Global Leaders Convened in London for the American Express Leadership Academy and Exclusive Panel at Wimbledon

As part of the company’s second annual Leadership Academy in London, American Express brought together 60 leaders from 17 countries across the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, and the Africa region for a four-day in-person program, followed by an exclusive panel discussion that took place during the excitement of Wimbledon.

Read more about these events below.

The American Express Leadership Academy

Hosted by American Express and Common Purpose, with support from Hilton and Delta Air Lines, the event invited non-profit participants to join a series of discussions to learn how they can drive meaningful change, with plans to continue to enhance their skills and expertise throughout a six-month leadership development program designed to help them lead during times of uncertainty.

The four-day program featured inspiring conversations with guest panelists who shared their personal stories around leading with purpose, resilience, and authority, including:

• Sabrina Dhowre Elba, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador
• Naomi Schiff, Racing Driver and Television Presenter
• Paul van Zyl, Co-Founder of The Conduit
• Mark Weinstein, Chief Marketing Officer at Hilton

Leading with Purpose

Sabrina Dhowre Elba, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, joined the first panel discussion moderated by Elizabeth Rutledge, Chief Marketing Officer at American Express. She spoke about the importance of identifying one’s purpose and the drive needed to act on complex issues.

“Purpose today looks different to me than when I was a young girl. Sometimes we embark on a journey, but things don’t go the way we want. But your inner determination to change the narrative can help you to define your purpose in that moment. Purpose doesn’t have to be a constant, it can change,” said Elba.

Leading with Resilience

Naomi Schiff, racecar driver and broadcast presenter, and Paul van Zyl, Co-Founder of The Conduit, sat down with Jennifer Skyler, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at American Express, for a conversation about the mindset needed to transition across different careers, geographies, and sectors.

Schiff and van Zyl each shared the skills that have helped them move into unfamiliar spaces, throughout their life.

van Zyl shared a similar sentiment: “I’ve had a golden thread throughout my whole life, which is that I’ve always been very interested in trying to build more just and equitable societies. And as the demands of what’s required have changed, my life has had to pivot to achieve this.”

Leading Beyond Authority

Mark Weinstein, Chief Marketing Officer at Hilton, and Glenda McNeal, Chief Partner Officer at American Express, joined a panel discussion moderated by Adirupa Sengupta, Group Chief Executive at Common Purpose.

The discussion focused on what it means to be a resilient change maker and to lead beyond authority.

“When I think of resilient change makers, the first thing that comes to mind is someone who’s truly adaptable, able to really look at the current situation that they’re in and begin to have a vision around what the possibilities are. Another leadership trait is someone who’s empathetic because change creates a lot of emotions, anxieties and concerns. And so having someone who can empathize with the circumstance and be able to help you see those possibilities, is extremely important,” said McNeal.

“My greatest growth has always come from working on stuff that nobody else was working on. I’m most passionate about solving a problem that nobody else wants to solve. You do that enough times, and you become the person helping to write the playbook and the rules that go with it. It’s white space, so you can take on leadership without needing permission,” said Weinstein.

The London event follows the success of the recent Leadership Academy event held in Sydney, Australia, which hosted 73 non-profit leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region. Later this year, the Academy will host its Americas program in New York City from November 12 to 15. Applications are still open, and more information can be found here.

Wimbledon: Changing the Game on Women’s Leadership

In addition to the American Express Leadership Academy, the company hosted an intimate event for inspirational women leaders around the Wimbledon Championship at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, prior to the Women’s Finals match.

The event started with remarks from Anna Marrs, Group President, Global Commercial Services and Credit & Fraud Risk at American Express, and Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, followed by a panel discussion with Michelle Dite, Operations Director at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Valcie McIntosh, Owner of Papa’s Cafe, and Marsha Powell, Co-Founder of BelEve.

The discussion, moderated by Madge Thomas, Head of Corporate Sustainability at American Express, focused on women’s leadership, with panelists sharing leadership insights within their own professions and the tools that helped them grow.

“Among our core values at American Express is backing our communities, and one of the ways we do that is by empowering the non-profit leaders that do this work every single day,” said Thomas. “We equip them with the skills they need to take their work to new heights, reach new people, and that they can use to go back and inspire their teams to deliver on the mission they set out to achieve.”

Dite spoke about her experience in sports and looking at life and career beyond the game, McIntosh’s shared lessons learned as a small business leader, and Powell spoke about her approach as a non-profit changemaker.

Thomas also introduced American Express’ grant to provide funding to the  Women’s Sports Foundation^®, one of the first organizations to recognize the powerful connection between sport access, equity, and society, and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership as part of the company’s ongoing Backing Equal Futures efforts.