As it sought to launch an effort to advance women in the company, American Express began by asking senior employees if they considered themselves ambitious and if they had ever publicly shared their desire to grow professionally.
"Unsurprisingly, our women told us 'yes, we're ambitious,' but what really surprised us is only a third of that group of women said they had ever publicly declared that ambition," Sonia Cargan, chief inclusion and diversity officer at American Express told Cheddar on Friday.
Internally, two years after asking those questions, more than 100 women have been promoted or entered the company at the executive level or above. Globally, women at the company are paid at parity to male counterparts, according to the company.
Now, Amex and the New York Women's Foundation will launch a joint program called "The Ambition Project" on International Women's Day March 8.
Part of the project’s goal is to create conversations both inside and outside the company to help women embrace and own their career goals.
"We want women to be ambitious for themselves and ambitious for others, whether that be for their professional life, personal life, or their communities," Cargan said.
Over the next year, the Ambition Project will share and spread blog posts and videos highlighting examples of success at all levels, host leaders and influencers to discuss professional growth, expand shadowing programs within the company, and publish research on the topic.
President Donald Trump pulled a rabbit out of his trade war hat this week, announcing a trade deal with Japan putting 15% tariffs on most Japanese imports.
Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia shares how the neighborhood app's redesign aims to inform, connect, and protect communities with smarter features and local insight.
Tim Bohen dives into the 'Trump Trade,' renewed tariffs, waning uncertainty, corporate guidance, and what the Fed’s next move means for traders and markets.
Wall Street icon Peter Tuchman dives into Apex Trader Funding’s partnership with Wall Street Global Trading Academy and what it means for the next-gen trader.
Matthew Frankel, contributing analyst at The Motley Fool, discusses the recent SPAC resurgence, investor interest, and what the data says about their future.
Axios’ Neil Irwin unpacks the political clash as the White House explores legal pathways to dismiss Fed Chair Powell, threatening central bank independence.
