When Hannah Lewis took on the most senior role at American Express in the UK, she could well have been seen as a safe pair of hands. The Oxford graduate and former BCG consultant joined the payments giant in March 2008 and has worked her way through the ranks, stepping into the top job fourteen years later.
Here, Lewis shares her thoughts on what makes a good leader, the innate value of diverse teams, and why, amid a crisis, it pays to have a positive, can-do attitude.
Did you always want to be a CEO?
I guess the short answer to that is probably no. I’d always been determined to push myself. My guiding desire was to do something that meant I could have a big impact.
When I joined Amex I was, and I still am, surrounded by some incredible people. I guess I thought: how can I learn from these people? How can I then take those lessons to make the biggest impact?
I’ve been fortunate to work in a number of different areas in both our consumer and commercial business. I’ve had a range of international roles. I’ve worked with amazing mentors and sponsors who gave me the confidence and the ambition to progress. When it came to the CEO role, I began to think: why not? It wasn’t necessarily an ambition I had from day one, but as I rose up through the company, I wanted to get into a position where I could give something back.
What do you think makes a good leader?
Broadly, I think you have to do three things. Firstly, I think you need to be able to set the direction of the company and give a really clear view on where you’re trying to take it. You have to be able to communicate that vision.
Secondly, I think you need to empower your team. You need to make it so they feel comfortable enough to come to you with ideas and to give their opinions on things. My team may do things differently from the way I do them; it’s important for me to be open to and understanding of that.
Finally, I think being a good leader is about removing barriers. What I mean by that is, if your team tells you they need something, whether it’s more time or resources, you’ve got to be ready to remove that barrier so they can get on with their job.
What do you think your staff think of you?
Oh, this is always a dangerous question! I think, broadly, they would see me as authentic. I mean what I say. I think they would see me as approachable and direct. I’m very candid about my views. I also would like them to think that I’ve got their back. I’ll support my staff and work with them on things.
I am willing to listen to my staff and would always encourage them to speak up. I want to know what I’m getting right and what I could work on.
What do you look for when hiring, particularly among your leadership team?
I think there are a few pieces in here. I think having a diversity of thought and a range of experience and backgrounds is really important. I want strong people with strong personalities. I want integrity and the instinct to always take pride in one’s work. I really value curiosity and a hunger to succeed. I want confident people, but I don’t want them to be over-confident. They shouldn’t assume they know everything straight away; a willingness to learn is non-negotiable.
What’s the best business advice you’ve received?
I think the best bits of business advice probably crossover into personal advice, too. You should control what you can control and don’t get distracted or disheartened by what you can’t. We live in a dynamic, constantly changing world. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed sometimes. I would say you need to accept that there are lots of challenges. Don’t panic about them. Think about contingency plans and respond accordingly.
What is the biggest challenge in business right now?
I was reading the other day that there’s something like 60 different elections around the world this year. That is clearly a very unusual geopolitical environment to be dealing with. You’ve got to think about lots of changing regulations and inflationary pressures.
What’s the main driver of change in your business?
For the credit card industry specifically, there’s a lot of evolution in fintech. There are lots of innovative people and companies entering the payments space. For me. that’s really exciting. It raises different ideas and different ways of looking at things. Customers have got different ideas about their needs and what they expect from their finances. I think this is going to force the credit card industry to become more creative.
People want more, I guess. Whether it’s from cashback or in the form of rewards, there is a challenge for us to provide more value for money.
What’s been your proudest achievement in your current role?
I’m hesitant to present anything as an individual achievement, because it’s all a team game. Broadly, though, we’ve really developed Amex’s international card services. It’s one of the fastest-growing aspects of the business and I’m extremely proud to be a part of that.
Which book should every business leader read?
It may not be a traditional business book, but there’s a novel called Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. It covers the rise and fall of Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes.
It is a great lesson in why you should always ask questions and why you should never take things at face value. I found it a really powerful book with a lot of great business lessons.
What one piece of advice would you give your successor?
Expect the unexpected and embrace it. Trust your team and lean into the unknown. You’re going to be doing things that you maybe didn’t expect to be doing at the start of week, but rather than getting panicked about that, accept how interesting and varied the role is. You need to build a good team around you so they can keep things ticking along even when you’re not around.
