Amex Makes Changes Following Its President's Death

To address the impact of American Express President Ed Gilligan's death in May, the card network has changed some executive roles and revised its internal corporate structure.

"Honoring Ed's memory isn't just about looking back; it is also about moving forward," said Ken Chenault, Amex's chairman and CEO, in an internal memo that was released to the media on Wednesday afternoon. "As we do so, we are fortunate because we have a strong and experienced senior team across business disciplines and geographies who can provide the leadership we need to meet our challenges and achieve our growth objectives."

The executive changes include Steve Squeri, who will take on responsibility for overseeing OPEN, which is led by Denise Pickett; and Enterprise Growth, which is led by Neal Sample. Squeri also oversees global corporate payments and the global services group. Global corporate payments will also be more closely aligned with OPEN, Amex's small business payments group. "Our focus will be on meeting the payments needs of businesses through all stages of their growth, from startup to multinational corporation," Chenault said in his memo.

Other changes include Doug Buckminster,president of Amex's Global Network and International Card Services, who will take on responsibility for overseeing One Europe, which is led by Pierric Beckert.

John Hayes, chief marketing officer, will take on additional responsibility for the Digital Partnerships and Development team, led by Leslie Berland,and Amex is changing the name of the  group to Global Brand, Marketing and Digital Partnerships to reflect its expanded scope. And Paul Fabara, President of Global Banking and the Global Network Business, will be elected an officer of the company and will report to Chenault, a move that reflects the crucial role that banks play in how Amex operates its businesses, Chenault said.

In other changes, Josh Silverman,President of Consumer Products and Services; and Anré Williams, President of Global Merchant Services, will report directly to Chenault, who said the expansion of technology has made these businesses more competitive.

"Our U.S. Consumer business is one of our largest, most prominent businesses, and it's one that continues to have significant growth opportunities," Chenault said. "At the same time, the competitive landscape continues to intensify, and the digital revolution is changing the behavior and expectations of customers and prospects."

This article first appeared in PaymentsSource.