Thomas O. Ryder

Mr. Ryder is the former Chairman and CEO of the Reader’s Digest Association and President of American Express’s Travel Related Services International, Merchant Services Worldwide, and American Express Publishing Worldwide divisions. He has experience in the publishing industry, having worked at Time Inc., CBS, and Education Today Company, Inc. where he was co-founder and CEO. Mr. Ryder has also served on numerous boards, including at Amazon for 20 years, during which time he was audit committee chairman and the first lead independent director. Other previous board appointments have included Starwood Hotels, RPX Corporation, Startek Corp, American Express International Bank, and Virgin Mobile – where he was Chairman. He is also a prolific writer on the subjects of food and wine.