American Express : 2021 DE I Report

2021 INAUGURAL REPORT

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

INTRO

CULTURE

LEADERSHIP

COLLEAGUES

CUSTOMERS

COMMUNITY

APPENDIX

Proudly Backing Diversity,

Equity & Inclusion

At American Express, our vision is to provide the world's best customer experience, every day. In fulfilling that vision, we see the diversity of people and experiences as the fuel to drive the innovation needed to deliver our best for our colleagues, customers, and the communities we serve. That's been the driving force behind our commitment to be a global leader in inclusion and diversity. Taking clear and positive actions to improve our world is simply the right thing to do. And for us, it starts with actively cultivating an inclusive and diverse workplace where every voice is valued, teamwork is rewarded, and different points of view are celebrated.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts make up a component of our broader Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, which takes a holistic view of the many ways the company responsibly backs our key stakeholders. The mission driving our ESG strategy is to back people and businesses to thrive and create equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities globally.

In this inaugural DE&I Report, we will take you through our history, the culture we've built, the current landscape, and our commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Throughout the report, you'll find personal stories from our colleagues, customers, and members of our communities, giving a first-hand look at how we strive to make a positive impact on people's lives every day. It's been a transformational journey of learning, growth, and progress, and we are proud to share it with you.

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INTRO

CULTURE

LEADERSHIP

COLLEAGUES

CUSTOMERS

COMMUNITY

APPENDIX

At American Express, we are proud of our long history of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture that embraces differences and reflects the values we hold true. From welcoming women into our workforce since early last century, to being among the first wave of companies to extend partner benefits to LGBTQ+ couples and offering gender-neutral parental leave programs, to supporting the formation and growth of more than a dozen colleague networks that celebrate the diversity of our workforce, and many other initiatives - our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion has played an essential role in driving our business success and making our company a great place to work for many years.

As a leader, I believe the broader, stronger, and more diverse the team, the better our results can be. It is imperative to foster an environment where all our colleagues feel they belong, can speak up, and have honest conversations in order for us to thrive as a team and for our company to succeed.

Throughout my time with the company, I've seen us continually expand our efforts to help forge a more sustainable and equitable world for our colleagues, customers, and communities. As we've led through a global pandemic and social reckoning on race, we've become even more intentional in our work to drive meaningful and lasting change. We reaffirmed our commitment through clear actions, which we showcase in this inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report.

As we continue our path forward, we pledge to remain transparent and hold ourselves accountable as we deliver on these commitments. I'm proud of the progress we've made so far, but we have more work to do to create a better future for all.

Stephen J.

Squeri

CHAIRMAN & CEO

COLLEAGUE SINCE 1985

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INTRO

CULTURE

LEADERSHIP

COLLEAGUES

CUSTOMERS

COMMUNITY

APPENDIX

We have a longstanding commitment to building an inclusive culture that values every voice, rewards teamwork, celebrates different points of view, and reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live and work.

CULTURE INTRO PAGE

Culture

INTRO

Strengthening our Culture of Inclusion and Belonging

Our company's vision, mission, values, and strategy for success are clearly articulated in what we call our Framework for Winning. In support of the

CULTUREFramework, in 2018, our Chief Colleague Inclusion & Diversity Officer, Sonia Cargan, set out to help us deliver on our commitment of embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our culture and in the way we operate.

LEADERSHIP

COLLEAGUES

CUSTOMERS

"We are committed to continuing to build a welcoming and inclusive culture where all colleagues have the opportunities and resources to reach their full potential."

COMMUNITY

APPENDIX

- SONIA CARGAN

To create a deeper sense of belonging and community across our company, we focused on equipping leaders with a foundational education on creating a welcoming environment for all colleagues by introducing the Inclusive Leadership Experience at American Express.

More than half of our global leaders attended over 25 live sessions to learn more about inclusive leadership. During these sessions, participants gained a deeper understanding of what it means to belong and learned specific strategies on how to lead inclusively and set the tone from the top.

Sonia Cargan

CHIEF COLLEAGUE INCLUSION

& DIVERSITY OFFICER

COLLEAGUE SINCE 1995

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