American Express appoints Hannah Lewis as the UK Country Manager

By Joy Dumasia

American Express has announced the appointment of Hannah Lewis as UK Country Manager and Senior Vice President, Head of UK for International Card Services, which includes the UK consumer and commercial card businesses. She previously held the role of Vice President, Head of UK Consumer Products, Marketing and Brand. 

With 14 years of experience at American Express, including roles across Consumer, Commercial and Merchant businesses, Hannah’s expertise will be invaluable in further growing the business’ strong position in the UK. This will further expand its customer base, lead and evolve its products, and strengthen local strategic partnerships.  

Hannah will lead an almost 6,000-strong colleague base and is passionate about ensuring American Express remains one of the best places to work, thrive and grow a career in the UK. She has championed several Learning and Development initiatives for UK colleagues, including personal coaching, and is a strong advocate for the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion agenda. She was named a Women in Payments UK Rising Star in 2019 and is an active participant of UK Finance, an industry body. 

The appointment comes during a period of strong performance for American Express in the UK, with key business metrics including new customer acquisition exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Following the return of travel and in-person events, the business announced a new partnership with The Wilderness Festival, is currently sponsoring the Wimbledon Championships, Summer Series at Somerset House and is presenting partner for BST Hyde Park, which joins London Film Festival and other leading events in the UK as part of the American Express Experiences programme offered to Cardmembers. 

Hannah succeeds Charlotte Duerden, who held the post of UK Country Manager for four years and led during a period with record growth and customer retention. Charlotte has now been promoted to the newly-created role of Executive Vice President, Chief International Customer Officer. In this role, Charlotte is responsible for growing relationships with American Expresses commercial and consumer customers internationally, including leading the development of products and the evolution of customer acquisition and the enhancement of capabilities.                

Hannah Lewis, Senior Vice President, Head of UK International Card Services and UK Country Manager, commented: “I’m delighted to step into the role as UK Country Manager, particularly at such an exciting time for the business. I look forward to working with our incredible team to continue to expand our customer base and drive growth. I’m also very much looking forward to supporting efforts to ensure our business is an inclusive and welcoming environment for all colleagues in our new flexible working model, Amex Flex, to grow their career.”

Charlotte Duerden, Executive Vice President, Chief International Customer Officer, commented: “Hannah has an exceptional track record at American Express and will be instrumental in strengthening our current partnerships, expanding our horizons and leveraging the momentum that we’re currently experiencing. Beyond her results, Hannah is also a respected leader, who cares deeply about the development of her team, and will remain a champion for our ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion work.”

IBS Intelligence recently reported that American Express and i2c Inc, a digital payment and banking technology provider, recently announced an expanded global, multi-product agreement that will enable FinTechs and financial institutions worldwide to develop and scale innovative payments solutions for consumers and businesses on the American Express global payments network.