts since joining Kansas City, Mo.-based UMB in 2003 — including chief strategy officer and head of investor relations — this is the first in which she has overseen a revenue-generating business line.
She is making the most of the opportunity. Her unit manages health savings accounts and, in the short time she has run it, total accounts have increased by about 35%, to 826,000, and assets under management have increased by more than 40%, to about $1.5 billion.
Under Klumb, Healthcare Services has invested heavily in technology, hiring a dedicated team of more than 30 IT professionals in an effort to improve the digital experience for customers and more quickly bring products to market. Among its innovations has been a new tech platform that allows customers to manage their investments more easily.
