Benjamin will be responsible for creating platforms for prioritising areas of employee focus, driving performance and growing leaders for the India market.
American Express has appointed Mark Benjamin as the chief human resources officer, India. In his new capacity, Benjamin will also become a member of the Board of American Express Banking Corporation, advising on risk appetite framework, regulatory actions and risks that impact the Bank.
At American Express, he will be responsible for creating platforms for prioritising areas of employee focus, driving performance and growing leaders for the India market. He will focus on strengthening the employee value proposition and delivering superior business results, by leveraging assets across all of American Express’ businesses, including India consumer, corporate & merchant sales businesses, global servicing network, risk & information management, finance and multiple analytics and technology centres of excellence.
Benjamin has been associated with American Express since 2013, and was the vice president-human resources, risk & information management and global risk and compliance in New York. With an overall experience spanning over two decades, Benjamin has a strong track record of challenging the business on critical issues and partnering to drive outcomes. He brings extensive experience in leading HR for businesses operating in highly regulated and growth markets.
Benjamin has built, implemented and led human capital planning and execution for leading organisations across geographies. An expert at aligning HR programmes and capabilities to a company’s strategy, mission and values, Benjamin has a proven expertise in advising leaders on growing and transforming businesses.
Sharing her perspective on the appointment, Erica Bourne, senior vice president, market HR and global employee & labour relations, American Express, says, “India has long been a very important geography for American Express, globally, and in recent years our footprint there has undergone enormous change. The growth in operations in India that we have experienced is quite unprecedented. I am confident that with Mark’s strong track record of partnering with the business to drive strategic outcomes, we will be able to take the India journey of American Express towards even greater heights.”
Also, expressing his thoughts, Benjamin, says, “ I am honoured to have the responsibility of working with some of the most brilliant leadership talent to drive the committed growth agenda and deliver on transformational people strategy for the India market. I look forward to working closely with the entire American Express India team, as we embark on this exciting journey together.”
Previously, Benjamin served as the global head of talent acquisition, global head of employee relations and head of human resources for the global investments business at the American International Group (AIG) in New York. He has also held senior HR leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Phillip Morris, Ernst & Young, Andersen Consulting and State Farm Insurance Company.
Benjamin has a bachelor’s degree in Arts with dean’s list distinctions from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
With an employee strength of 11,000+ employees, India continues to be the largest base for American Express outside of the US, with a strong focus on growth and profitability and an unparalleled employee and customer experience.