Kenneth Chenault

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American business executive (born 1951)

title: "Kenneth Chenault" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1951-births", "living-people", "21st-century-african-american-businesspeople", "21st-century-american-businesspeople", "american-chief-executives-of-financial-services-companies", "american-express-people", "american-management-consultants", "bain-&-company-employees", "bowdoin-college-alumni", "directors-of-facebook", "directors-of-ibm", "harvard-law-school-alumni", "people-from-mineola,-new-york", "businesspeople-from-new-rochelle,-new-york", "waldorf-school-alumni", "american-chief-executives-of-fortune-500-companies", "african-american-history-of-westchester-county,-new-york"] description: "American business executive (born 1951)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Chenault" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American business executive (born 1951) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameKen Chenault
imageKenneth Chenault.jpg
captionChenault in 2012
birth_nameKenneth Irvine Chenault
birth_date
birth_placeMineola, New York, U.S.
known for
children2
educationBowdoin College (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
titleFormer chairman and CEO of American Express
::

| name = Ken Chenault | image = Kenneth Chenault.jpg | caption = Chenault in 2012 | birth_name = Kenneth Irvine Chenault | birth_date = | birth_place = Mineola, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = | known for = | spouse = Kathryn Chenault | children = 2 | education = Bowdoin College (BA) Harvard University (JD) | title = Former chairman and CEO of American Express Kenneth Irvine Chenault (born June 2, 1951) is an American businessman who was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Express (AMEX) from 2001 to 2018. When he was named AMEX chair, he became the third Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Since 2018, he has been chairman and managing director of General Catalyst, a venture capital firm.

Early life and education

Chenault, who is of African American heritage, was born in Mineola, New York. His mother, Anne N. Quick Chenault, was a dental hygienist, and his father, Dr. Hortenius Chenault, was a dentist,

He attended the Waldorf School of Garden City, where he was senior class president. He received a B.A. in history from Bowdoin College in 1973, and was awarded the Bowdoin Prize, the "highest honor the College bestows upon its members" in 2022. After Bowdoin, Chenault attended Harvard Law School, where he received his J.D. in 1976.

Career

Chenault began his career as an associate at the law firm Rogers & Wells (1977–1979) in New York City, and as a consultant for Bain & Company (1979–1981).

American Express

Chenault worked 37 years at American Express, a financial services corporation and bank holding company. He joined the company in 1981, working in its Strategic Planning Group. He became president and chief operating officer in 1997. He became CEO of American Express in 2001.

As CEO of American Express in 2007 and 2008, Chenault earned a total compensation of $50,126,585 and $42,752,461 respectively. In 2009, he earned a total compensation of $16,617,639, which included a base salary of $1,201,923, a cash bonus of $10,450,000, an option grant of $3,985,637, and other compensation worth $980,079. In 2016, Chenault earned a total compensation of $22 million.

On November 15, 2010, Old North Foundation recognized Chenault with its Third Lantern Award for individual commitment and dedication to public service. The Foundation honored Chenault and American Express for their significant contributions to the preservation efforts of many significant monuments and landmark structures, including the steeple of the Old North Church.

On October 18, 2017, he announced that he would retire as its chairman and chief executive on February 1, 2018. He was succeeded by Stephen J. Squeri.

General Catalyst

In January 2018, Chenault announced he would become chairman and managing director of General Catalyst Partners.

Board affiliations

Chenault has sat on several boards throughout his career. Beginning in 2007, he was on the executive committee of the Business Roundtable and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2011 and 2012, Chenault was a member of the executive committee of The Business Council.

On February 10, 2014, it was announced that he had been elected to fill a vacated seat of the Harvard Corporation; the Corporation is the chief fiduciary authority of the university and is the smaller of the two governing boards, the other being the Harvard Board of Overseers.

On February 6, 2017, Chenault was named chair of the advisory council for the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In 2018, he joined the board of directors of Airbnb.

From February 2018 to March 2020, he was on the board of directors of Facebook.

In December 2018, it was announced that Chenault would step down from his board roles at IBM and Procter & Gamble on February 13, 2019.

In April 2019, he was appointed as a member of the NCAA's Board of Governors.

In March 2020, he joined the board of Berkshire Hathaway, replacing Bill Gates.

He is a co-founder of OneTen, a non-profit organization that creates job opportunities for individuals without four year degrees.

He is a board member of National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Human Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute Advisory Council at Stanford University, and NYU Langone Health.

Philanthropy

Chenault and wife, Kathryn, are founding donors to the Art for Justice Fund, which aims to reduce prison populations and strengthen employment opportunities for those leaving.

Personal life

Chenault and his family reside in New York City.

Honors and awards

References

References

  1. "American Express CEO Ken Chenault: 'There's a $25 trillion opportunity'". fortune.com.
  2. "An interview with Kenneth Chenault, CEO at American Express". london.edu.
  3. "Board of Directors and Executive Officers". [[American Express]].
  4. "Kenneth I Chenault profile". [[Forbes]].
  5. [https://eccles.utah.edu/news/black-history-month-kenneth-chenault/ Black History Month: Kenneth Chenault.] David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.
  6. [https://www.generalcatalyst.com/team/ken-chenault Ken Chenault. Chairman & Managing Director. Investment Team.] General Catalyst.
  7. (1951-06-02). "Kenneth Chenault Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story". Biography.com.
  8. [https://www.blackventures.org/blackleaders/kenneth-irvine-chenault-former-ceo-of-american-express#:~:text=Growing%20Up,Chenault%20was%20a%20dental%20hygienist. Kenneth Irvine Chenault: Former CEO of American Express.] Black Business Ventures Association.
  9. "Chenault, Hortenius · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database".
  10. lived in the incorporated village of Hempstead.[https://web.archive.org/web/19991004090327/http://www.businessweek.com/1998/51/b3609001.htm "Ken Chenault: The Rise of a Star"] ''Business Week'' Dec. 21, 1998
  11. Bowdoin News (November 3, 2022). [https://www.bowdoin.edu/news/2022/11/the-bowdoin-prize-kenneth-i-chenault-73-h96-receives-colleges-highest-honor.html The Bowdoin Prize: Kenneth I. Chenault ’73, H’96 Receives College's Highest Honor.] Bowdoin College.
  12. HLS News Staff (December 6, 2011). [https://hls.harvard.edu/today/leadership-profile-a-conversation-with-kenneth-i-chenault-76/ Leadership Profile: A Conversation with Kenneth I. Chenault ’76.] Harvard Law Bulletin. Winter 2011.
  13. "Kenneth I. Chenault". [[whitehouse.gov]].
  14. Moyer, Liz. (2017-10-18). "American Express CEO Ken Chenault to leave after 17-year run". CNBC.
  15. [http://www.equilar.com/CEO_Compensation/American_Express_Kenneth_I._Chenault.php 2007 CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault] {{webarchive. link. (2009-04-14, Equilar)
  16. [http://www.equilar.com/CEO_Compensation/American_Express_Kenneth_I._Chenault.php 2008 CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault] {{webarchive. link. (2009-04-14, Equilar)
  17. [http://www.equilar.com/CEO_Compensation/American_Express_Kenneth_I._Chenault.php 2009 CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault] {{webarchive. link. (2009-04-14, Equilar)
  18. (2017-03-20). "American Express Lifts Chenault's Pay 19% to $22 Million for '16". Bloomberg.com.
  19. "Kenneth Chenault, American Express Chairman and CEO Receives". Bloomberg.
  20. Andriotis, AnnaMaria. (2017-10-18). "American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault to Step Down After 16 Years". Wall Street Journal.
  21. Sorkin, Andrew Ross. (2018). "For His Next Act, Ken Chenault Turns His Focus on Silicon Valley". The New York Times.
  22. "About us: Officers". [[Business Roundtable]].
  23. "Business Roundtable".
  24. (February 17, 2006). "New Realities in the Media Age: A Conversation with Donald Rumsfeld". [[Council on Foreign Relations]].
  25. [http://www.thebusinesscouncil.org/about/excommittee.aspx The Business Council, Official website, Executive Committee] {{webarchive. link. (2013-07-21)
  26. (10 February 2014). "Kenneth Chenault and Karen Gordon Mills to join Harvard Corporation".
  27. (2017-02-06). "National Museum of African American History and Culture Names Kenneth I. Chenault Chairman of its Advisory Council".
  28. Carson, Biz. "Airbnb Adds Outgoing American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault To Board of Directors". Forbes.
  29. "Investor Relations".
  30. [https://www.blackenterprise.com/ken-chenault-leaves-facebook-board-as-he-is-appointed-l/ Black Enterprise: March, 13, 2020: Kenneth Chenault leaves Facebook board as he is appointed to board of Berkshire Hathaway]
  31. (27 December 2018). "Former AmEx Chief Ken Chenault Leaves Director Posts at P&G, IBM". Bloomberg.
  32. (April 30, 2019). "NCAA adds 5 independent voices to Board of Governors". Washington Post.
  33. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-berkshire-buffett-pay/berkshire-taps-former-amex-ceo-kenneth-chenault-for-board-as-bill-gates-steps-aside-idUSKBN2103A7 Reuters: March, 13, 2020: ]
  34. [https://oneten.org/about-us/our-team/ OneTen.]
  35. Pogrebin, Robin. (2017-06-11). "Agnes Gund Sells a Lichtenstein to Start Criminal Justice Fund". The New York Times.
  36. (November 1995). "50 who changed America – influential African Americans". [[Ebony (magazine).
  37. (2008-05-10). "Commencement Speech at Howard University". Howard.edu.
  38. [http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2010/20100322.commencement.php American Express CEO to deliver address], ''Window on Wake Forest'', March 22, 2010. Accessed 2010-03-22.
  39. [http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2010/03/chenault.html May commencement speakers announced] {{webarchive. link. (2010-03-25 , ''Northeastern University'', March 22, 2010. Accessed 2010-03-23.)
  40. (September 15, 2021). "Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Simone Biles top TIME 100 list".
  41. (2024-08-20). "Here's who's scheduled to speak at the DNC on Tuesday".
  42. Hoffman, Liz. (2024-10-01). "Ex-Amex CEO Ken Chenault is a top candidate for jobs in a Harris administration".

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