25.03.2025 Today’s Inspiration from Stephen Squeri, American Express Chairman and CEO, from CNBC
Dear Students,
No, this is not an early April Fool’s Joke.
“‘I get 150 to 200 customer emails a day. I read and answer every single one,'” the Amex stalwart told the Financial Times. We say we’re a membership model. How do you ignore them?,'” Stephen Squeri, American Express Chairman and CEO, is on record as saying.
Squeri, who’s worked his way up over 40 years at American Express, is dedicated to not only Customer Service and client responsiveness. Impressively, he’s actually held leadership roles at the $66B global firm in General Management, Shared Services (such as Benefits and Payroll), Finance and Information Technology (as visible in the LinkedIn post shared below). Squeri’s undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Computer Science forged his initial skillset, as did his MBA in Finance. Not surprisingly, though, prior to joining American Express as a Manager in the Traveler’s Cheque Group, the grandson of Irish and Italian immigrants chose to leverage his education through 4 years of management consulting experience at Arthur Andersen (now Andersen Consulting).
What’s most impressive about Squeri, according to multiple sources, is his reputation for “having successfully globalized the business,” as described in CEO Today. Money Magazine put it this way: “Many people who are in the know in the world of finance give him credit for transforming the company, changing it from something that was well known and respected in the United States to a company that was largely seen the same way all over the world.” As ambitious international students (like you!) are already aware, this was – and is – not an easy feat, as companies who succeed worldwide must simultaneously remain true to their overall business strategy, while making selective, strategic adjustments to the needs of each of the 200+ countries in which they Amex products and services can be found.
Like other prominent leaders, Squeri embraces support of young talent like you and your peers, as well as giving back; he contributes to a range of boards in addition to leading Amex, a 77,000-person company. Squeri’s commitment to aspiring professionals like you and your friends is evident in this quote to non-profit NAF (National Academy Foundation): “There’s no better investment than backing the next generation.”
Here’s to that belief, from the head of a company with 122 million customers, inspiring candidates like you toward global leadership roles!
Wishing you a multi-functional evening, whichever activities you choose to undertake!
Best,
Amy-Louise
Want to learn more about Stephen Squeri? Please see below: