Amex announces major shake-up

American Express has once again reorganised its business – this time creating a global management structure and splitting its business into two divisions: Global Travel and Global Commerical Card.

In Europe Amex has spent a number of years pulling travel and card together, but the new strategy means that this policy will now be reversed. A spokeswoman told TravelMole that European customers who currently had a single point of contact were being given the option of what they wanted to do next. She said: “We are talking with our clients about it. If they still want a single point of contact then they can have it.”

Instead of geographic divisions, the business will now be organised along two global lines of business: Global Travel, which comprises the global corporate travel business as well as consumer travel outside the US and Global Commercial Card, which includes the corporate card, the corporate purchasing card, global information services and product development.

Charles Petruccelli, who became President, Corporate Services International in 1996, has been appointed President, Global Travel, American Express Global Corporate Services. Steve Squeri has been named President, Global Commercial Card for American Express Global Corporate Services. Mr Squeri was previously President, Establishment Services, Canada and US, responsible for managing and growing the network of merchants that accept the American Express Card.

Amex said that there was a growing number of companies wanting a global approach to their travel management programmes, and that the company’s new structure would help it to provide this. Mr Petruccelli said: “Our new structure clearly positions us for growth and enhanced customer satisfaction, as we will be able to deliver better consistency in world-wide servicing, and an expansion of global interactive travel. Our aim is to provide enhanced and consultative management information, and more help advising companies as they pursue global relationships with travel suppliers.”

Kim Lewis, newly named Senior Vice President, Corporate Travel Europe, will be responsible for the company’s overall travel strategy in Europe. Amex is currently recruiting for the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Card, Europe, responsible for the company’s Corporate and Purchasing Card interests in the region.

Amex announced last month that is to cut up to 6,500 jobs, approximately half from its travel businesses. These are in addition to the 7,700 job losses it announced earlier in the year.