Executive Changes Afoot for American Express Global Corporate Services Group

Names two senior leaders to manage corporate cards and business travel sides of Global Client Group

Names two senior leaders to manage corporate cards and business travel sides of Global Client Group

New York — February 7, 2006 — American Express' Global Corporate Services division this week adopted a new senior leadership structure for its Global Client Group, aiming to improve global client support and product development by appointing two senior managers to run the corporate cards and business travel sides of the business.

The Global Client Group consists of American Express' largest and most sophisticated corporate card and business travel clients, representing in total more than $30 billion in travel and entertainment (T&E) spend.

"Due to the changing nature and increasing complexity of both the payment and travel industries, we have decided to name two senior leaders who will manage, in tandem, the two sides of the business for the global customer segment," said Gordon Smith, president of American Express Global Commercial Card.

"This new structure will give us greater focus in servicing the growing needs of our card and travel customers, while maintaining the special servicing distinction that these clients appreciate," added Charles Petruccelli, president of Global Travel Services at American Express.

Gunther Bright, who has served as senior vice president of U.S. commercial card sales since 2002, has been appointed senior vice president/general manager of the Global Client Group for Commercial Card, reporting to Gordon Smith. Bright has been with American Express for 18 years, and in previous roles he has managed relationships with many clients who were on the global expense and travel management path.

Joe Terrion will assume the role of vice president/general manager for global business partnerships with American Express Business Travel and join Business Travel's global executive team headed by Petruccelli. In his new role, Terrion will have responsibility for creating global travel expense management solutions for the GBP client base and have direct leadership of the GBP - Business Travel account management team.

Terrion most recently served as a senior executive within American Express' Global Client Group. Prior to this role, he spent 14 years at Rosenbluth International.

Tom Tierney has been selected to replace Bright as the new senior vice president of U.S. Sales. Tierney is a 21-year veteran of American Express and most recently has led the Establishment Services Field Client Management organization.


Additional Articles of Interest

Travel and entertainment (T&E) costs are the second-largest controllable expense at U.S. companies, but few firms are using enabling tools to rein in this segment of their spend. Read more in the article "Expense Reports Made Inexpensive," in the December 2001 issue of iSource Business (now Supply & Demand Chain Executive) magazine.

— P-cards continue to advance, and e-payables solutions are making headway, but the convergence of the financial and physical supply chains is still a work in progress. Read more in "Enabling the Financial Supply and Demand Chain," in the April/May 2005 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

— Electronic invoice presentment and payment failed to meet its initial predictions. However, recent studies have uncovered a renaissance of interest in Web Invoicing & Electronic Payments solutions as organizations shift their emphasis toward cost containment and productivity enhancement. Read more in "The Analyst Corner: Payment," in the October/November 2005 issue of Supply and Demand Chain Executive.


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