FIVE MINUTES WITH ...
ANNAH
Driving innovation in payments culture through American Express
LEWIS
Hannah Lewis is the UK Country Manager at American Express . She talks about payment innovations , flexible working environments , and diversity developments
Q . DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY INTO FINTECH . HOW DID YOU GET HERE ?
» I was first introduced to the world of payments while working at a large professional services consultancy and was instantly intrigued .
On the one hand , payments are something we all make and need , but there can also be a lot of backend complexity that the consumer doesn ’ t want to have to spend time thinking about . There was clearly a huge opportunity for innovation , particularly when it came to digitally connecting buyers and sellers , and that really excited me . It was this that ultimately led me to American Express – a brand and culture with a customer focus that has consistently driven innovation . I ’ ve seen the space change and develop a lot , particularly over the past decade , and 14 years later I ’ m still incredibly proud and excited to be working here !
Q . WHO WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD HERO AND WHY ?
» Probably Helen Sharman . I was a slightly geeky kid from Yorkshire , so I found the prospect of a female chemist from Sheffield becoming the first Brit in space , and still one of the youngest ever people in space , really inspiring .
Q . WHAT ' S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU ’ VE EVER RECEIVED ?
» Be authentic . I think many of us start out in a career with stereotypes in our minds around what a successful leader looks like , and it ' s all too easy to feel like you have to be just like that to succeed . Yet , you can never be as good at being somebody else as the best version of yourself .
It ’ s important to listen and to take on advice , but digest it and incorporate it in a way that feels right for you and still allows
20 May 2023