Taylor bright and kenneth chenault
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Kenneth Chenault
American business executive
Kenneth Irvine Chenault (born June 2, 1951) is an American businessman who served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Express from 2001 to 2018.[3][4] He has since served as Chairman of the global venture capital firm General Catalyst.
Early life and education
Chenault, who is of African American heritage, was born in Mineola, New York, the son of a dentist and dental hygienist.[5] His father, Hortenius Chenault, was a graduate of Morehouse College and Howard University Dental School. The elder Chenault passed the New York State dental exam with the highest score ever recorded as of January 2014.[6] Kenneth Chenault attended the Waldorf School of Garden City,[7] where he was senior class president.[5] He then received a B.A. in history from Bowdoin College in 1973 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1976.
Career
Chenault began his career as an associate at the law firm Rogers & Wells (1977–1979) in New York City, and as a
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At General Catalyst, I am most interested in identifying companies with breakout characteristics, including those that are scaling quickly and have the potential to become significant, global institutions. I also work closely with our portfolio companies, particularly those with an eye towards global markets and responsible innovation, as they scale their teams and products. Companies I’m currently involved with are Bilt Rewards, Chief, CRED, and Guild Education.
I spent 37 years at American Express, most recently as Chairman and CEO, a position I held from 2001 to 2018. I am a co-founder of OneTen, a coalition of leading executives coming together to upskill, hire and advance one million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement. I am proud to serve on the boards of Airbnb, Berkshire Hathaway, Chief, Guild Education, and the Harvard Corporation and numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Nation
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Kenneth Chenault
Ken Chenault is the chairman and a managing director of the venture capital firm General Catalyst. From 2001 to 2018, Ken was chairman and CEO of American Express. Upon his retirement from American Express, Warren Buffett, the company’s largest shareholder, stated, “Ken’s been the gold standard for corporate leadership and the benchmark that I measure others against.”
Ken has been honored by multiple publications including the TIME100 Most Influential People list, which celebrated Ken Chenault with Ken Frazier in 2021 for their corporate and social activism; specifically, for mobilizing hundreds of corporate leaders to advocate for equitable voting rights in the United States and for co-founding OneTen, a coalition to upskill, hire and advance one million Black Americans over ten years into family-sustaining jobs.
Ken serves on the boards of Airbnb, Berkshire Hathaway, Bilt Rewards, Chief, Guild Education, and the Harvard Corporation. He also serves on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations.
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