Leslie Berland

EVP, Global Advertising, Marketing and Digital Partnerships at American Express

New York City, New York

@leslieberland | LinkedIn Profile

You have been actively engaged at American Express with respect to FinTech and social media and digital for the past decade. We have to ask, are you tired yet?

I’ve been at American Express for ten years now and, with each year that passes, I grow more energized and more excited about the challenges and opportunities ahead. What’s interesting and exciting about Amex is the ability to reinvent oneself over time, create things that hadn’t existed before and break new ground. During my ten years, I’ve had so many different types of experiences and I’ve had the opportunity to make an impact in each role I’ve taken on — there hasn’t been a dull moment yet.

Amex is also an extremely unique place to be. What you see outside is what you feel inside. The culture of the company is value-driven, collaborative and very special. There is a ton of heart in what we do and a great deal of diversity at the company. In fact, the majority of employees at American Express are women. It’s a creative, passion-driven, open environment that fosters learning and reinvention.

My role has certainly evolved over the years. During the past four years, I led our digital partnerships and development team. And I recently extended my responsibilities to include global advertising, brand and marketing and sponsorship work as well.

You were one of the first executives in financial services to truly embrace social media. What was that experience like?

When we first got started, social media was still new for every big brand. Back in 2010 we were watching, listening and learning how to navigate the new digital world. My team and I were given a great deal of empowerment to completely reimagine our marketing and how we engaged with our card members. It was a blank slate and we charged full steam ahead.

Social media changed the way that we thought about our business from beginning to end. It changed the way we thought about our brand and how we connect with both merchants and card members. An at a macro level, social has completely redefined the world in which we live.

During the early days of this effort there was definitely a great deal of open thinking, pushing through and excitement. We embraced something that was very much science – but also very much art – in an area that was undefined.

A lot has been said about the CMO and CIO roles more or less blending. Do you think that’s something we will see more and more of? Do you think you have to be very technical to lead a digital team and drive a global company such as Amex?

I agree that the roles are blending. There is also the new CDO role, the chief digital officer role that exists today at companies across industries. Digital isn’t a department or a strategy – it cuts across and underpins everything we do. Mobile commerce and digital commerce is now our new reality. This completely blurs the lines between the traditional CMO and CIO roles. I think what is most important as a leader in this space is the ability to connect the dots, to hyper-prioritize, to keep things simple and focused and get things out the door.

The term ‘digital’ means many different things to different companies. Most have their own unique definition. At many companies, teams working on digital initiatives are broken apart and siloed. This disconnect results in a lot of different people working a lot of different things and it prohibits the formation of one vision, one approach, one strategy. At Amex, we have been laser-focused on bringing it all together and getting this right.

Do I believe you have to be an engineer or know how to code to lead a digital team? Definitely not. I believe it’s more important to have a clear vision, ensure you have the most talented subject matter experts on your team, understand the space deeply and work collaboratively and quickly.

You gave one of our favorite quotes in a different media interview about the need for “frenemies.” Can you expand on this?

This speaks to the complexity of partners in this day and age. If you think across the board about existing platforms, merchant partners or new tech entrants, there are obvious and clear areas in which to collaborate, and then there are areas to watch out for in terms of making sure our company is front and center. In the latter case, Amex needs to make sure it is top of wallet, that we have all the data and information that we need and that we maintain a direct, connected relationship both with the merchant and the card member. These are all things that we look at within Amex because our business relationships are more multidimensional than ever been before.

You live in one of the busiest cities in the world, have a demanding job, and a husband and family. How do you handle work life balance?

That’s such a great question. For me, it’s definitely a journey. First, you have to love what you do and who you’re spending your time with — both at work and outside of work. After that, I think the most important factor in achieving everything you want to across all the dimensions of your life is a solid support system. I have a very supportive husband and family. Whether you are married or single, it’s critical to have a network of people – friends and family – who believe in what you are doing, support what you are doing and consistently cheerlead for you. I always caution younger people to choose who they invest in and who they surround themselves very wisely.

On the home front, my husband also has a very active career and we have two young children. Though I sometimes describe our home life as controlled chaos, it’s filled with so much love and laughter and fun. I love my work and career, but my family is the most important thing in my life. I’ve learned a lot over the years about how to draw boundaries and to be able to say, “This is something that I cannot compromise or sacrifice.” My two sons know I love them deeply and that they come first and I don’t feel I have had to cut corners in my job to achieve that. I am truly blessed.

What are your personal and professional perspectives on the current state of gender diversity in financial services?

As far as gender diversity in financial services and technology; I just don’t think that we are there yet. This type of project – identifying female leaders in the still male-dominated world of FinTech — is definitely a step in the right directions. In addition to shining a spotlight their achievements and perspectives, it also connects a network of women in a way that is very powerful.

For more progress to be made, I think the emphasis must be on engaging in an authentic way (like this project), and I fully support and engage in any sort of platform, event, or environment that recognizes and celebrates the achievements of women. I think those of us in financial services and technology need to continue to engage in this type of conversation in order to get to a place where gender isn’t even a topic of conversation. We are still far from this goal. I think that some of the challenges for women across all industries are still very real.

I feel fortunate to work at Amex, where diverse backgrounds and points-of-view are sought and celebrated. Throughout the organization there is a belief that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace isn’t just a nice thing to do — it is a critical part of our growth strategy.