Ken Chenault

Kenneth Chenault is the chairman and a managing director of the venture capital firm General Catalyst. As a managing director, he focuses on investing in fast-growing companies that have the potential to become large, fundamental institutions. Prior to joining General Catalyst, Chenault was chairman and CEO of American Express Company, a position he held from 2001 to 2018. He joined American Express in 1981 as director of strategic planning and served subsequently in a number of increasingly senior positions, including vice chairman and president and chief operating officer, until his appointment as CEO. Upon Chenault’s 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 he measure others against.” Chenault serves on the boards of Airbnb, Berkshire Hathaway, Chief, Guild Education, and the Harvard Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the NCAA. Chenault is on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council at Stanford University. He also serves on the board of trustees for NYU Langone Health. Chenault holds a BA in history from Bowdoin College and a JD from Harvard Law School.