Kenneth Chenault: Former CEO of American Express and Chairman of General Catalyst

Kenneth Chenault: Former CEO of American Express and Chairman of General Catalyst

Business Owner · Financial Services

New York City

Kenneth Chenault spent 37 years at American Express, leading it as chairman and CEO from 2001 to 2018, and now chairs the venture firm General Catalyst.

About Kenneth Chenault: Former CEO of American Express and Chairman of General Catalyst

Kenneth Irvine Chenault (born June 2, 1951, in Mineola, New York) is an American businessman who was chairman and CEO of American Express from 2001 to 2018; when he was named chair he became the third Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Since 2018 he has been chairman and managing director of General Catalyst, a venture capital firm. Chenault's mother, Anne N. Quick Chenault, was a dental hygienist, and his father, Dr. Hortenius Chenault, a dentist who graduated from Morehouse College and Howard University College of Dentistry, passed the New York State dental exam with the highest score ever recorded as of January 2014. He attended the Waldorf School of Garden City, where he was senior class president, received a BA in history from Bowdoin College in 1973 and a JD from Harvard Law School in 1976. He began his career as an associate at the law firm Rogers & Wells from 1977 to 1979 and as a consultant at Bain & Company from 1979 to 1981, and then worked 37 years at American Express. Sources: English Wikipedia (Kenneth Chenault, accessed September 2026).

Basic Information

Chairman and managing director, General Catalyst; former chairman and CEO, American Express

Company Details

General Catalyst / American Express (former CEO)

Venture Capital, Financial Services