Kenneth Chenault
Kenneth Chenault
Kenneth Irvine Chenaultis an American business executive. He has been the CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001. He is the third black CEO of a Fortune 500 company...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth2 June 1951
CountryUnited States of America
engage face job message principle understand washington
My message to Washington is very simple. Face reality. Be leaders. Demonstrate accountability. Engage in principle compromise. And understand your job is to find solutions.
ask compromise consistency difficult felt issues people
For me, integrity is the consistency of words and actions. Part of the way that you do that is to ask people questions on some of the most difficult issues that you confront. 'Take me through where you felt you had to compromise your values.'
regular
Regular feedback is one of the hardest things to drive through an organization.
businesses half private
Small businesses create half of the jobs in the private sector.
believe leadership strongly
At the end the day because I believe so strongly in leadership, what I look for first, what I try to assess, is integrity.
develop formal
You've got to develop relationships. You can't do things just in a formal context.
follow people
Many people don't focus enough on execution. If you make a commitment to get something done, you need to follow through on that commitment.
actions announced economic ensure expect longer navigate period position strong taken today
The actions we announced today are being taken to ensure that we're in a strong position to navigate through what we expect to be a longer period of economic weakness,
aspects economy economy-and-economics good looking profile progress rates risk start
We are making good progress on our reengineering initiatives, our risk profile is stronger, and some aspects of the economy -- particularly unemployment rates -- are looking better than we had anticipated at the start of the year,
case context lessons
For me, one of the lessons from 9/11 is that you have to give the organization context for how you're acting, and you've got to communicate constantly, in this case particularly with all the changes that were occurring in the financial marketplace and in the economy.
affluent bankruptcy businesses card continuing corporate effect exceeded fourth higher impact last members met offset operations pro quarter results return small spending spike targets
Fourth quarter results from continuing operations met or exceeded our long-term targets for earnings, revenues and, on a pro forma basis, return on equity. Higher spending by affluent consumers, small businesses and corporate Card members more than offset the impact of an industry-wide spike in bankruptcy filings before new legislation went into effect last October.
cautious continuing economy expect improvement remain seeing signs throughout view weak
While we are seeing signs of improvement in volumes, we are continuing to take a cautious view and expect the economy to remain weak throughout 2002,
believe business card company confident involved network overall position relationship remain since strategy strongest
I've been in the company since 1981 and involved in the card business since 1984, and I believe we are in the strongest position we've been in, ... I remain confident in our overall network strategy and our relationship with MBNA going forward.
banks choice free light number plan possible resume
In light of this decision, we plan to resume our conversations with a number of banks -- now free to make a choice -- about possible card-issuing ventures,