Amex president to retire

Saturday, 07 Nov, 2011 0

American Express president Charles Petruccelli will retire on December 31 after 36 years of service with the company.

He will be replaced by Kim Goodman, currently president, merchant services Americas and based in New York.

Before joining American Express in 2007, she led business-to-business operations and sales at Dell after beginning her career in consulting at Bain & Company.

Paying tribute to Petruccelli, Amex chairman and CEO Kenneth Chenault said: “Without question, Charles has had a great impact on the company and, indeed, the entire travel industry during his career.

“For the last 10 years as president of global travel services, Charles has led his teams to set industry standards for innovation and service, using advances in technology to transform the way we meet the changing needs and preferences of our customers and clients.

“There isn’t a year that goes by that the travel industry isn’t hit – often disproportionately – by major crises, whether it’s natural disasters, acts of terrorism or economic turmoil. But it’s a true testament to Charles’ steady and thoughtful leadership that we’ve been able to weather whatever crisis we’re facing and maintain our leadership position.”

by Bev Fearis

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.