Voice of Experience: Yvonne Schneider, Senior Vice President Global Commercial Services Technologies, American Express
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
Yvonne Schneider is a panelist at today’s Women in IT event, hosted by The Glass Hammer.
“I consider myself a global leader,” said Yvonne Schneider, SVP Global Commercial Services Technologies at American Express. “I align employees across five regions around the world and we’re a high performing team. My employees have a lot of responsibility and visibility.”
Schneider’s role at Amex is about managing – and creating – change. She works to create and deploy new solutions to the company’s global corporate client base, she explained. “The adoption of emerging technologies is something we’re paying a lot of attention to. But it’s a matter of putting the right technology at the right time in the right market – the same technology is not the right solution everywhere in the world.”
“What we do is work on automating the workforce,” she said, “and this is changing the face of the world and how it operates and its people.”
A Career in Change
Originally from Oklahoma and the New Orleans area, Schneider attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, and graduated with a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. She started her career in the Oil and Gas industry as a systems analyst, concentrating on economic models and simulations utilizing mainframe expertise. Soon she then began working for a small company focused on automating the Travel and Entertainment industry.
“Then,” she explained, “after a few years we were beating Amex to market – so they bought the company.” With experience spanning multiple aspects in the tech industry, she recalled, “I had been exposed to the customer side of the industry, and had also been part of the team that built the industry’s first automated travel booking product, working with Microsoft.”
At Amex, she said, “We created a self service portal for our commercial clients, and I’m now supporting the BusinessTravel, Foreign Exchange Services, and the Commercial Card Services business lines.”
She continued, “Right now we’re finishing up work on a large portfolio from GE that Amex purchased. It has a number of transformative effects for the team and opportunities to take our commercial knowledge and shape the company’s infrastructure. We’re working to use our new architecture and skills to look at everything from a global view.”
The job does demand a lot of travel – she joked, “I’m not sitting in my Houston office very often!”
Also a champion for privacy and data protection for the company’s corporate services division, Schneider explained that she’s particularly interested in regulatory changes in the industry. “The regulatory environment is changing every day. And it means global changes – whether we’re talking about the US, the European Payments Act, or Asia-Pac regulations. It keeps us hopping the most.”
Looking forward, Schneider said, “In five or ten years, based on conversations I’ve had with the company’s leadership, I’d like to facilitate training new upcoming leaders. I’d like to be helping the organization adjust to the changing world, regarding the new regulatory environment and new generations coming into the workforce.”
Women in the Technology Industry
One of the things holding women back in the tech industry, Schneider said, is their exclusion from top level conversations. She explained, “I think (as the only female in my math and computer science class), one of the biggest issues women face is not being exposed to senior and board level discussions. The critical issue is just being able to hear the issues and discussions taking place.”
She continued, “The number of women is growing, but not at the same frequency as their participation in these types of conversations at very senior ranks. The representation of women is still smaller than we’d like to see and this makes it hard to find role models and sponsors as well – just because there aren’t that many of us.”
Networking plays an important role in this area, Schneider said. “Amex has a great network – the Women’s Interest Network (WIN) and we also have Executive WIN. Executive WIN allows us to home in on a few specific issues at the executive level. They’re great programs.”
She continued, “Right now I’m working with the heads of WIN and our other diversity networks in certain markets to host luncheons for senior level leaders, discussing questions like work/life balance, etc. As an executive woman in IT, I take the time to do this in different markets around the world.”
She is also a strong proponent of flexwork at Amex. She said, “I’m working with HR, and we have broken some ground on flex programs for senior female leaders. In many markets, it’s taboo to go part time or take a break during childbearing years.”
She continued, “We lose a lot our senior level women that way. We’re working to institute part time offers to women in leadership and we’ve had a high rate of success. It just takes the first one to say it’s okay!”
Finding a balance between work and personal time is a challenge, Schneider said, but women need to keep in mind that the definition of balance is different for everyone. She said, “Maybe the balance for one person is not the right balance for another – as long as a person works for their own personal priorities and knows what those priorities are.”
Finding her own personal balance, she explained, has helped her become better at her job. “Over the years I’ve developed practices that help me. For example, I block out my Friday afternoons to catch up on emails for the day. It gives me my weekend back – and that makes me a more effective leader.”
She continued, “You learn what your burnout factor is. I also make time for reading – industry reading and magazines like the Harvard Business Review when I’m on the plane. That’s also when I get some of my best thinking done – because you’re alone.”
“I’ve learned to leverage the time I have for accomplishing the appropriate activities.”
Schneider manages to have an active life outside the office as well – “I’m also the coordinator for all of our family activities.” And she is very enthusiastic about her philanthropic work with food salvage. She said, “I’m on the Board of Directors for the Houston Food Bank and I do a lot of advocating for food salvage. Actually, with a lot of my staff across the world, when we do team building, we volunteer at food banks. It’s interesting to see how it’s done differently in different places. This is my third term, so I’m going on eleven years now.”
Advice for Technical Women
“Do what you like and stay true to your values. Do what makes you happy,” Schneider advised.
She also encouraged young women entering the field to get a broad range of experience. She said, “It’s a fantastic industry and there are a number of paths to take, whether you have the desire to be an individual contributor, business facing, or leadership.”
She continued, “I suggest moving around the business verticals – data security, etc. There’s so much – from artistic stuff to crunching numbers. There are a lot of opportunities. Get experience in different types of industries.”
Additionally, Schneider said, “One thing that is important is that you have to learn the business you’re supporting.”
Most importantly, though, “Above all, deliver on your commitments. In the tech field, everyone wants to be the hero. But you have to do the day-to-day. I tell my team, there’s no extra credit if you didn’t do your homework,” she explained.
For women in the mid-range of their careers, she said, “There’s no more perfect time than now to push for a top position. Ask for ever increasing responsibilities.”
She continued, “I think women wait to be tapped on the shoulder because we’re polite. You have to make it known that you’re interested in more. Don’t stagnate and don’t get siloed in a particular area. Your horizons need to be broad – that’s what I enjoyed about working for a small company – you become a jack of all trades. But you can get that experience in a large firm as well. You have to ask for changes and new challenges.”
Also, she said, in response to current economic climate, “I would say that networking matters, especially in today’s electronic world. We need to remind ourselves that relationships are really how we get things done. You need to cultivate them.”
Schneider values the relationships she’s built as they provide a wealth of learning opportunities. She explained, “I have a very large family and many friends and business colleagues. There’s a large number of people I’ve worked for throughout my life that have inspired me, as well as my employees. I like to say that I work for my employees as well. Everyone has something to share.”
She continued, “I’ve been blessed to say that I have learned from every interaction I’ve had in my career.”
