Movers and Shakers: Lei Chen, Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management, American Express

Lei Chen, Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management for American Express, is very passionate about talent development. This is why she makes it a priority to be actively involved in many of the mentoring, leadership training, and networking programs available to executives at American Express.

“One of the things I am most proud of in my career at American Express is my involvement with the Executive Women’s Interest Network,” said Chen, who led the employee network, and has been instrumental in building it up as a critical platform to help advance and retain women talent through various activities including workshops, guest speaker series, roundtable discussions, mentoring programs and networking events.

“I think it is so important to reach out and help others develop their potential,” added Chen, “and one of the most effective ways to do this is by gathering together, sharing our experiences, learning best practices, and paying it forward.”

Career at American Express
After graduating from Michigan State University with a Ph.D. in Statistics, Chen joined the Risk and Information Management group at American Express where she had the opportunity to develop expertise in almost all areas of Risk Management and across multiple business units.

Currently, Chen serves as Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management where her primary role is to develop risk management strategies and drive growth in the area of non-traditional payment products.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is that I am directly involved in redefining our company’s brand by making our products more accessible and inclusive,” said Chen. “Enterprise Growth group is like a start up inside of American Express. With the launch of Bluebird, a checking & debit alternative, we use emerging technologies to expand our customer segment beyond our premium base, and to enable “financial inclusion” for the underserved population by traditional financial services.”

One of the challenges Chen acknowledged is delivering the brand’s promise for world class customer experience, trust, and security while achieving industry best risk performance.

According to Chen, the leadership support she has received from American Express has played a key role in her personal career development. One of the most notable programs Chen was selected to participate in was the Compass 45 Leadership Program, of which she was a participant in 2006. This was a twelve month program designed to help high potential and high performing leaders further develop their leadership skills through focused training and working on real projects that solve real business problems within the company.

“In addition to strengthening my leadership skills, I built strong connections and network among my peers,” explained Chen. She continued, “Before the program, I used to be a workaholic. Hearing and observing how my peers balanced their work and life, I had my ‘aha moment.’ I was inspired and realized that I can also have it all.”

Advice for Women in Financial Services
While Chen emphasizes the importance of mentoring, she encourages women to turn their mentors into sponsors. According to Chen, developing executive presence is a key component of establishing these critical relationships, and advancing them. This is something Chen wishes had been better defined when she was first starting out her career.

She stated, “I knew executive presence was important, but how to achieve it and develop it was less tangible when I was beginning my career.” Executive presence –which consists of gravitas, communication and appearance – is a skill that young executives must learn to refine if they want to be considered for leadership roles.

“Sponsors will help you advance in your career,” said Chen, “and executive presence leads to sponsorship.”

Chen advises women to always strive for excellence and deliver results. “Doing this will help you gain sponsorship, and make you and your sponsor look good,” Chen noted, “And when you accomplish something great, don’t feel shy about communicating it to make your achievements visible.”

Networking is also a key factor in career advancement, said Chen. The networking events she helped develop through the Executive Women’s Interest Network are wonderful platforms for women to gather, talk about challenges and come up with solutions. In addition to helping others through this group, Chen further developed her own leadership skills as well.

“At the beginning, the role definitely stretched my skill set, but it offered high visibility,” said Chen. “This experience provided a great platform for me to practice and enhance my influencing skills and executive presence. It also helped me continue to grow my network and establish my personal brand among the senior women. I have also gained strong advocacy and sponsorship through this exposure, which benefits me in my next career moves.”

Layers of Professional Development
There are many opportunities for executives to participate in career development and leadership training programs, said Chen, but there are four main areas that propel career advancement: training and workshops, leadership programs, talent discussion, and mentoring/sponsorship.

“Training and workshops are great for raising awareness about issues and identifying solutions,” Chen explained, “but holding regular meetings where leaders discuss the talent pipeline and make sure that high potential performers are recognized is critical.” She indicated that within the Risk and Information Management group there is a specific talent discussion each year dedicated to identifying top female talent. “Our leaders are committed to women’s career advancement and retention,” added Chen.

Group mentoring has gained a lot of traction among senior and junior women at American Express. As opposed to one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring brings together two senior female executives with about five or six mentees. “The groups meet monthly to talk about issues and challenges, said Chen. “It has proven to be a very effective method of mentoring, and one that has made a positive impact on everyone involved.”

Outside the Office
Chen strives to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In addition to spending time with her family, Chen is a member of the Hua Xia Chinese School dance troupe and performs regularly for her local community. “This is a wonderful outlet, and a way for me to refresh myself outside of the office,” said Chen, “And it is a great way to be active within my community.”

Welcome to The Glass Hammer’s Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! All month long we will be profiling successful women here in the US who have Asian heritage as well as spotlighting some amazing women in Asia and discussing what it means to work there.

By Michelle Hendelman