[4] MacDonald has since 2002 headed CTW Consulting, LLC, a vehicle he used to offer his experience and unique approach to management, marketing and corporate culture development.
His father had been a mortician before World War II, but later became an X-ray technician after developing an allergic reaction to embalming chemicals.
A rebellious and often mischievous youth, MacDonald's parents attempted to shape up the youth by sending him to the highly structured St. John's Military Academy and then to Loyola High School, a Jesuit college preparatory school for young men in hopes of reforming his contrarian lifestyle, but his disrespect for traditional rules continued.
Although he grew up in a family of health care specialists, he was hired as a 17-year-old high school junior by Coast Federal Savings & Loan of Los Angeles (now merged with Bank of the West) to deliver patriotic speeches to rotary clubs, churches, veterans’ groups and other organizations.
MacDonald then built sales agency in Southern California for Jefferson-Pilot (now Lincoln Financial Group [3]), served as director of marketing support for State Mutual of America (became Allmerica Life, defunct, find under Hanover Insurance) and was chief marketing officer, chief operating officer, then president and CEO of Minneapolis-based ITT Life, owned by The Hartford [4].
His earlier works include Beat The System: 11 Secrets to Building an Entrepreneurial Culture in a Bureaucratic World, (John Wiley & Sons,[5] New York, NY) was published in October 2007.
A fourth work, Control Your Future (National Underwriter Press [7]), was written primarily for the life insurance industry.
Bob MacDonald is a columnist for a number of business publications including Best's Review [8] and Insurance Marketing,[9] and is a frequent contributor to Directors and Boards.
[10] His philosophy has been profiled in scores of local and national publications, including The Wall Street Journal,[11] USA Today,[12] Forbes,[13] Business Week,[14] American Banker [15] and Institutional Investor.
As a keynote speaker, he has addressed banking organizations, actuaries, life underwriters, financial planners, investors, and Rotary groups.