American Express Earns No. 3 Spot on Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators List

American Express has earned the No. 3 spot on Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list for 2026.

The ranking evaluated companies around the world based on examples of innovation, investment in research and development, existing programs and overall culture.

“At American Express, innovation is embedded in how we work across every part of the company,” said Luke Gebb, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Innovation. “We create an environment where colleagues at every level are encouraged to bring forward ideas, experiment and challenge the status quo, and we give them the tools, support and access to turn those ideas into something real.”

All colleagues are emboldened to share insights and propose ideas that can be transformed into scalable, consumer-oriented solutions — both through formal programs and in their day-to-day work.

Some of the ways American Express encourages and supports innovation include:

• Edward P. Gilligan Award for Innovation: As one of American Express’s highest honors, this annual award recognizes teams across the enterprise who deliver measurable business and consumer impact. It honors teams who push boundaries, exemplify creative thinking and embrace collaboration.
  
  
• Innovation Collective: First launched in 2020, this initiative helps colleagues expand their creativity and explore examples of innovation through networking opportunities, speaker series and an annual Innovation Challenge where colleagues present new ideas to enhance the Amex Membership experience and winning concepts are routed to product development teams across the company.
  
  
• GrowthHack: For more than 10 years, this global hackathon has created opportunities for all colleagues to participate in hands-on collaboration and generate ideas to improve the customer experience, enhance productivity, develop new digital tools and more.
  
  
• Patent Recognition Program: This program reviews patent applications from across the enterprise to create a curated portfolio that favors impact over volume. Colleagues at any level can suggest an invention for a patent, and ideas are sourced both organically and through intentional workshops. The American Express Inventor Awards, which recognize the patents issued and filed, also help honor colleagues whose ideas lead to meaningful innovation.
  
  
• Amex U: Designed to fuel both business and personal growth, this on-demand learning platform focuses on tangible skills that directly impact performance. Colleagues can access more than 20,000 courses to build industry expertise, strengthen leadership skills and explore emerging technologies, such as AI.
  
  

Fast Company’s recognition adds to a series of 2026 honors that highlight how American Express supports and empowers colleagues. Amex earned the No. 4 spot on Great Place to Work’s® important2026 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., was named a Platinum Employer on the American Opportunity Index’s importantWhere You Work Matters List, and ranked No. 10 on importantFortune’s 2026 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

See the importantfull 2026 list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators.

Visit our importantCareers page to learn more about life at American Express and explore open opportunities.