JPMorgan Chase Taps Amex Corp. Card Leader

JPMorgan Chase has wooed the president of American Express' global commercial card business to head its Chase Card Services group, and American Express is filling that void with a pair of internal promotions, the companies announced in June.

Gordon Smith, who had spent his entire career of more than 25 years with American Express, has left Amex and is transitioning to his new role, according to JPMorgan Chase. Smith replaces Richard Srednicki, who is retiring this quarter and was responsible for the introduction of several product lines for Chase cards, including those with touchless "blink" capabilities.

"Gordon is a world-class leader who is highly experienced and respected in the industry," Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to working with him as we build on the success of our card group to make this business even stronger."

At American Express, Anre Williams, the executive vice president for U.S. commercial cards since 2004, has been promoted to Smith's position, and Valerie Soranno Keating, who has headed the travelers checks and prepaid services business at American Express for five years, has been appointed executive vice president of global marketing and source-to-settle. Williams will continue to lead the U.S. commercial card team while also leading regional sales teams, and Soranno Keating will be in charge of customer-service opportunities through the electronic payment process, according to American Express.

"They each have a keen focus on the customer and have demonstrated their commitment to making their teams successful," Ed Gilligan, group president of American Express international and global corporate services, said in a prepared statement. "Val and Anre are assuming leadership of a business that is in excellent shape. The business continues to grow, especially in the middle market, and we have broadened the reach of the business into important new services."