Kenneth Irvine Chenault (born June 2, 1951) is an American business
executive. He was the
CEO and
Chairman

Chairman of
American Express

American Express from 2001
until 2018.[4][5] He is the third black
CEO of a Fortune 500
company.[6]
Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life, education, and legal career
1.2
CEO of American Express
1.3
Chairman

Chairman of General Catalyst Partners
1.4 Compensation
1.5 Philanthropy
1.6 Personal life
2 References
3 External links
Biography[edit]
Early life, education, and legal career[edit]
Chenault was born in Mineola, New York, Nassau County, the son of a
dentist and dental hygienist.[7] His father, Hortenius Chenault, was a
graduate of
Morehouse College

Morehouse College and
Howard University

Howard University Dental School. The
elder Chenault passed the New York State dental exam with the highest
score ever recorded as of January 2014.[8]
Kenneth Chenault

Kenneth Chenault attended
the alternative Waldorf School of Garden City,[9] where he served as
senior class president.[7] He then received a B.A. in history from
Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College in 1973, and a J.D. from
Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School in 1976.
On February 10, 2014, it was announced that he had been elected to
fill a vacated seat of the Harvard Corporation; the
Corporation

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).[10][11]
After Harvard, he worked as an associate at the law firm Rogers &
Wells (1977–1979) in New York City, and as a consultant for Bain
& Company (1979–1981).[10][12]
CEO of American Express[edit]
He joined
American Express

American Express in 1981, working in the Strategic Planning
Group.[13] He became president and chief operating officer in
1997.[13] He became
CEO of
American Express

American Express in 2001.[14]
He is currently co-chair of the Business Roundtable,[15] a board
member at IBM,[5][13] and a member of the Council on Foreign
Relations.[16] He is a member of the Executive Committee of The
Business Council for 2011 and 2012.[17]
In 1995, Ebony listed him as one of 50 "living pioneers" in the
African-American community.[18] Chenault was inducted into the Junior
Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2008, he gave the
commencement address at Howard University.[19]
In May 2010, he gave the commencement speech at Wake Forest
University[20] and Northeastern University.[21]
On October 18, 2017, he announced that he will retire as its chairman
and chief executive on February 1, 2018. He will be succeeded by
Stephen J. Squeri.[22]
Chairman

Chairman of General Catalyst Partners[edit]
In January 2018, Chenault announced he would become chairman and
managing director of General Catalyst Partners.[23]
Compensation[edit]
As
CEO of
American Express

American Express in 2007 and 2008, Chenault earned a total
compensation of $50,126,585[24] and $42,752,461[25] 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.[26]
In 2016, Chenault earned a total compensation of $22 million.[27]
Philanthropy[edit]
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.[28]
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.[29]
Personal life[edit]
He resides in New Rochelle, New York, with his wife and children.[30]
Chenault is a member of Westchester Country Club.[31]
References[edit]
^ "
American Express

American Express
CEO Ken Chenault: 'There's a $25 trillion
opportunity'". fortune.com. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
^ "An interview with Kenneth Chenault,
CEO at American Express".
london.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
^ Surane, Jennifer. "
American Express

American Express Lifts Chenault's Pay 19% to $22
Million for '16". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
^ "Board of Directors and Executive Officers". American Express.
Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
^ a b "Kenneth I Chenault profile". Forbes. Retrieved
2007-05-11.
^ White, Gillian B. "There Are Currently 4 Black CEOs in the Fortune.
500". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
^ a b "
Kenneth Chenault

Kenneth Chenault Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story".
Biography.com. 1951-06-02. Retrieved 2012-03-20. [permanent dead
link]
^ http://nkaa.uky.edu/record.php?note_id=508
^ lived in the incorporated village of hempstead ."Ken Chenault: The
Rise of a Star"
Business Week

Business Week Dec. 21, 1998
^ a b "Kenneth Chenault: Corporate CEO". CNN. February 2002. Archived
from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
^
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/02/chenault_gordon_mills_named/
^ "Kenneth I. Chenault". The White House. Archived from the original
on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
^ a b c Bianco, Anthony (December 21, 1998). "KEN CHENAULT: THE RISE
OF A STAR". Business Week. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
^ Moyer, Liz (2017-10-18). "
American Express

American Express
CEO Ken Chenault to leave
after 17-year run". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
^ "About us: Officers". Business Roundtable. Archived from the
original on 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
^ See for example the transcript of a luncheon over which he presided:
"New Realities in the Media Age: A Conversation with Donald Rumsfeld".
Council on Foreign Relations. February 17, 2006. Archived from the
original on August 10, 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
^ The Business Council, Official website, Executive Committee Archived
2013-07-21 at the Wayback Machine.
^ "50 who changed America – influential African Americans". Ebony.
November 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved
2007-05-11.
^ "Commencement Speech at Howard University". Howard.edu. 2008-05-10.
Retrieved 2012-03-20.
^
American Express

American Express
CEO to deliver address, Window on Wake Forest,
March 22, 2010. Accessed 2010-03-22.
^ May commencement speakers announced Archived 2010-03-25 at the
Wayback Machine., Northeastern University, March 22, 2010. Accessed
2010-03-23.
^ Andriotis, AnnaMaria (2017-10-18). "
American Express

American Express
CEO Kenneth
Chenault to Step Down After 16 Years". Wall Street Journal.
ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (2018). "For His Next Act, Ken Chenault Turns
His Focus on Silicon Valley". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
Retrieved 2018-02-23.
^ 2007
CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault Archived 2009-04-14 at
the Wayback Machine., Equilar
^ 2008
CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault Archived 2009-04-14 at
the Wayback Machine., Equilar
^ 2009
CEO Compensation for Kenneth I. Chenault Archived 2009-04-14 at
the Wayback Machine., Equilar
^ "
American Express

American Express Lifts Chenault's Pay 19% to $22 Million for '16".
Bloomberg.com. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
^ "Kenneth Chenault,
American Express

American Express
Chairman

Chairman and
CEO Receives".
Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
^ Pogrebin, Robin (2017-06-11). "Agnes Gund Sells a Lichtenstein to
Start Criminal Justice Fund". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
Retrieved 2017-09-20.
^ Sexton, Julia (2009-01-23). "Westchester Magazine". Westchester
Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved
2012-03-20.
^ http://www.celebritynews24-7.com/ken-chenault-net-worth/
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Kenneth Chenault
Appearances on C-SPAN
Business positions
Preceded by
Harvey Golub
Chief Executive Officer of American Express
2001–present
Incumbent
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American Express
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Lehman Brothers
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Kenneth Chenault
Gary Crittenden
Corporate directors
Kenneth Chenault

Kenneth Chenault (Chairman)
Daniel Akerson
Charlene Barshefsky
Ursula Burns
Peter Chernin
Vernon Jordan

Vernon Jordan Jr.
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